Honor Bands

Preparations for All-State and SCIBA auditions are essential to a healthy Band department. The music is difficult and the standards are incredibly high. Win, lose, or draw, the students who prepare and audition for All-State and SCIBA learn determination, develop a deeper love for music-making, and MAKE OUR BAND BETTER. High-achieving Band students will automatically be put on the All-State/SCIBA track starting in Summer 2023.

Students achieving at or above grade level sometimes become bored when Band time is spent going over things they already know! Honor Bands give them an opportunity to accelerate their learning and go further in music than they thought possible! Some honor bands require a competitive audition, but most are based solely on director nomination. Almost all honor bands involve MISSING A DAY OF SCHOOL, GETTING FREE FOOD, AND MAKING NEW FRIENDS.

Iowa All-State Band

Students audition to receive All-State honors in October and then play in the All State Band at the Hilton Coliseum in November. It is an experience well worth the many hours of practicing scales!

Audition: 10/22/2022, Performance: 11/17-19/2022

S.C.I.B.A. Honor Bands

Students audition for SCIBA Honor Band in early November. Students who make All State Band can't audition on the same material for SCIBA. The audition takes place after school at Winterset HS. If students are selected they play in one of two highly elite honor bands (Fr./So., Jr./Sr.) at Ankeny HS on a Saturday in early January.

Audition: Thursday in late November or early December

Performance: First Saturday in January after school starts

Drake University Honor Band

During the two-day festival, students and directors develop their skills through rehearsals and clinics with guest conductors and members of the Drake music faculty. The culminating events are the two evening concerts that feature the Drake Bands and the Honor Bands presenting a wide variety of the finest music for wind band. The Honors Concert Band and Honors Wind Ensemble are comprised of over 200 students from throughout Iowa and Nebraska. These students are among the finest in the nation.

Middles and Music Honor Band

South Hamilton hosted a new Middle School Honor Band festival this year. I'd like to nominate and take some middle schoolers along next year. The band director at South Hamilton is also our area representative for the Iowa Ambassadors of Music Honor Band (see bottom). Fourth Saturday in January in Jewell, IA.

ISU Cyclone Honor Band

One of the coolest honor bands we attend is the ISU Cyclone Honor Band. Kids in this honor band will meet fellow students from around the state of Iowa and work with Dr. Michael Golemo and Dr. Christian Carichner from Iowa State University. Students who make All-State Band will have the opportunity to work with a celebrity conductor! First weekend in February in Ames, IA.

UNI Northern Festival of bands

Selected students are separated into three bands: Concert Band (9-10), Symphonic Band (11-12), and Wind Orchestra (Elite). 2nd weekend of February in Cedar Falls, IA.

Greene County MSHB

I would like to host a MS honor band festival in our new High School Auditorium next year. This event is in the planning stage, but it would be a great experience for our middle schoolers, and a great opportunity to show off our school!

Performance: tentatively March

Iowa Ambassadors of Music

The Ambassadors of Music tour offers talented student musicians an unparalleled opportunity to explore the best of Europe, including the birthplace of classical music itself. This fifteen-day tour takes students and directors on an adventure through five countries, with once-in-a-lifetime cultural experiences throughout our journey, including performances in historic venues.

Mr. Anderson has fliers if you would like more information about IAM. It is a great experience that several of our finest students have enjoyed immensely over the past several years.

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