General Info and FAQ
All-Parent "Band Booster" meetings - The Band Boosters refers to ALL band student parents. Our meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month at 7 pm in the CHS band room and last approximately one hour. All are invited to attend. This is a great place to hear what is going on, what is coming up, and meet other parents. See the calendar for up-to-date meeting dates and times (occasionally days/times need to be changed).
New Parent meetings – There is a Band Booster meeting for new families in March that will provide you with lots of information regarding Marching Band. There is also a mandatory parent meeting on the 1st day of Band Camp at 7 pm in the CHS band room. It is very important that you stay informed about the wonderful things our children and the band are accomplishing and how you can support them.
Volunteering - Make sure you check out the volunteering page to get set up to help our kids and the band be successful. We need every family to participate; it takes 20-25 hours per family to cover all the volunteer needs throughout the year. You will get to know what your student is learning and doing and know what questions to ask. Watch for emails to come out requesting specific volunteer help throughout the season.
Fundraising – The band offers many opportunities to raise money toward the band's overall budget and opportunities for students' to earn toward their individual fees. Visit our General Fundraising page or our Family Fundraisers page for more information or for contact info specific to each fundraising opportunity
Band Booster Communications - Expect to receive a weekly newsletter year-round with information including upcoming rehearsal and competition schedules, important meeting information, updates on how the band is doing at performances, and more. In addition to the weekly newletter, occassionally (as sparingly as possible) we send specific email requests about timely needs for anything from needing volunteers at a competition, to asking for help building props, to preparing food prior to a competition. During marching band season, Boosters also use a channel on the Band App for real-time parent to parent communications at competitions.
Leadership - Aaron Vogelsberg is the director and has instructors that help out in the summer. Drum Majors are students that are selected through auditions to lead the marching and pep band under Mr. V.'s direction. Section Leaders are upper classmen appointed by Mr. V and are responsible for their section to know the music and drill for the season's show. The Band Booster Board works with Mr. V to have a successful season and set goals for the future.
Marching Band Camp – This is a very important time to kick-off a successful marching band season. The kids come together as a group working to accomplish a huge goal – learning the music and marching drill that will be their performance in competitions and at halftime shows at home football games. It is hard work. Mr. V sends out a detailed letter about Band Camp Do’s and Don’ts in the summer.
Practices – These are typically held two days per week after school, usually from 6–9 pm, and all day on Saturdays.
Marching Band Competitions – These are held at high schools around the state. Competitions are an all-day affair, often early morning until around midnight, and are held on Saturdays. Regional and State competitions are held in October on weekdays. See the calendar tab and watch your email for more details about upcoming competitions. CHS Marching Band is the reigning 2012-2016 3A State Champion. In 2017 we moved to Class 4A, to provide us with more competition and the ability to further improve our program. In 2018 CHS Marching Band placed 8th at the State 4A Competition. After no State competition in 2019 (snowed out) or 2020 (no competitive season due to pandemic), CHS Marching Band placed 3rd at the 2021 4A State competition. In 2022, CHS improved upon that to place 2nd in the 4A State competition.
Winter Guard - Our Winter Guard program runs from November-April and includes several competitions culminating in the State Championships. Our Winter Guard has consistently places top in the state and continues to grow. Learn all about it, right here.
Winter Percussion - Our Winter Percussion Ensemble season runs from November - April and includes several competitions culminating in the State Championship. Our Winter Percussion Ensemble placed 1st at the 2022 Rocky Mountain Percussion Association Championships. Learn more about our Winter Percussion Program here.
Social events - In addition to gathering at competitions, we typically get together for several band social events for families--potlucks, concerts, and end-of-season parties. Stay tuned to email communications and social media for all the upcoming events and details.
Useful links:
www.coloradobandmasters.org - for the fall marching season and concert band festivals
www.rmpa.org - for the winter percussion season
www.rmcga.org - for the winter guard season
How much volunteering is asked of each family?
To adequately support our band program, each family should plan to volunteer a total of 25 hours throughout the year. There are many volunteer opportunities available including pushing equipment onto the field at football games or competitions, hemming or washing uniforms at home, driving kids around, feeding the kids, coordinating a fundraiser, and much more!
Each family is asked to become involved in our biggest fundraisers: Marchathon (August) and CBA Regionals (October).
How do I sign up to volunteer?
Volunteer opportunities are communicated to families primarily via email and at the Parent Meetings. Opportunities exist for competition days, fundraisers, and to assist the various Board Chairs with subcommittees. Parents receive email links to the sign-up sheets (usually via the weekly newsletter).
To help, please complete this BVSD volunteer clearance which is valid for 12 months (i.e., this must be completed each school year). This clearance includes a background check and covers anyone who will spend time with the kids without the direct supervision of a BVSD employee. Examples could include working in the uniform room, working on props, chaperoning, etc. There is a a background check fee associated with this clearance that will be noted on the BVSD volunteer site.
What is CHARMS and how do I sign up?
We track all of your payments towards your Annual Family Contribution (as well as extra fees such as shoes, shirts, Winter Percussion, Winter Guard and individual sales credits) in an online database program called CHARMS. Each student has their own CHARMS account. Account statements are sent out quarterly and you can view your account status and contact information any time within the CHARMS site.
Please note, you will need your student’s BVSD ID to log in to CHARMS. The school code is CentaurusHSBand.
The CHARMS website is www.charmsoffice.com. In the upper right, under the Login button, click on Parents/Students/Members. You will be prompted to enter our School Code, which is CentaurusHSBand. Next, you will be prompted to enter the Student Area Password. This is your student’s BVSD student ID (ask your student for this or we can give it to you). Please note, upon your first login, you may be asked to change your password from your Student’s ID to something more meaningful.
For help with CHARMS, contact the Centaurus Band Boosters Secretary and Database Administrator at centaurushs.band@gmail.com.
How much is the Annual Family Contribution this year for CHS Marching Band, and what is the payment deadline?
For the 2024-2025 school year, the Annual Family Contribution (AFC) is $475 for the first student in band and $250 for each additional sibling. The first half of the AFC is due during band mini-camp. The final payment is due on the first day of band camp. More on how to make these payments can be found here. Grant requests are due prior to band mini-camp. Please contact the Treasurer at treasurer@centaurusband.org if you have questions.
Who do I contact if I am not getting information?
To update your contact information, please email the Centaurus Band Boosters Secretary and Database Administrator at centaurushs.band@gmail.com.