
From the Director’s Desk
Congratulations to our CN Band students who participated in our All-State Ensembles last weekend. We are very proud of their performances. Many of our students earned first-chair placements in the ensemble they performed in.
Additional congratulations go to our current students and CN alumni who recently earned contract spots to perform in the 2025 Drum Corps International season.
All-State Testimonials...


Ariella Taylor-Zhang
"I had the opportunity to play piccolo/flute in the All-State Golden State band. It was truly a memorable and amazing experience with tons of new friends and beautiful music to be played. I will never regret attending the CASMEC conference!"

Luke Noordmans
"My experience at Allstate was one of the best musical experiences I’ve had in a while. It was refreshing to participate in an ensemble where everyone was on an extremely high skill level, and able to play extremely challenging music. The atmosphere was also a good one with no one being overly full of themselves despite how experienced everyone was. I made plenty of new friends who played and were phenomenal at the same instrument as me which allowed me to get in touch with all sorts of cool people. Ultimately I think the time and effort that I put into my audition to score a place in the top band was one hundred percent worth the effort."

Nathan Hazelrigg
"The High School All-State Jazz Band was an incredible experience I’ll never forget. I had the chance to play with some of the best musicians I’ve ever heard and perform music I never imagined I’d be able to play. Everyone was kind and easy to work with, and there were no egos—it was just 18 high school kids having fun playing music. My director, Annie Booth, was a pleasure to meet and learn from; her patient approach made her the perfect leader for the week. I learned so much from my peers about improvisation, articulation, and tone quality. By the time of the concert, we were all prepared and excited to perform. Looking back, the whole journey was a game-changer for me musically, and I’m already eager and prepared for next year’s All-State experience—to meet more amazing people and continue growing as a musician."

Alex Fisher
"CASMEC this year was such a great experience! Getting to rehearse and perform with the most talented high school musicians in the state around me was deeply fulfilling, and I had so much fun getting to bond and network with all these musicians, especially the saxophone section. From our first tuning note, I could tell this was going to be an amazing ensemble. Rehearsals were fast-paced, productive, and by the end, we even had time left over for a Q&A with our conductor. Dr. Robert Taylor from Northwestern was incredibly kind and professional and his positive energy radiated through the whole band. I thoroughly enjoyed all-state this year and I look forward to returning next year."

Andy Fisher
"I had a great time participating in the All-State Wind Symphony this year. From playing under the leadership of Robert Taylor from Northwestern University to watching South Park in my hotel room after long days of rehearsals, it was all such a fun experience. I can't wait to audition again for next year and hopefully the food will be a little better next time."
Crab Feed
Here is a link to purchase tickets to attend our annual crab feed fundraiser:
Please share this with friends, family, people who like crab, colleagues etc. Let’s work to make this year’s fundraiser the biggest one ever!
Pledge Forms
Pledge forms for the spring activities must be completed no later than Friday, Jan. 31. They will be counted as a signed document homework assignment. Here are links to each activity.
Clovis North Varsity Winter Guard
Clovis North Junior Varsity Winter Guard
Clovis North Winter Percussion
Wind Ensemble Spring Travel
Wind Ensemble
Our next concert will be Wednesday, January 29. This is our area band articulation concert with the Granite Ridge Symphonic Band and our CN Area 6th grade band students. Wind Ensemble students will need to arrive in the band room at 6:30 pm. We will then perform two selections at 7 pm in the concert hall. Dress is regular concert attire. Once they two pieces have been completed, students are dismissed and should not stay for the remainder of the concert.
We will resume Monday night rehearsal next Monday, Jan. 27.
Concert Band
Keep working out the pieces. Our goal is to start bringing up the tempo on “Declaration Overture”. Keep up the great work on the other music! Finally, if you are free this weekend, come check out the Percussion and Guard as they have their first performance at Clovis West on Saturday!
Winter Percussion
Percussion is looking forward to performing this weekend. We have the first half of the show (2:45) on the floor with drill for this Saturday at Clovis West. Please come check it out and support the students. Performance is at 12:27pm. Thank you to those who have volunteered as chaperone/pit crew. I believe we have enough for this show – if something changes after Thursday evening’s rehearsal, am email will be sent. Please visit sjvcgpr.org for more information.
Color Guard
We are looking forward to the debut of our three winter guard ensembles for the season this Saturday at Clovis West HS. Please go to sjvcgpr.org for more information.
Lost & Found

Time is running out! Pick up your lost items before they are donated.

Have a great week!
David Lesser, Director of Bands
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