Audition Requirements:

• Scales - 3 major scales plus the chromatic scale, played from memory

• Solo - a solo chosen by the state is played

• Sight reading - students will have 60 seconds to study a short excerpt, then play it

Important Dates:

• Students interested in auditioning need to work with Mrs. Knauf and be able to perform the audition requirements and pay the $10 registration fee by TBA December 2025

• Registration Deadline - TBD

• Audition - TBD in Greenville, NC

• Clinic and Concert - TBD in Greenville, NC for students who make one of the bands

Audition Requirements:

• Solo - 

• Etude - follows the head from the solo

• Improvisation - students will improvise a melody based on the solo for 24 measures

Important Dates:

• Students interested in auditioning need to work with Mrs. Knauf and be able to perform the audition requirements and pay the $15 registration fee by TBA December 2025

• Registration Deadline - TBD

• Audition - to be submitted electronically by TBD

• Clinic and Concert - February 19-20, 2026 at UNCW's Beckwith Hall for students who make the middle school jazz band

Basic Information and Important Dates

• All-County Band is comprised of students from all New Hanover County Schools band programs

• To be considered for All-County Band, you must complete the interest form and return it with a parent/guardian signature. There is NO audition.

• Students that participated in All-District Band will have an automatic place in All-County Band if they choose to participate.

• All-County Band will take place at Minnie Evans March 30-31, 2026

• "MPA" stands for "Music Performance Adjudication", which is the band equivalent to EOGs

• For this event, we will prepare 3 pieces of music: a march and two pieces from a state list that are of contrasting styles

• After we perform our prepared music on stage for three judges, who will give us comments and ratings, we go to another room for sight reading.

• We have 5 minutes in the sight reading room to look over a piece of music we've never seen before, and then play it for a judge for comments and ratings

• This is a group effort and we will be working on our stage music plus practicing how to sight read beginning after our December concert

• MPA takes place March 2026 at Ashley High School. 

• Solo Ensemble Festival is an opportunity for any interested band student to prepare music to perform for a judge for comments and ratings

• Students may prepare a solo to play alone, or work with others to play a duet, trio, quartet, or other small ensemble

• Students may participate in as many performance slots as they want to. Each performance slot is $10, regardless of how many students are involved

• Students may choose any music to perform, as long as an original copy is available for the judge. This means you can't download something you found online unless you purchased it! I will help you find appropriate music and we will use the 4th quarter club to work on it.

• Registration fee is due by April 2, 2026 (early due to spring break April 3-12)

• Solo Ensemble takes place at New Bern High School on Saturday, May 9, 2026