Honor Band
Performing Arts Department | Music

• February 7, 2025: 12:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.
• February 8, 2025: 8:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
• Concert on February 8, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. in the FLC Community Concert Hall

Detailed schedule TBA

• View the campus map

Our guest clinicians this year include:

• Skyhawk Band: Dr. Justin Hubbard, Director of Bands at Fort Lewis College
• Blue Band: Dr. Shannon Shaker, Director of Bands at Grand Rapids Community College, Michigan
• Middle School Band: Frank Slife, Band Director at Lincoln Middle School, Rio Rancho, New Mexico

The clinic fee is $25 per student. This includes:

• participation in one of the ensembles (music is provided)
• instrument specific master classes with FLC faculty
• a performance by the FLC Symphonic Band
• dinner on Friday and lunch on Saturday in the FLC dining hall

• Pay with a credit card

Invoice adjustments/refunds will not be made for any participant cancellations after January 10th.

Middle School Band: No audition required, musicians accepted by Director/Teacher recommendations. Please nominate a maximum of 10 students per school, with your top five students being guaranteed acceptance. The percussion section will be capped at 10 players. Be sure to rank your nominations accordingly.

Skyhawk Band Auditions: The ideal audition is a recording of the student performing their state’s all-state audition excerpt(s). Students may submit an audition like the Blue Band requirements below, but they are not guaranteed consideration for Skyhawk Band. For Percussionists: the ideal audition demonstrates your abilities on snare, timpani, a keyboard instrument, or as many of those three you can successfully perform on.

Piano and String Bass students are encouraged to audition as well!

Blue Band Auditions: Submit a short 30-60 second playing sample of your choice. This should be something that showcases your sound and ability; it can be a piece you’re playing in band, a favorite etude, or similar.

Registration forms

Send all registration forms and high school mp3 auditions to honorband@fortlewis.edu.

• Middle school registration form
• High school registration form
• High school student-submitted registration form

Due dates

• Middle School Director Recommendations: Due by Friday, November 15, 2024 (notified of acceptance by December 1, 2023)
• Skyhawk, Blue Band: Due by Friday, November 22, 2024 (notified of acceptance by December 4, 2023)

If you have concerns about these due dates, please contact Dr. Justin Hubbard

Placement in each band depends on what materials you choose to submit, how well you perform those materials, the number of submissions received, and instrumentation required for each group.

For Example:

• Example #1: You are one of 10 clarinets that submit the Skyhawk Band audition materials, and you perform them extremely well. The Skyhawk band has room for all 10 clarinets that particular year, so you end up being placed in the Skyhawk band.
• Example #2: You are 1 of 50 flutes that audition for Skyhawk band, and you submit a 30-60 second recording instead of the all-state materials. The Skyhawk band only has room for 10 flutes that particular year. Your audition ranks you tied for 10th with a student who submitted the all-state materials. You end up being placed in the Blue Band, since preference for Skyhawk band is given to those who submitted their all-state materials.
• Example #3: You don’t want to prepare the all-state materials, so you just submit a recording of you playing your favorite passage from a piece you’re working on. You play it extremely well and it showcases your abilities and sound. Skyhawk band needs more of your instrument, and there were not enough students who submitted all-state materials to fill all the slots. You are selected for Skyhawk band based on your demonstrated abilities, even though you didn’t submit the all-state materials.

Music will be distributed electronically via secure links, and students/directors should print copies of the appropriate parts to begin practicing! Music should be available to access by the first week of December.