CN Band Newsletter - 08.26.2025
- Clovis North Band
- Aug 25, 2025
- 7 min read
From the Director’s Desk
We are off to a solid start! The band did a great job at last Friday’s home football game. It is tough to get everything prepared to have a home game at the end of the first week of school. Thank you to all of the parents who spent hours getting all of our uniforms ready to go for last Friday.
Congratulations on being great spirit leaders for our school and community. We have lots of things we can do to improve our performance at games, but this was an outstanding job for the first Friday of school with such a new group of students.
Saturday rehearsal went well. We played through the entire field show in the gym together. I don’t think we have ever been able to do that in August before. Bravo!
WAY TO GO BRONCO FOOTBALL!!!
Our CN Football team had a great first win with their new head coach, Coach Colby Hunter last Friday night. We have been fortunate to begin building a really positive relationship with Coach Hunter.
I have had multiple conversations with him over the last few weeks. In fact, he spent about half an hour watching our rehearsal last Tuesday night and then spoke to the band about the importance of our students on campus!
Thanks, Coach!!! We hope you have a great season. We are glad to help create an energetic atmosphere at CN Football Games! Go Broncos!!!
STANDARD OF THE WEEK
Teamwork, This week we will begin learning drill to SCULPT.
We will all be learning a new process as we have a new drill writer who uses a different method. We will need to work together to understand the new process and excel as quickly as possible.
We will also need to work together as a team to help each other memorize and master this week's music performance check-off.
We are entering the most challenging section of the show. Our teamwork and support of each other will go a long way to help our confidence and success.
Order Your Spirit Wear B4 It's Too Late
Attendance
Attendance at all rehearsals, events, and performances is mandatory. There were many students absent at our first Saturday rehearsal. Please make sure to review our fall calendar and follow through on the commitment being made by ALL of our awesome student musicians. You can read the band handbook posted on CUTTIME for all the detailed attendance expectations.
Our NEXT Saturday rehearsal will be...
Saturday, SEPTEMBER 6, 2025 from 10am-5pm
CutTime Signatures
Please make sure you have completed and reviewed all the documents in the CutTime Signatures section. It is important to have these completed, as it includes a permission slip to travel with the group this school year.
To get to these documents, click your CutTime magic link and scroll down to the signatures section. There, you can view and digitally sign each document. Each document is counted as a class assignment and will lower a student's grade if not completed. Thank you for your swift attention to this matter.
Please make sure you have completed the CN Band Fall Pledge form located on the CN Band Website. Our goal this year is for 100% of our families to complete this document.
Greetings Jazz Families!
We’re gearing up for a stellar year. There is a lot of maturity in our HS Band and our GR band is filled with lots of new talent. Our two evening Jazz Concerts this year are Nov 12th 2025 and April 28th 2026. 7-9pm both nights.
Rehearsal Schedule:
No Jazz Rehearsals Thu Aug 28th and Fri Aug 29th
Now – Thanksgiving *(GR Students will be asked to observe the HS Band once a week for 30 minutes)
Mon: CN 3:25-5:00*
Tues: GR 3:25-5:00
Wed: GR 3:25-4:10 AND CN 4:15-5:00*
Thur: CN 3:25-5:00*
Fri: GR 3:25-5:00
After Thanksgiving: Dec 1st -June 5th
Mon: CN 3:25-4:10 GR 3:25-5:00 (For GR, 3:25-4:10 is 45 min required observation + 45 min rehearsal 4:15-5:00)
Tue: GR 3:25-5:00
Wed: GR 3:25-4:10 CN 4:15-5:00
Thu: CN 3:25-5:00
Fri: GR 3:25-4:10 CN 4:15-5:00
Tues, Wed, and Thur are the same all year.
If you are new to the jazz family, Welcome! Communication is key. Parents and Jazz students must both add their respective band in the *Remind* app.
-To add Clovis North Jazz, select (+ add a class) enter cnja on the *Remind* app or text @cnja to the number 81010.
-To add Granite Ridge Jazz, select (+ add a class), enter grjazza on the app or text @grjazza to the number 81010.
We will occasionally use Parent Square once I have enrolled your students into the class.
We have a lot of moving parts in room 703. Cancellations and rescheduling will happen. I will do my best to keep you informed of any changes to the above schedule in a timely manner. Your flexibility is appreciated.
As always, email me with any questions or concerns.
Erik Dewhirst
CNEC Jazz
Chaperone Mandatory Meeting
f you are interested in or plan on being a chaperone for the band this year you must attend a chaperone meeting tomorrow night, AUGUST 26, 2025 @ 5:30pm in the band room. We will discuss the documentation needed, policies, procedures, best practices, and how we will select chaperones for our events. If you have any questions, please contact Steffanie Hartman: steffaniehartman@cusd.com
Mandatory Parent Meeting “B”
If you were unable to attend the first band parent meeting on August 6, please make sure to be with us on Wednesday, August 27 at 7pm in the band room. This is an important meeting so you are aware of all that is entailed as a student and parent member of the Clovis North Band and Color Guard. If you attended the meeting on Aug. 9 you do not need to attend this one.
