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The Play-a-thon is THIS FRIDAY, October 4, and the donations are streaming in. Please spread the word—via Facebook, email, word of mouth, carrier pigeon, whatever works best for you. Let’s make this our most successful fundraiser yet!
And remember to include the name of the student on behalf of whom the contribution is made. Kids who solicit the most donations will win valuable prizes! Contributions are tax-deductible. Please visit Play-a-thon GoFundMe
This year’s Play-a-thon will be open to a live audience in addition to our customary live stream. Friends and family are invited to join us in the auditorium for any or all portions of the show, starting at 3:30 pm.
Please check with your student to determine which bands they will be playing with. Please note that the groups labelled A, B and C are sight-reading bands. Students from Concert Band, Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony are mixed together to form three groups. This gives our veterans the chance to assist the newer members of the program with our sight-reading process. Here is the schedule:
Performances in auditorium
3:30 pm Band A
4:30 pm Band B
5:30 pm Band C (Band A & Jazz – dinner)
6:30 pm Jazz Lab (Band B and C – Dinner)
7:00 pm COMBO 1 – ALL do a clean up sweep
7:30 pm Jazz Ensemble
8:00 pm Jam Session
8:30 pm Concert Band
9:00 pm Wind Symphony
9:30 pm Symphonic Band
10:00 pm COMBO 2
10:20 pm Jam Session – ALL do a final clean up sweep
10:50 pm Pep Band – Everyone in auditorium
11:10 pm Break Down
Note: Students attending mandatory school sports games and practices during the Play-a-thon will return to the band room and auditorium when they have finished, to participate in the remainder of the Play-a-thon.
We still need a few more food items to make sure all of our band students get fed. Please check out our Sign up Genius to contribute.
Questions about how you can help with the Play-a-thon? Please contact Tammy Lewis at ctclewis@gmail.com.
Questions about how you can help with food? Please contact Hospitality Chairs Kelly Schauer at pkschauer@gmail.com or Colette Livermore at letteco@msn.com.
Audition due dates for All-State Honor Band & WIBC Honor Bands are fast approaching. Check with your student to find out if they are participating and make sure they are on track to meet the following deadlines:
All NW / All STATE: Friday, September 27
WIBC: Tuesday, October 8
Adherence to these dates allows Mr. Riler to upload All NW/All STATE materials, and review WIBC auditions prior to the deadlines set by OMEA and WIBC.
The fifth annual CHS Playathon is almost upon us! The kids are rehearsing like crazy, the GoFundMe page is up and running, and we’re assembling an army of volunteers to make sure the evening goes off without a hitch (more on how you can help below). We’ve got the musicians and the instruments and the video camera all lined up for the live feed. But there’s one more thing we still need to make this year’s event our most successful ever: your contributions.
With over 170 students and six different bands to support, this amazing program wouldn’t be possible without your generous donations. Remember, the band program receives no direct funding from the school district. Ever wonder just what your contributions buy? Here’s a sample:
$100—One set of sheet music for a single title
$350—One set of advanced music for a single title
$500—Pep Band t-shirts and hats for 20 incoming freshman
$750—A school bus for the PIL Band Contest
$1000—Registration fees for our solo and ensemble participants
$1850—Buses to and from the Starlight Parade (Marching Band)
The GoFundMe page is live now! Please tell your friends and family just how much this program means to our kids and how incredibly important their tax-deductible contributions are. And don’t forget to include the name of the student on behalf of whom the contribution is made. Kids who solicit the most donations will win valuable prizes!
Let’s make this a Play-a-thon to remember. Stay tuned for updates!
Play-a-thon preparations are well underway! There are plenty of great opportunities for volunteers to participate in this super fun event for our bands—from donating snacks or supplies, to chaperoning for a couple of hours, or helping with dinner. Take a look at our sign-up genius to find the best way you can help us make this important fundraiser a big success.
Thank you for your support! If you have any questions about how you can help, contact Tammy Lewis at ctclewis@gmail.com.
Find out what’s coming up and what goes on behind the scene in the band program at the Friends of Cleveland Bands meetings. Board meetings are welcome to all! (Our next meeting is October 14. Always check the calendar for dates and updates.) Can’t make a meeting? Complete meeting minutes are available on the Band website.
Play-a-thon preparations are well underway! There are plenty of great opportunities for volunteers to participate in this super fun event for our bands—from donating snacks or supplies, to chaperoning for a couple of hours, or helping with dinner.
Take a look at our sign-up site to find the best way you can help us make this important fundraiser a big success. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0448abad29a3fa7-cleveland2
Thanks for your support! If you have any questions about how you can help, contact Tammy Lewis at ctclewis@gmail.com.
At 3:30 pm on October 4, 2019, one hundred and seventy-plus Cleveland High School students will descend on the school auditorium for the fifth annual CHS Bands Play-a-thon (https://www.gofundme.com/f/chsbandsplayathon2019). For eight hours, musicians from six different school bands will play music like many of them have never played before, all to raise much-needed dollars to fund this vital program for one more school year. It’s incredibly hard work, but the kids know what’s at stake. (It is also a total blast! The kids may grumble going into it, but by the end of the evening they are energized and proud!)
As you probably know, the Play-a-thon is our biggest and most important fundraiser of the year and continues to be the primary source of operating expenses for the entire CHS band/music program. The CHS Band program receives no direct funding from the school district. It’s no exaggeration to say that your donations are what keep this program running. Money raised at the Play-a-thon supports all aspects of our program and covers a variety of costs:
Some high schools institute a mandatory fee for band of $100 or more per student, in addition to instrument rental fees charged by the district. Mr. Riler and the Friends of Cleveland Bands feel strongly that access should be available to all. This is why we ask friends and family to support the program with donations that are meaningful and appropriate to them. We do not want to limit any student’s ability to participate!
Our fundraising site is online and open for donations now. Please direct friends and family to the CHS Play-a-thon GoFundMe page, where they will be inspired by the amazing video from Funnelbox that outlines what goes on in the band room and why it is so important. Just make sure to remind them to include the name of the student on behalf of whom they are donating.
Students in the CHS music program learn more than just how to be great musicians; they learn discipline, teamwork, and leadership—skills that will help them throughout their lives and their careers. Many studies show that music improves performance in other subjects like math and science. Yet funding for music and the arts in our schools remains sorely missing. Your donation will ensure that our kids continue to benefit from this invaluable program.
Thank you for your support!
Brian Richardson
Debbie Wager
chsbands.playathon@gmail.com
Friends of Cleveland Bands
This year’s Play-a-thon takes place on Friday, October 4th, 2019. This is our biggest fundraising event of the year and it’s a lot of fun.
Here’s how it works: At 3:30 pm on October 4th, ALL band students will converge on the band room and stay—and play—until midnight. Bands will play in rotation, giving students a chance to rehearse, jam and have fun—all of which is live-streamed starting around 6:00 pm until the lights go out around midnight. (Don’t worry, there will be plenty of food, movies to watch, and games to play to keep students energized and happy when they’re not playing music.)
It’s a long night, but it’s a great bonding experience and the kids love it. This fundraiser is simple, educational, but also extremely effective. Last year the kids brought in over $30,000. Not bad for a night of fun!
Students will officially kick off the Play-a-thon on September 18th. At that time a GoFundMe web page goes live and 100% tax-deductible contributions will start coming in. The GoFundMe page will be active throughout the Play-a-thon period.
Students who solicit the most donations may win a valuable gift certificate to a local music store!
Curious about what we are fundraising for? Check out the 2019-20 budget on our fundraising page ».
Please watch this space for more Play-a-thon details and how you can help out with this fun event.
