I first want to extend a HUGE thank you to our FOCB board who have done so much to make this program what it is today!

A special thank you to our “graduating” members:

Josh Piper (communications, sponsorship & general tech guru) – every turn you have filled in when we needed someone.  Thank you for your willingness and availability to take on some big things, especially growing our sponsorship base and providing the tech support for Play-a-thon!

Kristy Oliver (volunteer coordinator) – one the most important positions for me!  Volunteers make my job quite a bit easier, and I thank you for staying on top of all of the events and encouraging volunteerism in our broader band community.

Congratulations to all of our seniors for the leadership and work ethic that you provided this year. You have helped take the Cleveland Band program to heights it has never before attained.  Many of you were outstanding role models for our upcoming leaders and your legacy will continue because of that.  Be sure to come back and visit, it is always great to see you again, and hear how things are going!

I would like to thank all of the families in our Cleveland Band Family!  Your efforts to encourage your young musician at home and to volunteer where you can have been integral in the success of our program as a whole.  I would also like to thank all of you that contributed to my gift that was presented to me in our June FOCB board meeting.  I am always stunned and humbled by the heartwarming comments and the financial gift. It is a pleasure to serve this community and I am so thankful that I landed here in 2015 to witness a transformation of a program in so many ways (community, musicianship, confidence, leadership and more) from that day to now.

Our new student leadership team has an amazing vision and awesome plans for next year that I believe will continue to strengthen and build the community that we already have.  Reaching out to our incoming 8th graders over the summer, continuing to build a bridge to our young band communities in Hosford and Sellwood and sharing our musical talents around the broader community. The challenges of COVID continue to affect our numbers and our instrumentation, but we are now seeing a wave of students from the post-pandemic era this fall with over 50 freshmen coming into the program.  With the leadership we have in place, I believe that the bar that has been set in this program will continue to be attainable.

I wish you all a fantastic summer.  Hopefully we have plenty of students taking advantage of the many music camp opportunities and also getting some much deserved rest.  I look forward to another fantastic school year next fall.  Until then….

Musically Yours,

Gary Riler

We have 120 uniforms that need to be washed before the end of the school year. We are looking for 12 parents to take 10 uniforms each for machine washing.

Mr. Riler will have them available for pick up during the school day on June 10th and 11th. They need to be returned to the band room by 3pm on June 13th.

Washing instructions are provided on the sign up page, and of course you are more than welcome to sign up for more than one slot!! Thank you so much for your support.

Click here to sign up!

CHS Band has the opportunity to participate in the Providence Bridge Pedal as volunteers, and in return for participation earn $1500 for the CHS Band Program. We would need to provide two shifts of 8 volunteers on Sunday August 11, one shift from 5 am to 9 am and a second shift from 9am to 1pm. If two adults could volunteer to be point contacts we can recruit band students to fill out the volunteer positions.

If you can help please contact info@clevelandbandspdx.com and if possible join us at the FOCB meeting tonight, June 3rd at 6:30pm, in the band room.

The Friends of Cleveland Bands has two open board positions: Fundraising Chair and Volunteer Coordinator. The parents who have filled these roles are still available to train their replacements. The commitment is not as large as you might expect. Parents of incoming students are especially welcome!

If you can help support our band program by filling these positions please let the board know by emailing president@clevelandbandspdx.com.

Cleveland Bands will be marching in the Grand Floral Parade for the first time ever this year!  The parade takes place on the morning of Saturday, June 8th, and we need some parent volunteers to help out.  Please click here to sign up!

Wind Ensemble will be performing at Lincoln Hall on the PSU campus in a shared concert with the PSU Wind Symphony on Thursday, June 6 @ 7pm.  Admission is $10.  You can find the full details and purchase tickets here.

End-of-year Celebration @ Pietro’s Pizza in Milwaukie from 4:15-6:15pm on Tuesday, May 28th.  Pizza, soda and a handful of tokens will be provided for each student by our FOCB!!!  Our Goofy Awards and some recognition awards will also be handed out, so be there!!

Congrats to the Jazz Ensemble!!  They placed 2nd at the OMEA State Jazz Band Championships this past Saturday.  The ensemble and soloists all played with joy, swung hard and most importantly had everyone in the audience smiling!

I finally have a moment to reflect on a day that was full of amazing moments and a first. As I am finishing my 35th year of teaching, I can say that the last three years have been so gratifying.

I was so proud of a group of young people that was faced with a daunting testing schedule and multiple absences as we approached a high stakes performance.  Would they fold? Would they blame?  Would they make excuses?  No!  They were accountable to each other, and supported each other.  They looked for ways to put themselves and each other in the best positions for success.  And they trusted me and each other.

This produced a powerful performance on Saturday that was not perfect, but I believe affected our audience, which is always our ultimate goal.

So much of the credit for our success goes to an amazing group of students and parents who have been so supportive of my vision. So much so, that it is now OUR vision.

Cleveland HS Bands have accomplished things at the State Band Championships that have never been achieved by a PPS school thanks to this shared vision.

Thank you for making what is most likely my final stop in my career (not done yet, just don’t plan to go anywhere else) my most rewarding, professionally speaking.

– Mr. Riler