Directors’ Update: Sept. 8-11, 2026
I hope you’re all enjoying your Band-Free, Labor Day Weekend! Once we return to school tomorrow, we’ll be in full-swing marching band season with a lot of upcoming performances! All of this update pertains to the next three weeks for the marching band and their upcoming events. There is lots of new information. Please read carefully:
Weekly Schedule:
Tuesday- 0 hour on field; no open band room in the PM
Wednesday- 0 hour in band room
Thursday- 0 hour on field; sectionals inside
Friday- Home Game VS. Ironwood Ridge!
- because this is MS band night and we feed all students, call time will be directly after school. EHS/APHS students should arrive ASAP.
Schedule Correction:
On the original CTMB calendar, we had the CHS Choir Concert listed as 9/21/2026 with that Monday night rehearsal being moved to Tuesday, 9/22/2026. That is incorrect. The CHS Choir Concert is scheduled for next Monday, 9/14/2026 and we will move that evening’s rehearsal to Tuesday, 9/15/2026. We’re sorry for the mix-up, but we move this rehearsal so the many shared students between the programs can attend the concert without missing rehearsal and so band students can go support the choir members in performance.
Middle School Band Night (9/11/2026)
What better way to kick-off our first, real home game of the season than by welcoming 150 future band members to our campus! We’ll need a lot of help feeding and wrangling all of them so if you’re available, please visit the booster volunteer sign-up form on the last Hey Boosters! update.
The middle school students will enjoy pizza with us prior to the game, perform in the stands with us during the first half, and new this year: Perform a short stand tune on the field with the CTMB during half-time!
First Competition: AzMBA Eval+ @ Casa Grande Union HS
Date: Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026
Location: Casa Grande UHS
Performance Time: 8:00 PM
What is Eval+?: Evaluation shows are non-scored, performances that are designed to prepare students for the timing & environment of full, competitive performances without the pressure of a clock and scores at the very beginning of the season. Students will perform their show once, receive feedback and encouragement from on-field judges, and then perform the show again to apply that feedback. While both of these happen, the staff sits in the press box with the rest of the judging panel to receive thoughts, feedback, questions, and sometimes criticism on the show directly. This gives us an opportunity to find out what needs to be fixed before we go to BOA the following week.
Ticketing Information: https://events.hometownticketing.com/boxoffice/azmba/L2VtYmVkL2V2ZW50LzM%2Fc2luZ2xlPTE%3D
Full Student Itinerary: attached below
Please remember that on (most) show days, we have a final rehearsal at Cienega starting at 8:00 am. These rehearsals are required and crucial to the performance that evening going well. If the schedule allows, we always close the band room after that rehearsal to give students time to go home and eat lunch, shower, and pack essentials for the show.
Bands of America- Flagstaff Itinerary:
Date: Friday 9/25/2026 – Saturday 9/26/2026
Location: Northern Arizona University SkyDome
Performance Time (Prelims): 2:45 PM
Performance Time (Finals): TBD after prelim awards
What is Bands of America? BOA is the national competitive marching band circuit. Most states have their own circuits (AZMBA and ABODA for Arizona) but BOA provides the highest level of judging and feedback for students regardless of region. BOA hosts a series of regional performances across the country that all build up to Grand National Championships at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN in November. BOA shows are different than our in-state shows because they follow a prelims/finals format. Only the top 12 bands from prelims make it to finals, which takes place immediately after prelims. BOA events often host a more competitive, high-stakes level of performance quality among participating bands. Cienega HS has never made finals at a BOA regional… it would be really cool to finally do it this year!
Full Itinerary Below:
all other BOA details can be found in previous weeks’ Director Updates.
Student Check-Out Policy on Show Days:
As we are approaching competition days, here’s a reminder of the band’s student check-out policy on show days:
Students may be checked-out to a legal parent/guardian, only if:
1- Check-out must occur at the Cienega Band buses; we will not release a student in a stadium, parking lot, college/high school campus. You must meet or follow your student back to the bus to check them out.
2- Check-out happens only at the completion of awards at the end of the night. Watching other bands perform, participating in awards, and the final debrief at the end of the night are all part of the educational process. Students miss valuable self-reflection and teaching moments if they miss the end of events. Requests for early leave must be in writing and approved by the directors the week prior to performance.
3- Students not returning to Cienega on the bus must have their uniform/garment bag inspected and approved by a band parent prior to dismissal. They must also designate another student to turn their uniform back in upon return.
As always, if you have any questions feel free to reach out and let us know! Buckle up.. it gets crazy from here!