The Northwest Modern Band Virtual Festival is a unique opportunity for students in Modern Bands, Popular Music Ensembles, and Emerging Music groups to showcase their talents and connect with peers from across the region. Whether your students perform original songs, cover popular hits, or create innovative musical mashups, this festival celebrates creativity and collaboration in modern music education.

Participation is Free and Simple!

Who Can Participate: Modern Bands, Popular Music Ensembles, and Emerging Music groups of all skill levels.

What to Submit: Video recordings of your students' performances—original compositions, cover songs, or any creative musical expression are welcome!

Cost: Free for all participating schools.

Festival Highlights:

Dedicated Performance Times: Elementary and secondary groups will have their own designated time slots, ensuring performances are tailored to their peer audiences.

Interactive Q&A Sessions: After each ensemble’s performance, students will have the chance to ask questions, share feedback, and connect with performers, fostering a collaborative and engaging experience.

Stay-cation Watch Party: With our virtual format, your school will save money on transportation. On March 11th, gather your students in a comfortable space to enjoy the festival’s performances together, making it a fun and cost-effective celebration.   Many teachers have snacks, a pizza party, or other reward to enhance the celebratory nature of the event for their students.

Key Dates to Remember:

Submission Deadline:  March 1st, 2026

Festival Date: March 11th, 2026 (Elementary and Secondary performance time blocks will be announced in February)

Don’t miss this chance to celebrate your students’ hard work and musical achievements while connecting with peers in the modern music community. This is more than a festival—it’s a celebration of student voices and the power of music to bring us together.

Submission Deadline

All YouTube video links must be submitted by March 1st, 2026.

What to Submit

Types of Performances: Original songs, Cover performances, Mashups or creative musical arrangements, Music Videos etc.

Group Types: Modern Bands, Popular Music Ensembles, Emerging Music groups, Guitar Ensembles

Video Requirements

Length: Maximum of 5 minutes per performance.

Quality: Videos should have clear sound and visuals. Professional recording is not required—smartphone, tablet, or camera recordings work great!

YouTube Upload: Videos must be uploaded to YouTube as Unlisted to ensure privacy while allowing the festival organizers to access them.

Submission Process

Prepare Your Video:  Try to get as high quality of a video as you can.  A decent external mic will help improve the quality of the audio capture especially hearing the drums and bass.  However, don't let limited equipment be a barrier to participation just do the best you can with what you've got!

Upload to YouTube:

• Log in to your YouTube account.

• Upload your video and set the visibility to Unlisted (not Public or Private).

• Title the video with your school name, group name, and song title(s).  Example: Lincoln High - Modern Band"- For Whom The Bell tolls.

Create Program Notes:

We ask that you prepare brief program notes about each song or performance, such as the group name, song title, and a few  interesting background details you'd like to share.  This is what our MC will read to introduce each video. These can definitely be student created.

Submit the YouTube Link:

In January, we will a share form to submit YouTube video links and program notes.

Do my students have to attend the watch party to submit a video?  
No.  But priority will be given to performances by groups that are present at the festival

I don't know how to upload a video to YouTube.
Here is a video that shows the process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtF2AgFSLAw

My administrator wants to know what standards this festival meets since my students won't be playing live.  
This document provides a comprehensive overview of how participation in the festival addresses the NAfME standards for the four artistic processes.  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1us6zeCad0Q_S6TnLb6VCfqxPpcRSIf20Q4CNSpOo9Bw/edit?usp=sharing

How many videos should our group submit? 
Groups are encouraged to submit up to 3 videos

My group won't be ready in time for the festival can we still participate? 
Yes, even if your group doesn't have music ready for final performance, we encourage you to share a rough draft video of their work so we can see what they are working on.  Your students can also attend the watch party without submitting videos, just email us to let us know to include you in the links.