In the fall of 2016, middle school band directors from all public and private middle schools in Sioux Falls and Brandon Valley submitted student recommendations for the first ever All City Honor Band.  Once director recommendations were made, sections were filled with the general idea that every school that submitted student recommendations would have at least one student chosen for the honor band. Popplers Music has sponsored every single event by providing printed music for most of the pieces performed, as well as rehearsal folders for all students.  Students rehearsed for about 90 minutes one night per week for around 7 weeks. 

The goals of the Sioux Falls Middle School Honor Band are:  To give students an opportunity to experience how an honor band functions.  To build interest and audition numbers for these students (and others from our schools) for All-State Band.  One of the most wonderful by-products of this process is to see students from different schools come together and make music with each other – and seeing friendships begin to form across school boundary lines.  We do this by focusing not  on the things that divide us, but rather on the many things that unite all of us.