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It’s that time again – time to celebrate all the hard work and adventures of the 2025-2026 year! There will be pizza of course, as well as a Senior Photo and some Awards!
The fun will start on May 26th – at 4pm!
There are a few public transit options – click here for some help planning how to get there! Hope to see you there!
If you’re interested in getting involved with us and help support our band program, this meeting is the perfect opportunity to get plugged in! Someone will be at the back entrance gate on SE 28th just before 6:30 pm to let you in.
We will be electing new board members for the 2026-27 school year. Open positions and candidates to fill them are:
President: Kris Carlson
Vice President: Sue Ledgerwood
Secretary: Tayler Kim
We will also elect other board members, and the full slate up for election will be shared at the meeting.
The meeting is open to everyone who wants to attend. We’d love to see you there and talk to you more about joining Friends of Cleveland Bands!
Providence Bridge Pedal, August 9th: We are still on the hunt for several band students to volunteer for assist with the bridge pedal. More details will be coming, as this event doesn’t take place until August. Providence makes a generous donation to our band program in exchange for this volunteering, and you get to see a beautiful sunrise over the Willamette River! If you are interested email volunteer.coordinator@clevelandbandspdx.com
A group of PPS music families and educators has launched a petition asking the district to address unintended impacts of new state graduation requirements (SB3) on student musicians—particularly for the Class of 2027. While the added Financial Literacy and College & Career Readiness credits are important, they may limit some students’ ability to continue in year-long music programs during their senior year. The petition urges PPS to consider flexible solutions so students don’t have to choose between graduation requirements and completing their music pathway.
The Friends of Cleveland Band board has added our signatures in support of this effort, and we encourage our band community to review the petition and consider adding your name as well. Your voice can help highlight the importance of protecting access to music education for our students.
If you desire to have a school instrument over the summer, please complete the form linked below.
It is important to note that there must be a plan of consistent usage associated with taking an instrument for the summer. If we have more requests for an instrument than our inventory allows, I do not want an instrument to sit idle in someone’s home, while another student would be making good use of it.
Please keep this in mind when filling out the form.
Real quick at the top! Monday the 27th is another Wind Ensemble evening rehearsal. You’ll be starting at 6:30pm, please enter through the back or the side
Thank you to all the volunteers who made our final bake sale of the year a wild and fun success!! We had many helpers and a lively time handing out all sorts of delicious sandwiches and goodies. And props to all those who really brought the baked goods. Here are the folks who made it all happen: Gina Conrad, Ward Conrad, TK Conrad, Sue Ledgerwood, Tayler Kim, Alexis Abrams, Chenoa Knight, Laurel Walker, Caroline Hurd, Peter Harmon, Jessica Kleiss, Laura Carim Todd, Helen Hulskamp, Joren Lyons, Kirsten Drashner, Lutgarda Cowan, Kris Carlson, Mary Tyler, Jenni Sorcinelli, Rachel Boone, Kimberly LeVelle, Yvette Tallentire and Justin Rupple. We couldn’t have done it without your help! 
Business donations included: Sesame Donuts, Whole Foods, Trader Joes and Fred Meyer
Cleveland Jazz Lab and Jazz Ensemble performed on Saturday at the Mt Hood Jazz Festival! If you were there, and took photos or videos, don’t forget to upload them to our 2026 Cleveland Band Album
Both bands received very good scores.
Jazz Ensemble was 5th with State qualifying scores.
Jazz Lab was 7th with one score that would have qualified them for state if they were eligible. (2nd bands are not eligible for state)
A great day!
Friends of Cleveland Band has just been listed in the Fred Meyer Rewards app as a Community Rewards organization! So if you use Fred Meyer Rewards, you can set FOCB as the beneficiary of some of the charitable giving that Fred Meyer does every year. Here’s how to set it up in your account:
To Use the Fred Meyer Community Rewards Program:
Simply encourage your participants to visit https://www.fredmeyer.
A reminder that the Oregon Music Education Association State Solo and State Chamber Ensemble Contests are coming up soon! These events bring together top-performing students from across the state who have qualified through their district competitions. Participants should be sure to review event details, prepare required materials (including music copies), and plan to arrive early for their scheduled performance times.
For full event information, schedules, and updates, please visit the official pages for the OMEA State Solo Contest and OMEA State Chamber Ensemble Contest. We wish all participating Cleveland students the best of luck as they represent our program at the state level!
