#MarchAsOne🐻
Join the largest campus organization with over 150 woodwind, brass, colorguard and percussion students, where energetic rehearsals and the pursuit of excellence foster teamwork, peer leadership, and meaningful connections that make high school truly memorable.
Why Marching Band?
Competitive marching band is a cornerstone of the Buchanan High School Band experience. It builds discipline, teamwork, and resilience while holding students to a standard of excellence. Through the competitive process, students learn to set goals, accept feedback, push beyond their limits, and perform with confidence under pressure—skills that extend far beyond the field. Competitive marching band challenges our students to grow not only as musicians and performers, but as leaders and responsible young adults.
Who Can Do Marching Band?
The competitive marching band is made up of brass, colorguard, percussion, and woodwind students enrolled at Buchanan High School, grades 9-12. It is optional for brass and woodwind students and required for colorguard and percussion students.
All students who participate in marching band have to be enrolled in either concert band/orchestra (Symphonic Band, Wind Symphony, or Orchestra), percussion (Symphonic Band), or colorguard (Advanced Band).
Marching Band Counts For PE Credit!
Clovis Unified School District requires four (4) years of Physical Education (PE):
Years 1 & 2: Core PE
Years 3 & 4: Elective PE
Participation in Marching Band earns Elective PE credit.
1 season of Marching Band = 1 semester of Elective PE
4 seasons of Marching Band = 2 full years of Elective PE
What This Means for Students: Students who participate in Marching Band for all four years will complete their full Elective PE requirement, which means: No PE class is required during 11th and 12th grade!
The Marching Season Overview
The season is divided into three parts: Spring Workshops, Summer Band Camps & Rehearsals, and the Fall Competition Season. Expand each section below for more details.
Communicate all anticipated absences at least one week in advance. Click here for instructions on requesting absences.
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Workshops are designed to give the students an introduction to the marching band experience at Buchanan. They are for all incoming 9th-12th graders who will be in band (brass, colorguard, percussion, woodwind) at Buchanan for the upcoming school year. Each workshop focuses on basics and fundamentals as well as show music and choreography as we begin to prepare for the new marching band season. Attendance at workshops is mandatory, with exceptions made for legitimate conflicts.
Ongoing evaluation throughout workshops is used to determine cast member and understudy status by the end of workshops. See more information about Cast Members vs. Understudies below.
Late April & May
Woodwinds, Brass, & Colorguard: Tuesdays, 3:45pm to 6:15pm
Percussion: Tuesdays, 3:45pm to 6:15pm & Thursdays, 3:45pm to 5:45pm
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First week of summer, Tuesday-Friday.
Our first band camp takes place during the first week of summer break is highly focused on continued fundamental training. We also begin work on our competitive show music and choreography.
Camp culminates with a preview performance for parents, family, and friends.
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Summer rehearsals are essential to the growth and development of the band as we prepare for the season. Summer rehearsals are mandatory unless you have a family vacation. Schedule summer school appointments for days/times when we don’t have rehearsal.
Brass, Woodwinds, & Colorguard: Fridays after July 4th, 8:00am-12:00pm.
Percussion: Tuesdays after July 4th, 9am-1pm.
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Late July-Early August
This intensive multi-day camp accelerates the process of bringing the show to the field. Over the course of the camp we will systematically teach and rehearse both music and marching, with the goal of having students marching and playing between one-half and two-thirds of the full show by the final day. Each rehearsal day is divided into three focused blocks designed to teach drill/movement, teach music & choreography, and put it together as a full ensemble.
Typical daily structure:
Block 1 - Drill learning. Learning your spot on the field.
Block 2 - Music & Choreography. The musicians refine the show music while the colorguard learns and refines the choreography that goes with the drill learned in the morning.
Block 3 - Full Ensemble. Music and drill come together on the field as the show begins to take shape.
