HONOR ENSEMBLES
Honor Bands/Ensembles are a great way to further enhance a student's musical experience and are highly encouraged!
All ensembles are different, but the most basic form of Honor Band looks something like this:
1) Requirements for the ensemble are released.
2) Students work individually on the audition materials.
3) Students audition for the ensemble (either live or recorded).
4) Audition results come out and the ensemble is formed.
5) Students receive the music for the performance and prepare it at home.
6) The ensemble gathers together and holds extended rehearsals with the clinician.
7) The experience ends with a performance!
Membership in these ensembles is either by audition or director nomination.
Florida All State Bands
The Florida All State Concert (9-10), Symphonic (11-12), and Jazz Bands are the highest level honor bands a student can be a member of in the State of Florida. The audition requirements for this ensemble are announced in May of every year, with the audition taking place in September. Results of the All State Bands come out in November and, if selected, student participants will travel to Tampa, FL for the honor band rehearsals and performance in January as part of the Florida Music Educators Association Conference. These ensembles require the student to work with effective discipline during the summer. Weekly private lessons are highly encouraged for students that wish to audition for these ensembles.
North Florida Honor Band
The North Florida Honor Band (NFHB) is an audition-based honor band comprised of students from Baker, Bradford, Colombia, Gilchrist, Suwannee, and Union Counties in North Central Florida. If students are interested in audition-based honor bands, this ensemble is highly recommended. Audition requirements for this ensemble come out in September, and auditions are in late November or early December. Ensemble results come out shortly after the auditions and the honor band takes place in late January at Union County High School in Lake Butler, FL.
Tri-State Band Festival
The dates for the 2021 Tri-State Festival are Thursday, December 2nd thru Sunday, December 5th on the campus of Florida State University.
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Each year the festival features nationally and internationally renowned guest conductors and FSU music faculty in an intensive schedule of rehearsals, masterclasses, professional clinics, and concerts.
Audition materials have not yet been posted. Please visit the link below to read about the 2019 festival season.
Alachua County Youth Orchestra
The Alachua County Youth Orchestra (ACYO) is an audition-based ensemble that meets every Sunday evening at the University of Florida during the school year. This ensemble is the only opportunity for students to perform in an orchestra with string instruments as opposed to concert band. The ensemble is under the direction of Professor R. Gary Langford, a prominent figure at the University of Florida and in band across the country. ACYO is a great opportunity for students that want to experience more music, and want to become more familiar with a college campus.