2009 "Top of the Nation" High School Honor Band Festival
Thursday, February 12th through Saturday, February 14th, 2008
Downloadable Forms
The Adams State College "Top of the Nation" Honor Band Festival 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 Professor Ray Cramer, Emeritus Director of Bands at Indiana University and Dr. Jamie VanValkenburg, Director of Bands at Adams State College.
New this year: "Top of the Nation" will now have two bands. We would like to give more students the opportunity to participate in the festival. The top band, the Wind Ensemble, will require a CD/taped audition and will be primarily conducted by Professor Cramer. The second band, the Concert Band, is open by director recommendation (no audition recording required) and will be primarily conducted by Dr. VanValkenburg. Students who send audition CD's/tapes for the Wind Ensemble but are not accepted will be considered for the Concert Band. Recordings and/or applications are due on our campus by December 5th, 2008. Seating auditions for both groups will be held on-site.
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.
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. Directors can buy a "Top of the Nation" polo shirt instead of a t-shirt. Polo shirts are $20 and can be ordered on-site. New this year: Directors will receive a complimentary CD.
Scheduling: Selected students will need to be available on the Adams State College campus on February, 12th at 1:00pm with seating auditions starting at 2:00pm and concluding at 3:45pm. The final concert will take place on Saturday, February 14th at 2:00, and students should not plan to leave before 4:30pm. Detailed schedules will be available on-line.
Master Classes: In addition to the Honor Bands, 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: Directors can receive 1 graduate credit for attending TOTN. In order to receive the full credit, directors will need to accumulate a total of 15 clock hours of observation. Admission and registration can be taken care of 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): $201.40. Out-of-state cost (including all fees): $578.40. Nothing needs to be arranged or paid for in advance.
Questions? Please contact Dr. Jamie VanValkenburg at jvanvalkenburg@adams.edu or 719-587-7702.