“Sellwood loved being part of the ‘Future Warriors’ concert once again this year! It was great to hear Hosford’s band; kudos to Mr. Johnston and his students. It was a thrill to see and hear all of the ex-Sellwood kids up there in Cleveland’s phenomenal bands. Thanks, Mr. Riler, for another wonderful evening for the Cleveland Cluster Band Programs!” –Dan Arrayan, Director of Bands, Sellwood Middle School

“The Future Warriors Concert is a great way to build camaraderie in our cluster and provide a vision for our young musicians as they move on to Cleveland. It also provides a sample of the great things that are happening musically in our district. The students love the chance to listen to the Sellwood and Cleveland bands and look forward to continuing their music education into high school.” –Scott Johnston, Director of Bands, Hosford Middle School

This year’s contest will be held at Wilson High School on March 2, 2019, with schedules to be announced on or around February 19. Participating students should plan on blocking out an hour of their day around the time that they are scheduled.

Students are highly encouraged to participate in this event, at no cost to families. (Registration fees are covered by the Friends of Cleveland Bands.) Registration forms went home with students last week.

Final exams for band students are as follows:

• Jazz Band and Jazz Lab Finals have already taken place at the Jazz Night concert on Friday, January 11. (Congratulations, jazz students!)

• The Percussion final will take the form of individualized assessments on note names, rhythm reading, and rudiments. Grades will reflect growth.

• Concert, Symphonic, and Wind Symphony classes will perform chamber music for their final exams.

Festival season is upon us, which means we will be needing a few adults to chaperone and/or drive for the following events:

• All NW Wind Symphony, February 15 and 17: Mr Riler needs 4–6 volunteers to help check in student participants on Friday, February 15 from 10:30 am–12:30 pm and check them out again on Sunday, Feb 17 from 12 pm–2:30 pm (location TBD).

• OSU Band Contest (Wind Symphony): Two adult chaperones are needed for this all-day event. One adult will be needed to ride the bus with Mr. Riler and the majority of students and instruments and the other will need to drive a couple more students. (We have a few more musicians than seats.)

Please contact volunteer coordinator, Jennifer Means, at jennmeans@gmail.com if you can help out at any of these events.

The volunteer spot for the West Salem Jazz festival has been filled, but other adults who wish to attend are welcome.

To everyone in the CHS Band community: we hope you had a joyous holiday season and wish you a happy, healthy, and very musical 2019! Please see the band calendar for a look at some of the fantastic opportunities that lie ahead for our bands.

Once again the CHS Band community delivered! Thank you to everyone who contributed to our annual holiday bake sale. (See thank you box for a complete list.) Not only were the desserts abundant and irresistible, this season’s event raised a staggering $1,350, with every penny going to the program.

We can’t wait to hear more music (and enjoy more treats) on January 11, when our jazz combos and ensemble will perform at our first-ever Evening of Jazz.

Parents, please come early for an important all-parent meeting to learn about some important issues that impact the program and our students:

•Learn about the Friends of Cleveland Bands parent group and find out how you can get involved
•Find out about our budget for the 2018-19 school year
•Get a more detailed overview of the Spring 2020 Disney Trip, including a sample itinerary and information about how your child can raise funds to help pay for this amazing adventure
•Learn more about important ways you can volunteer for the band program

The winter concert and bake sale is fast approaching. This is one of our most popular events of the year, and for good reason. The desserts are irresistible and one hundred percent of the proceeds go to support the band program. We hope you will join us in making this our most festive (and delicious) winter concert yet! Please go to our special sign-up page via SignUp.com or contact Brianne Williams directly to volunteer to bring goodies and/or to help set up, work the tables during intermission, or to help clean up afterwards. (Please note: Signup.com will ask you to enter your email address in order to send you an automated confirmation and event reminders, but does not require you to open an account. SignUp.com does not share your email address with anyone.)

Please contact Brianne Williams with any questions or for help signing up at bri6031@gmail.com.

The CHS Jazz Ensemble has a very busy week ahead of them, with not one but three performances on three consecutive days, including an evening show on Wednesday (Bridging the Gap), an all-day competition Thursday (PIL Jazz Festival), and a morning music assembly on Friday along with the Wind Symphony. Please see the calendar for details. And make sure concert attire is clean, pressed (as needed), and ready to go!

But wait, there’s more! To ring in the new year, CHS Jazz Lab combos will host a special evening of performances on Friday, January 11, in the CHS Auditorium. Light refreshments will be served.

We are waiting for the official unveiling of the new Nike branding of Cleveland High School before moving forward with our band logo design. We will take pre-orders for shirts, sweatshirts, and hats in December. More information coming soon. Thank you for your patience!