CU Boulder High School Honor Band Festival

Middle School Honor Band concert

 

Bands

Community engagement

Welcome to the Middle School Honor Band at the University of Colorado Boulder College of Music!

Our goal is to enhance the opportunity students receive in their school band program by allowing them to meet and perform with other students. Participants benefit from master classes with College of Music faculty. After two days of rehearsal, students present a full-length concert to highlight their growth and development.

Our 2024 guest conductor is Associate Professor Dominic Talanca, University of North Carolina Wilmington. 

Feb. 23-24, 2024

Both the rehearsals and performance will take place at the University of Colorado Boulder. Check-in will begin at 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24, with rehearsals and the CU Boulder Wind Symphony + Symphonic Band concert that evening. The Middle School Honor Band will rehearse from approximately 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25, and perform a concert in Macky Auditorium that evening. 

2023 schedule

2023 Middle School Honor Band results

View the 2023 Middle School Honor Band rosters

Auditions

Audition deadline: All audition submissions must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022.

Notifications of acceptance, as well as audition feedback, will be emailed to directors by Dec. 9, 2022. Music will be emailed to directors by mid-January 2022. If selected, students will be expected to attend all scheduled rehearsals and activities, including attending the Friday evening CU Boulder Wind Symphony + Symphonic Band concert. Parents are responsibile for transportation, lodging and supervision during Honor Band weekend.

Audition materials

2023 CU Boulder Middle School Honor Band flexible audition materials

Audition process

Auditions are online only. Students have the option of submitting either an audio file or a video file for their audition recording. If submitting a video, students can receive feedback based on visual aspects of their performance. This will have no impact on a student’s score, and would be for instructional purposes only. For best results, use the best camera available (avoid “selfie” mode). 

Step 1: Prepare to record your audition

  1. Prepare the requirements for your instrument. Practice stating your name, grade, school and instrument, and performing the scales and etudes in the order you will record them. 
  2. No metronome is allowed for audition recordings.
  3. Gather the materials you need to record your audition. For best results, make recordings using a high-quality microphone. 

Step 2: Record your audition

  1. Record one student per file and just one file per student.
  2. Do not alter the audition recording in any way.
  3. Confirm that your file has finalized and playable. Unplayable audition submissions will not be eligible for scoring.
  4. Save your file name as “LAST NAME_FIRST NAME.mp3” (ex. mckinney_donald.mp3).

Step 3: Submit your audition

All students must submit their audition via the online registration form (see links below). Note: There is a separate form for each instrument.  

Step 4: Submit your audition fee

  1. The audition fee is $25 per audition submission (i.e., students auditioning on two instruments would pay $50 total). Whoever is paying the student’s audition fee (directors and parents, please connect with one another to determine this for yourselves), submit your payment via this portal. If you require a pay-by-check option, email MSHonorBand@colorado.edu.
  2. Once registration has closed, we will notify directors whose students submitted auditions, including student names and instruments, and what their payment status is. Unpaid auditions will not be scored.

Questions? Email MSHonorBand@colorado.edu.