High School Honor Band

Image of students standing following a band performance on Ted Mann Concert Hall stage.
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities High School Honor Band

High School Honor Band

The 2025 University of Minnesota High School Honor Band Weekend will be held on the Twin Cities campus Friday, January 24 - Sunday, January 26. This is a wonderful opportunity for the Upper Midwest’s finest high school wind and percussion instrumentalists in grades 10, 11, and 12 to study music with UMN music faculty on the stage of Ted Mann Concert Hall. The weekend will conclude with a concert in Ted Mann Concert Hall on Sunday, January 26th at 1:30pm.

Now Accepting Applications

Submit your application for the January 2025 Honor Band via the SlideRoom portal. Begin your application here. Application deadline: Thursday, November 7.

Typical Timeline

Application opens -- late summer
Application deadline -- early November
Results notification -- Monday or Tuesday before Thanksgiving
RSVP -- early December
Online registration deadline -- early January
Honor Band Weekend -- late January
 

2025 Program

The 2025 repertoire will include: 

  • On Parade by Amanda Aldridge | edited by Kaitlin Bove (1914/2020) [3:00]

  • Alleluia Laudamus Te by Alfred Reed (1973) [6:15] 

  • Festal Scenes by Yasuhide Ito (1988) [6:00] 

  • Give Us This Day by David Maslanka (2005) [15:00] 

Principal parts of the compositions will be emailed to selected students prior to the start of the Honor Band weekend and will be used for the chair placement auditions the first day of the event.
 

Access the concert livestream at z.umn.edu/musicstream and click on Ted Mann Concert Hall events. 

Typical Weekend Time Commitment

Friday - 4pm - 9pm
Saturday - 9am - 9pm
Sunday - 9am - 3pm
*Note: Exact timing subject to change, this is provided as a general guideline for planning purposes.
 

Eligibility and Audition Requirements

High school students in grades 10–12 are eligible to apply. Each student must be recommended by their music instructor and should be an outstanding instrumentalist capable of performing class A literature. Each applicant must submit an online application and that includes a recording containing three to five total minutes of playing. The audio file must be submitted via the online application portal. Selections should include a slow legato work and a contrasting etude or movement of a technical nature. Percussionists should perform on at least two different instruments of their choice. Applicants who wish to audition for more than one instrument must submit a separate music file for each instrument.

  • Applicants must submit a complete online application via the SlideRoom portal. An application is considered complete when the application, recording(s), and reference (current band director) are all properly submitted through the portal.
  • Evaluation Rubric

Honor Band Fees

Collected after confirmation of acceptance/attendance:

  • $115.00 program fee for all participants
  • $200.00 housing fee for those that need it (two nights in a hotel / two people per room)

Fees Cover: Housing (if applicable), meals, snacks, masterclass with applied instrumental faculty, supplies, and access to a world-class music performance facility.

If the fee could pose a barrier to your participation, please contact us at ubands@umn.edu. Submitting an application to the UMN-TC Honor Band is FREE.