Band Night Out - Panda Express 08.27.2025
Family Night Images
CN Marching Band Picture Day
Saturday
September 6, 2025
7:00am - 10:30am
The CN Marching Band will take a group picture, sectional pictures, and individual pictures in the large gym.
7:00am arrive
7:15am dress in uniform
7:45am line up by height
8:00am take group picture in large gym, then sectionals, then individuals
Once you have completed all pictures needed, change out of uniform and wait for rehearsal to begin at 11am.
**Uniform:**
Sparkle Shirt, collar, NO gauntlets, NO shako, gloves.
Hair must be nice. Ladies please have hair straight
Instruments including drums should be polished or shined.
Mattress Fundraiser Saturday, September 20
Dear Clovis North Educational Center Band & Color Guard Families,
We are excited to announce our 6th Annual Mattress Sale Fundraiser on Saturday, September 20, 2025, from 10:00AM-5:00PM, at Clovis North MPR! This is a fantastic opportunity to support the Clovis North Educational Center Band & Color Guard while helping our community get great deals on mattresses. We need as many people as possible to come to this important event.
How does it work? We will bring a mobile mattress showroom to our school with over 25 floor models for customers to try. All products are brand new, available in all sizes, and cost less than retail stores. Brands include Beautyrest, Purple, Southerland, Tranquility, and Helix. Prices start at $199 for Twin, $249 for Full, $299 for Queen, and $399 for King. In addition, there will be pillows, mattress protectors, sheets, and adjustable power bases. Financing and delivery are available.
What do we need to do? ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS PROMOTE! Did you know 1 in 4 households will purchase a new mattress every year? Our goal is for every family with a student in the band to find at least one person who needs a mattress. Students don’t have to sell anything—just promote! By spreading the word, we can raise thousands of dollars in just one day. Write your student’s name on referral flyers to earn bonuses!
Why is promoting so important? It’s critical that all families participate by inviting everyone you know. Take a minute to ask around at work, church, or with family and neighbors—you’ll be surprised how many people are planning to replace a bed! Personal referrals drive 90% of the sales, so we need everyone’s help to make this a success. Don’t miss your chance to save money and sleep better knowing you made a difference!
Want an easy way to spread the word? Text CLOVISNORTH to (559) 234-0055 and forward the reply to your friends and family!
Music Tests and Pass-offs
We just completed our first musical assessment on the Part 1. m40-68.
Many students passed on the first try and some will need to try again.
Students can retake the test if they do not pass. They need to set up an appointment with myself or Mr. Vargas to schedule a make-up performance time, before school, during lunch, or after school. Students may retake once per day if they choose.
However, we highly recommend students only schedule the retake once they have spent adequate time practicing and are very confident they will pass during the retake. These assessments are in no way meant to be punitive. They are to ensure students are at a level of performance that is acceptable for excellence. We want to celebrate their improvements as student musicians.
The next pass off will take place this Friday on Part 1. M. 76-93.
Grading Policy Change
We were just told we needed to change our grading policies. There will no longer be a category for Citizenship. This means that the performance category will now be worth 45% of the grade instead of 40% and the test/assignment category will now be work 40% of the grade instead of 35%. We are updating this in the band handbook and will send a revision once completed.
Football Parking Fundraiser
We have football parking duty on Friday September 19. This is a quick fundraiser for us with minimum responsibility. We will need three volunteers from 4-6pm and three volunteers from 6-8pm to collect money for football parking. The band receives 100% of the funds generated from this. Please sign up to volunteer on CutTime.
Bronco Blitz
UPDATE: Date Change Thursday, October 2, 2025 we will be participating in our Annual Bronco Blitz. We will tour our 5 CN Area Elementary schools and spread some Bronco Spirit.
Please see the schedule on CutTime...
Concert Attire
Our fall concert is scheduled for Wednesday, October 15, 2025 @ 7:00pm. We hope to see all of our families in attendance. Stay tuned for more info about the fall concert. Students will need the proper attire for this concert.
Boys: Black suit or tuxedo, white long-sleeve dress shirt, black bow tie, black dress socks, black dress shoes (marching band shoes are acceptable for this).
Girls: Black dress pants or slacks, black blouse or sweater, black stockings/socks, black dress shoes (flats)
CNEC Band Social Media Links
Website: clovisnorthband.org
Find us on Facebook and Instagram
Facebook: Clovis North Band & Color Guard
Instagram: @clovisnorthmusic
Don’t forget to join us the last 30 minutes of our Tuesday night rehearsals.
We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events!
Have a great rest of your week!
David Lesser
Director of Bands
Clovis North Educational Center
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