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Once school starts, we rehearse at the same times each week. These rehearsals are considered an “8th Period” class for which attendance is taken and a grade is given. Attendance is mandatory.
Always refer to the BHS Band Calendar for occasional date/time changes.
Click the ‘Current Season Schedule’ below for specific days and times for this season.
Competition Season
High school marching band competitions for the Buchanan program are high-energy, all-day performance events where music, movement, and visual design come together in a judged field production.
About Competition Season
The Field Show Performance
Buchanan performs a themed production (usually 8–10 minutes) on a football field. Shows are designed months in advance and refined all season for precision, musicality, and effect.
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Competitions are usually hosted by another high school or major organization and include:
Multiple divisions based on school size
Preliminary performances throughout the day
Evening finals (top-scoring bands return to perform again)
Awards ceremonies with captions and overall placements
Performances are judged from the press box and on the field by trained adjudicators.
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Judges evaluate several categories, such as:
Music Performance (accuracy, tone, ensemble timing and balance)
Visual Performance (marching & visual technique, timing, clarity)
General Effect (emotional impact, design cohesion)
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Buchanan competes in the Western Band Association (WBA) and Bands of America (BOA) as well as independent shows like the Sierra Cup Classic at Fresno State. These events can include local and regional competitions and large multi-state regional competitions.
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Single Performance Competition (Evening Show Format) (WBA & SCC)
(Morning rehearsal → Afternoon break → Evening competition)
Morning rehearsal
Afternoon break / rest period
Travel to competition site
Warm-up block
Performance
Awards ceremony
Prelims / Finals Competition Format (BOA)
(Morning rehearsal → Prelims → Evening finals)
Morning rehearsal
Travel to competition site
Warm-up block
Prelims performance (morning or afternoon)
Dinner break
Finals performance (if advancing)
Awards ceremony
For students, it’s a long but exciting day. There is often time for students to watch other bands and buy souvenirs.
Competitions typically end late at night…but with unforgettable moments, especially under stadium lights.
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For the Buchanan Marching Band, competitions are an opportunity for students to strengthen team unity, share in collective achievement, and learn how to perform with confidence under pressure.
For families and supporters, these events create an exciting atmosphere filled with school spirit, pride, and a celebration of the dedication, artistry, and excellence that define the Buchanan Marching Band.
Band Calendar
The calendar on the website is the best way to keep track of band events. Please bookmark this page and check back often. Instructions provided at the bottom of the calendar page show you how you can subscribe on your mobile device. This calendar is also synced in the BAND App.
Attendance
Marching band attendance is critically important. For rehearsals, before the start of the first day of school, we can work with family vacations and previously planned events. Once school starts, attendance at all marching band rehearsals and competitions is mandatory. Please review our attendance policy by clicking the link below.
Marching Band Auditions
Our audition process is designed to help every student grow and succeed while ensuring each performer is placed where they can thrive.
April–May After-School Workshops – Students participate in a series of workshops where instructors introduce and teach the core skills needed for the upcoming season.
Weekly Skill Development – Each workshop provides specific skills and techniques for students to practice during the week.
Ongoing Evaluation – Staff members evaluate students throughout the workshop process, observing improvement, effort, and mastery of the material.
Final Placement – At the end of the process, students are placed as either a Cast Member or Understudy, depending on readiness and the needs of the show.
Most importantly: No one is cut. Every student who commits to the process is part of the Buchanan Marching Band and contributes to the success of the season as a cast member or an understudy.
Cast Members vs. Understudies
What is a Cast Member?
Cast members are full competitive show participants.
Must attend all rehearsals, competitions, and trips.
Expected to learn music and choreography on time
May move to understudy status if requirements aren’t met
What is an Understudy?
Being an understudy isn’t a bad thing! Marching band is complex, and you may just need more time.
Attend all rehearsals, competitions, and trips.
Rotate in or shadow performers during rehearsals
May compete to perform in the show.
May step in if a cast member is injured, ill, or falls behind.
