MusicAlliance Honor Bands

The MusicAlliance Honor Bands exist to give outstanding middle school and junior high band students in the Cleveland metropolitan area the opportunity to play music of a more advanced level than is normally possible in their regular school bands and is a wonderful chance for the band members to meet other talented young musicians from many other area schools. Selection of honor band members is done through nomination by band directors. Students must be able to play with advanced proficiency on their instrument, demonstrate good conduct, and be an outstanding member of their school band. High School students who are alumni of the MusicAlliance Honor Bands often come back and volunteer their time to serve as student assistants and mentors for the younger students.

MusicAlliance is proud to offer the following honors programs:

Summer Honor Band (a week long program that rehearses in June each year - location varies)

Christmas Honor Band (Saturday morning rehearsals at Lakeland Community College - November & December)

Jazz-Rock Honor Band (Saturday morning rehearsals at Lakeland Community College - February, March, and April)

Congratulations 2011 Summer Honor Band I and II participants for a great week of honor band camp and an excellent performance at the concert!

We had over 150 students representing 40+ schools in this summer's honor bands which gave a culminating concert in the Magnificat Performing Arts Center Auditorium on June 18th.

The Jazz-Rock Honor Band rehearsed on Saturday mornings in the band room at Lakeland Community College from January - March and performed a culminating concert on March 26th in the Mentor Memorial Middle School Auditorium. There were 62 students representing 30 different schools in the group.

The MusicAlliance Christmas Honor Band presented its annual free public concert on Saturday, December 11 in the Performing Arts Center Auditorium at Lakeland Community College. A record number of students participated in the group with 103 students representing 35 different schools.

PREVIOUS HONOR BAND RECAPS

The 2010 Summer Honor Band Program featured 129 students representing 33 different schools.

The culminating concert was held in the Riverside High School Auditorium on 6/19/2010.

The 2010 Honor Jazz-Rock Band rehearsed on Saturday mornings in the band room at Lakeland Community College in February, March, and April and performed in concert on April 25th at St. Francis of Assisi in Gates Mills.

There were 48 students representing 24 different schools in the group.

"I was really taken with the performance as well as that composition. It really does have so much of that intangible thing that defines a "Chicago" song. The kids sound great ... Please express my sincere appreciation to all of the performers."

- Tris Imboden (Drummer for the world-famous rock band "CHICAGO") - referring to the 2007 MusicAlliance East Summer Honor Band I performance of an original composition written by honor band co-director Frank Adams entitled "Good Times - I Will Remember These" which was written to commemorate and honor the 40 year legacy of the band CHICAGO. The song marked the first time that the honor band program has featured a vocalist (a member of the flute section) with concert band accompaniment.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO A RECORDING OF THE HONOR BAND’S PERFORMANCE OF THE SONG

"Over the past few years I've had the opportunity to work with and for the music educators of MusicAlliance. I served as guest conductor for their summer honors band and did an in-service music reading clinic with the music staff. They are a dedicated and talented group of music educators ... The things that impressed me about the honors band program include... the level of music performed ... and the quality of instruction ..."

- Len Orcino (Composer/Educator and Guest Conductor of the 2004 Summer Honor Band)