CN Band Newsletter 10-07
From the Director's Desk
Week 8 Update & Announcements
We are now less than two weeks away from our first competition in San Jose. We are getting really close to completing the field show. Now is an exciting time. The students are working hard and taking positive steps each day.
This week we will be playing Clovis East at Lamonica and on Saturday will have our stadium rehearsal at Buchanan. You want to make sure to join us around 8pm to watch the remainder of our rehearsal and our very first full run-through of the year.
We were very proud of our students who helped welcome the guests last Thursday morning at the annual CUSD Superintendent’s Breakfast. It was an early morning and a long day. These musicians did a fantastic job waking everyone up and sharing some Bronco Spirit.
Thursday evening was a great night to celebrate our senior members and their families for their commitment to each other and to our band and color guard. It was great to bring this group together to recognize their contributions over the last 4-6 years as a Bronco!
Bronco Star of the Week
Congratulations to Sofia Chaudhari for being named our Bronco Star of the Week for Week 7! Sofia has been a great leader, positively motivating her section.
We have seen an amazing turnaround in the trumpet section this year. They are doing a fantastic job.
A lot of that is due to her leadership, musicianship, and the way she is unifying the members in that group.
Thanks for your dedication Sofia. Great job!
📅 Calendar: Week at a Glance
Monday: Music sectionals
Tuesday: Concert Band
Wednesday: Add part 5 music to drill
Thursday: Review part 4 and part 5 marching and playing
Friday: 6th/7th Period – Pregame/Review part 4 and 5
Run through rally wind ensemble brass and all drumline 2:50pm
Saturday: Stadium rehearsal @ Buchanan
📅 Calendar Updates
Run Through Rally
Wind ensemble brass and full drumline. We will meet at west end of A building at 2:50 to play through the A building before the Bell
Stadium Rehearsal
Saturday, October 10 we will have our stadium rehearsal at Buchan. We will need some volunteers to help feed the band.
We also hope you will bring your family and friends during the evening block to watch our first run-through of the show.
JV Winter Guard Parent Meeting
Monday, October 12, 6:00pm
💳 National Concert Band Festival Pledge Form
Wind Ensemble families, the MFA National Concert Band Festival Pledge form was due yesterday. Thank you if you have completed the form. If not, please do so ASAP
Note: If you wish to donate by check, complete the form and skip the payment page
🎺 Program Updates
SPIRIT WEAR
Spirit wear orders are in!! If you ordered spirit wear and have not picked it up, please contact Carol Lesser at 559-287-9067 to schedule pick up.
Marching Band
We will be learning the end of the show beginning this week and will be ready for a full run-through next Saturday night at our stadium rehearsal
Wind Ensemble
Link to kick-off presentation - Clovis North Wind Ensemble - National Concert Band Festival Parent Meeting
Winter Guard
Rosters for Varsity and JV Winter Guard have been announced. We will have some informational meetings as we begin to prepare for the winter guard season.
🎵 Music Tests & Pass-Offs
We have completed initial pass offs for part 1-3 of the show. We will begin part 4 next week.
Please diligently work to retake tests as needed so your grade does not suffer.
Retake Policy: If a student does not pass, they will review material with their section leader and schedule a retake with Mr. Lesser or Mr. Vargas (before school, lunch, or after school).
Retake Frequency: Retakes are limited to once per day after adequate preparation.
💰 Fundraising & Upcoming Events
Holiday Catalog
Monday, we kicked off our holiday catalog fundraiser. The goal for this fundraiser is $10,000. It looks like after two days we have raised almost $3,000. If we keep this pace, we should have no problem reaching that goal.
This fundraiser ends Friday, October 16. So, let’s hit this one out of the park!!!
Pie Sale
Get ready. Our annual pie sale begins on Monday, October 26. This is a great way to prepare for the holidays and for the entire year. These pies are super tasty and also store extremely well in your freezer. Be on the lookout for information.
All-State Honor Band Auditions
Auditions should be posted today. Although CBDA does not require them until next week, I need time to listen and approve each audition. This year we have an astonishing 25 students planning to submit recordings… that is AWESOME. I ask them to be submitted by today so I can listen and make sure there aren’t any immediate reasons for disqualification. That enables some time for me to reach out to students to allow them to resubmit a portion of their recording.
FMCMEA Honor Band Auditions
Audition registration for FMCMEA is live now.
