Youth Music Programs & Honor Band Festivals
URI Southern New England Honor Band 2023
download info & audition packet here!
I have another honor band festival to share with you! This festival for 10th-12th graders takes place on Friday-Saturday, February 3-4, 2023, at the University of Rhode Island's Kingston campus. I did my undergraduate degrees in Music Education & Performance at URI, and the festival is organized and run by my former band director and mentor, Dr. Brian Cardany. The conductor this year is Dr. Rodney Dorsey, the director of the internationally recognized Indiana Wind Ensemble (Jacobs School of Music). I have personally worked with Dr. Dorsey at the American Band College, and his rehearsals have impacted me greatly in my career. He is an incredible person, educator, and band conductor.
The information is attached in this email. This is a recorded audition, due via email to Dr. Cardany by December 9th. The great part of the audition is that you can choose your repertoire (in addition to scales)! If you are preparing a solo on your instrument for another audition, please feel free to use it! If you are not preparing a solo, I have hundreds of pieces in the band library and would be thrilled to spend some time with you on finding a piece that suits you.
There is no fee to audition. If a student makes it into the festival, they will be asked to pay a $45 registration fee to the Univ. of Rhode Island Dept. of Music. Students will also be responsible for providing their own transportation to Kingston, RI on Friday/Saturday. It's approx. a 90-minute drive. There are local hotels and places to stay if a student/family wishes to remain in Kingston for the duration of the festival. I am planning on being there for Saturday, February 4th, so I can serve as the chaperone that day. On Friday Feb. 3, I'd ask a parent chaperone to be present to help the band students with anything they'd need during the rehearsal (it's light lifting, as students will mostly be together the entire time during rehearsal; lunch is the unstructured part of the schedule).
I have attended this honor band festival in past years and assure you that it is a rich, high-quality, and engaging experience. Please email me if you plan to audition, just so I can keep track of who's going for it. I am also available on Tuesdays after school (until about 3:15) for any student who wants some extra help, whether it be on your band repertoire, or choosing a solo for this festival (or anything else!). These one-on-one sessions are some of my favorite parts of the day, as we can focus on individual players and work on simple skills & strategies to progress forward as an instrumentalist. Please join me!
Thanks for reading- audition info, details, and schedule attached! Go Rhody!
Ms. Lacasse
Other Programs:
https://as.tufts.edu/music/community-programs/youth-philharmonic