2021 New Hampshire Middle School Honors Band

Friday, March 26th at the
Keene Middle School

Auditioning Students - Click here for your audition scores and sound files!

Showing tone along with articulation skills is just as important as speed and accuracy.
Good sound, solid rhythms, and clear articulations come first.
​Speed work comes last!

Directors

Due to the uncertainty of the fall regarding how much time teachers will have with students, we are locking in the ensembles now and extending the due date for audition material. Based on auditions from the past few years and pending audition results, the 2021 Festival will field: an Honors Band, along with Flute, Saxophone, and Trumpet Ensembles. The due date for all audition material uploads will be Friday, November 20th by 11:59 PM.
  • We are fortunate in that we have been utilizing a digital audition system for a few years. We do not foresee any issues in terms of continuing digital submissions this year.
  • We plan to re-evaluate the percussion audition process should instrument access become an issue in the fall.
  • We hope to have updated registration and audition requirements documents available at the beginning of the school year.
  • We have posted audition materials on this web site to help your students practice over the summer. Please let them know this material is available now.
2020 Registration Form
2020 Audition Requirements Document
Percussion Audition Methodology

Festival Details

We are following the same audition procedures as last year. 
  • Most students will be submitting two etudes and three scales. The etudes were composed specifically for our auditions. Scales have been normalized as closely as we could to accommodate whole-class instruction.
  • Percussion auditions are segmented into three categories: mallets, snare, tympani. Each player must also submit the Auxiliary Percussion material.
  • Auditions are due 11:59 PM on 11/20/2020.
The audition format will remain the same - please see the attached instruction sheet.
This audition oriented festival is open to NH middle school students.
Audition recordings must be submitted online. If your school plans on sending student auditions on tape or CDs, please send an email to: NHBDAMLHF@gmail.com.

If you should have any questions after reading through the linked materials, you may submit them to NHBDAMLHF@gmail.com.

Auditions

Tips for Submitting Successful Auditions

  1. Get the audition material to your students early so that they have enough time to prepare well. Do not wait until October!
  2. Photocopy audition packets in advance for each instrument type in your band that you think might audition. This will allow them to look over the material and help them decide whether they want to audition.
  3. Allot plenty of time for audition preparation and recording! It is best to assume a total time commitment of at least one hour per auditioning student to help with preparation and to complete the recording and file sharing.
  4. Check over all application materials to see that they are complete, accurate, and legible!
  5. Do at least a quick playback scan of all recorded auditions to make sure that all material is correct. Do this for all recordings, especially if the student gives you a recording in which you were not involved in the recording process.
  6. Please make sure to mail your audition fee of $X per student. It would be best to make sure it is in the mail by, November 17th to ensure it arrives by the audition deadline of 11:59 PM on 11/20/2020.