AzMBA Championships FAQ
Good Afternoon Families,
As we push into the final two shows of the season, I know a lot of you are waiting on the Championship show itinerary or have questions about how that works. I thought I would share a timeline for you all and answer some frequently asked questions:
Where? Campo Verde High School (this is a change from the original schedule announcement in April due to our increased size)
When? Saturday, November 8, 2025
How do performance times work for Championships? Bands are “seeded” for championships. The band with the highest qualifying score in the division performs at the end of the night and the band with the lowest score performs first. Because of this, we will not know what our performance time is until after the final qualifying shows: U of A Band Day and Northern Region Championships.
How can we start planning for our travel/pick-up plans if we are meeting the band at Championships? Based on what we know about the championship schedule, the current rankings, and who in our division is/is not competing this weekend, it is safe to assume The Cienega Band will be performing sometime between 7:45 pm and 8:15 pm at Campo Verde. Awards are always scheduled for 9:30 pm and run about an hour at Championships because of Full Retreat. I hope this gives you a starting point to base your travel plans/pick-up plans on.
Will the band’s day look similar to other show days? As much as possible, yes. Our “secret sauce” has always been the consistency of our show day routine. We’ll try to mimic that for championships while also factoring in the longer drive time. You can expect a morning rehearsal/loading with either a shortened lunch & rest break or no break with lunch being provided at the school before departure. Those details will be on our finalized itinerary.
What happens after the season is over? We rest for a day or two and then start work on the next project! For us, this is prepping for both the CHS Fine Arts Showcase (12/16/25) and the Arizona Cardinals Game (12/21/25). The biggest difference is that after-school rehearsals end with our competitive season. No more Monday evenings or Thursday afternoons!
Next Semester? We are lucky at Cienega that 0 hour marching band is a year-round course. This enables us to treat the spring semester as a true “off-season” where we focus on developing musicianship so every student comes back next season stronger. This is a much more relaxed environment than in-season marching band that only utilizes class time. We often break students up into small ensembles, quartets, and trios to work more individually and do lots of percussion-specific prep for drumline and front ensemble students. Additionally, we’re looking to re-start our winter guard program next semester, which gives guard students (and students wanting to try color guard) the opportunity to spin without being part of the band, as their own activity. Note: 9-11th graders are required to complete the full year of 0 hour in order to receive credit for the course. Seniors are often required to drop the class for their Senior Exit Project.