Advancement Opportunities

Band students may receive honors credit for every semester of Band class. In order to receive credit, students must meet the requirements for Proficient or Advanced level class. For Proficient level, students must be able to perform the 9-10 All-State Band scales. To be placed in the Advanced level, students must be able to perform the 11-12 All-State scales and their All-District solo.

Surry County Honors Band is open to students currently enrolled in a band class at East Surry, Elkin, Mount Airy, North Surry, and Surry Central High Schools. In order to be selected, students must audition and pay a $2.00 audition fee. Please see the Audition Requirements file below to find out what students must do for auditions. Selected students take part in the Surry County Honors Band Clinic, which consists of an after-school rehearsal followed by an all day rehearsal and concert. A guest conductor, usually a band director from outside the county, conducts the Honor Band. Surry County Honors Band is a great opportunity for students to meet other band students from schools in the county and make music together!

The Yadkin Valley Honor Band is open to students currently enrolled in a band class in Surry, Stokes, Yadkin, and Wilkes Counties. This ensemble was created to provide students an opportunity to audition for a judge, using requirements similar All-District Band auditions. Students can use feedback received to better prepare for All-District Auditions in January. See requirements below.

Middle School Scales: Concert Bb, C, and G Major; Chromatic (All-State ranges)

High School Scales: Concert F, Db, and G Major; Chromatic (All-State ranges)

All-District Solo Cut

No Sight-reading

All-District Band is an opportunity for students currently enrolled in a band class at their respective school to perform with the best band students from schools in the Northwest District NC Bandmasters Association. The Northwest NC Bandmasters consists of band directors in Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Iredell, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes, Watagua, and Yadkin counties. Students must audition and pay a $7.00 audition fee. Auditions take place in early February.

The audition consists of:

Wind Instruments/Mallets - prepared solo, major scales, chromatic scale, and sight reading;

Snare Drum - prepared solo, rudiments, sight-reading;

Timpani - prepared solo, tuning, sight reading.

Solos and scales are available on the class Haiku page.

Recordings of solos by the faculty at Western Carolina University are available here. These recordings are the Western District cuts, which may not be the same as the Northwest District.

Students who place in the top of their section in the Northwest NC All-District Honor Band may be eligible to audition for the North Carolina All-State Honor Band. Students must perform the same scales as well as the entire solo used for All-District Auditions.