"Top of the Nation" High School Honor Band
Thursday, February 21st through Saturday, February 23rd, 2008
See below for downloadable forms
The Adams State College "Top of the Nation" Honor Band is one of the longest running honor bands in Colorado, with a tradition dating back over 40 years. The "Top of the Nation" Honor Band selects students from the entire Southwestern United States. The band consists of some of the finest high school instrumental musicians in the Southwest with members coming from Arizona, Texas, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado. There is a growing interest from students outside this region and everyone is eligible to audition. The event is held over a three-day period, beginning on Thursday afternoon and culminating in a concert on Saturday afternoon. This year's conductors will be Dr. Jamie VanValkenburg, Director of Bands at Adams State College and Mr. Craig Ketels, former band director at Lewis-Palmer High School in Monument, Colorado.
Students and directors will receive master classes from the wind and percussion faculty at Adams State College. Graduate credit (1 credit/15 contact hours) is available for participating high school band directors through a series of clinics, master classes and discussions.
Selection Information: Students are selected for the Honor Band based on CD/tape audition (CD is the preferred format), their experience in other Honor Bands, and their director's recommendation. CD's/tapes and applications are due on our campus by December 5th, 2007.Seating auditions will be held on-site.
Cost: Student registration is $30 per participant, which will include a t-shirt and CD. Transportation, housing, parking costs and meals are the responsibility of the participants. A list of hotels and restaurants will be included in the packets sent to directors of students who are selected for the ensemble. It is suggested that band parent organizations help defer at least some of these costs if possible. New this year: Directors can buy a "Top of the Nation" polo shirt instead of a t-shirt. Polo shirts are $20 and must be ordered in advance on the "Director Confirmation" form, available on our website.
Scheduling: Selected students will need to be available on the Adams State College campus on February, 21st at 2:00pm with seating auditions starting at 3:00pm and concluding at 5:30pm. An ASC "Show Case" concert will be held the evening of Friday the 22nd. The final concert will take place on Saturday, February 23rd at 2:00, and students should not plan to leave before 4:30pm. Detailed schedules will be available on-line and will be included in the acceptance packets for selected participants.
Master Classes: In addition to the Honor Band, there will also be Master Classes for Woodwinds, Brass, and Percussion involving all Honor Band members. ASC faculty will coach these Master Classes, which meet in addition to the regular rehearsal schedule.
Graduate Credit for Directors: New this year! Directors can receive 1 graduate credit instead of .5. Hopefully this will be more beneficial for recertification and/or pay-raise purposes. In order to receive the full credit, directors will need to accumulate a total of 15 clock hours of observation and write a short paper about the sessions. If directors are unable to attend 15 clock hours at the festival, they may count up to 6 observation hours of other band directors or sessions at CMEA. Admission and Registration issues can all be solved with one form that you can fill out while you're here. You can pay by credit card or check made out to Adams State College for the course fees as follows: In-state cost (including all fees): $181.40. Out-of-state cost (including all fees): $532.40. Nothing needs to be arranged or paid for in advance.
Questions? Please contact Dr. Jamie VanValkenburg at jvanvalkenburg@adams.edu or 719-587-7702.