Here is the registration link: https://www.fmcmea.org/product/winds-percussion-student-musician-audition-registration/M4J2RTP5IJVRR2N5GQPBKRD7
All CN Wind Ensemble members must audition for FMCMEA. It is strongly encouraged that concert band members do as well. Please complete registration before Friday, November 6.
The audition material is the Golden State All State Band excerpts plus the CBDA chromatic scale. Wind ensemble members will perform their audition in front of the class prior to the FMCMEA audition date
WBA @ Independence High School
Our first competition is next weekend in San Jose at Independence High School. The schedule for the day is on Cuttime. For more information, please visit westernbands.org.
You can find schedules for the first three competitions on Cuttime.
Golden State Tournament of Bands
GSTOB will be upon us before we know it. This event takes many volunteers to host bands for a great day of fall pageantry. We share the hosting responsibilities with four of our CUSD sister schools. The volunteer slots needed below are in addition to our regular help at contests like chaperoning, pit crew, and feed the band. Our responsibilities for the day include:
Director/judge hospitality: This is led by Donna Nakamura. If you are interested in being part of the hospitality team please reach out to her.
Entry gates @ Baseball field outfield. You monitor the groups entering the staging area. We need
2 volunteers from 2:30-5:40pm
1 more volunteer from 5:30-8:30pm
Main spectator entrance. You check wristbands and WBA passes for entry and reentry. We need
2 more volunteers from 2:30-5:40pm
2 volunteers from 5:30-8:30pm
These positions need to be filled by Friday October 23. We sincerely appreciate your time helping us provide a quality experience in Central California as well as helping facilitate a great fundraiser for the band.
🎶 Fall Concert & Attire Guidelines
Mark your calendars! Our Fall Concert is scheduled for Wednesday, October 28. Students will need the following concert attire:
Gentlemen: Black suit or tuxedo, white long-sleeve dress shirt, black bow tie, black dress socks, black dress shoes (marching shoes acceptable). (Note: Wind Ensemble students will have distinct requirements announced soon).
Ladies: Black dress pants or slacks, black blouse or sweater, black stockings/socks, black dress shoes (flats).
Calling All Wind Ensemble Parents and Guardians!
Leanne Calderaro and Donna Nakamura are interested in bringing together a group of Wind Ensemble parents and guardians to explore fundraising opportunities to help support the Music for All trip to Indiana.
They have one particular fundraising idea they’d like to gauge interest in: partnering with a former band family who provides catering services.
The concept would involve offering pre-made, ready-to-bake meals that families could purchase and pick up on designated evenings during the week. We know how busy everyone’s schedule can be, so this could be a convenient way to support our students while making mealtimes a little easier for our families.
If there is enough interest, we think this could be a great opportunity to raise funds for our band while providing something practical and valuable to our community.
If you are interested in helping organize, participating in the fundraiser, or sharing other fundraising ideas, please reach out to Leanne Calderaro with your name and contact information.
We’d love to hear from you and work together to make the Music for All trip a success for our students!
Please reach out to:
Leanne Calderaro
Text cell: (559) 408-3718 or
Email: leannecalderaro@gmail.com
2027 CN Band Calendar Sale
The Clovis North Bronco Band is now holding their annual band calendar fundraiser. 😃
These full-colored calendars are filled with performance pictures of the band, percussion & guard and are sold on a pre-order basis only, so do not miss out!
These make wonderful gifts for family and friends!
Head on over to our website to place your orders:
Thank You! 7th Annual Mattress Sale Results!
Dear Clovis North Educational Center Band & Color Guard (CNEC) Families,
Thank you so much for your support at the Mattress Sale Fundraiser on October 3, 2026!
We are so grateful for every family that came out, spread the word, shared on social media, and helped make this event a success. Every mattress purchased directly benefits Clovis North Educational Center Band & Color Guard (CNEC) — and it wouldn't have been possible without your help!
If you or someone you know missed our sale, here is a list of other upcoming mattress fundraiser events around the valley:
Clark Intermediate — Sat, Oct 17
Matilda Torres HS — Sun, Oct 18
Rivergold & Coarsegold Elementary Schools — Sat, Nov 14
Coalinga HS — Sat, Mar 6
Just mention your purchase supports Clovis North Educational Center Band & Color Guard (CNEC)!
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to reach out:
559-314-4662
We truly appreciate your support and look forward to doing this again next year. Let's make Clovis North HS and Granite Ridge MS's fundraiser even bigger in 2027!
Thank you again — sleep well!
We look forward to seeing everyone at our upcoming events!
Have a fantastic rest of your week.
David Lesser
Director of Bands
Clovis North Educational Center
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