Important Dates:
- Friday and Saturday, January 27th and 28th – ECDBA All District Band
- Saturday, January 28th at 6PM – ECDBA All District Band Concert
- Monday, January 30th – JazzBand Auditions due on Google Classroom
- Monday, February 6th – CB and SB Spring Trip Final Payment due – $135
- Thursday, Friday, and Saturday February 9-11th – UNCG Honor Band (Optional)
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1. Welcome Mr. Cvijanovic!!!
We would like to welcome Mr. Josh Cvijanovic – or Mr. C. as the students call him – to our LRHS Band Club Family. By way of introduction, please read a little bit about him and the wealth of experience he brings to our program.
Associate Director of Bands
Josh Cvijanovic is the Associate Director of Bands and Director of Orchestra at Leesville Road High School in Raleigh. In this capacity he helps to oversee all aspects of the Instrumental Music programs, serving as a conductor of the Intermediate Band, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, and Orchestra. Mr. Cvijanovic comes to LRHS from Cedar Ridge HS in Hillsborough, where he led the band program from 2014-2022. Prior to that, he taught at Eastern Randolph HS for five years. Students in his programs participated in collegiate, District, and State level honor bands; including performances with the All-American Marching Band, the NAfME National Jazz Ensemble, and the Grammy Jazz Band.
Mr. Cvijanovic is active with the NC Bandmasters Association and NC Music Educators Association, serving as the Chair of the Jazz Education Section, the CDBA Central Region MPA Site Host, CDBA High School All-District Clinic Chair, and Central Region Jazz Treasurer. Josh is in demand as an adjudicator and clinician across the state for concert, jazz, and marching events. He has worked as a rehearsal assistant and conductor with the UNCG Summer Music Camp for eleven years, served as an Educational Consultant for Carolina Gold Drum and Bugle Corps, and in 2017 was a conductor with the “Carolina Ambassador’s Honor Band,” touring and performing in the U.K., France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and Italy. Since 2019, he has served as the Percussion Section Coach for the North Carolina Youth Wind Ensemble.
Mr. Cvijanovic graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education (2007) and a Master of Music in Percussion Performance (2009) from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. He is a member of the American School Band Directors Association (Class of 2022), Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Pi Kappa Lambda Honors Society in Music, NAfME, the North Carolina Bandmasters Association, and the Vic Firth Education Team. In 2015,
Cvijanovic was awarded the “Ed Rooker Encore Award” by the NC Chapter of the American School Band Directors Association; which is given to honor the achievements and service of new band directors and to promote the ASBDA mission of fostering rising talent in the music education profession. Josh has twice been recognized by the Central District Bandmasters Association: in 2020 he was elected the “Band Director of the Year,” and in 2022 he was elected the recipient of the prestigious Award of Excellence.
Josh and his wife Amanda, an EC Teacher and Department Chair at Eastlawn Elementary School, live in Burlington with their sons Henry and Benjamin.
Associate Director of Bands – Leesville Road High School Bands (leesvilleband.org)
2. Announcements from Mrs. Colburn – Attention All Students:
- Mr. Cvijanovic officially started this week and looks forward to meeting anyone he hasn’t met yet!
- Jazz Band Auditions are due January 30th on Google Classroom.
- All District Clinic Attendees – You must provide your own transportation to and from the Clinic/Concert at Green Level, both days. Dinner is provided for free on Friday, but you will need to BRING A LUNCH for Saturday. Have plans for your parents to bring your concert attire when they pick you up at 3:00 on Saturday. Make sure you have printed all of your music and have mutes or whatever else you need.
3. CB and SB Spring Trip:
Monday night’s meeting about the upcoming CB and SB Spring Trip was very informative and provided a lot of information all band families will need to know as we get ready for the trip. If you were unable to attend the meeting or if you want a copy of the presentation slides to refer to as you prepare for the trip, the committee co-chairs, Melanie and Kristi, have provided a link to their PowerPoint Presentation. It can be viewed here:
Any questions regarding the information presented , or about the upcoming trip, can be sent to either Kristi or Melanie. You can contact them as follows:
Melanie Shoffner (mbshoffner620@gmail.com)
Kristi Phillips (ksphillips136@gmail.com)
4. Reminder when placing orders the RaiseRightGift Cards:
Please remember to order the digital version of these gift cards when placing your orders. We have to pay extra money when physical cards are ordered. Please see the information about this fundraising gift card program in the Previous Announcements section of this newsletter. If you have further questions regarding this program the contact person for this program is:
Angela Hamilton
(984) 204-9360
Download a full copy of the LRHS Band News & Notes here