Wayne State University Honor Band

Thursday February 8, 2024

Wayne State University is pleased to invite your finest students to participate in the annual Honor Band Day which will be held on Thursday February 9, 2024. This daylong event will take place on the campus of Wayne State University. Your students will have many enriching experiences as they work with master conductors and perform in a gala concert at the end of the day. There is no fee for students to attend this event.

Conducting the High School Honor Band will be Professor Douglas Bianchi, Director of Bands, Wayne State University. In addition to his duties at Wayne State University, Professor Bianchi is also the conductor of the International Symphony Orchestra and of the Detroit Metropolitan Youth Orchestra. As such, his wealth of knowledge and expertise will help your students grow as performers, leaders, and musicians. Membership in the High School Honor Band is for students in grades 9-12.

Selection of participants in the Honor Bands will be based on the recommendation and assessment of their band director. Directors can nominate up to 7 students comprised up of 3 woodwind students, 3 brass students, and 1 percussion student (who should be proficient on several percussion instruments.) Directors should nominate alto saxophone students sparingly.

How to Nominate Students

The nomination process is easy and can be done online. Follow this link to the Honor Band Nomination Form:

HONOR BAND NOMINATION FORM (Will Open December 2023)

Deadline

To be considered, nominations must be received by January 15, 2024. Students selected for the Honor Band will be notified by the end of the week of their selection. At that time, parents and students will receive detailed information about the day's schedulewhere to park, what to bring, and other information. We kindly request that you only nominate students who can make the commitment for the entire day.

Honor Band Day Schedule

A full schedule will be sent upon selection for the Honor Orchestra. You can expect to arrive around around 9:00am, have rehearsals and workshops. There will be enough time for dinner before the culminating performance at 6:30pm in the Student Center Ballroom, located at 5221 Gullen Mall.

What better way is there to energize your students than to have them participate in a great day of music making! Thank you for encouraging your students to participate in this year's event. We would especially like to invite any students considering a career in music, as well as students considering attending WSU in the future.

Contact information: