MFA Honor Band
United Sound performance with the Music for All Honor Band of America
During the HBOA concert, United Sound musicians will join the band for one piece. Their inclusion will not require the band to move from their original places on the stage. The following will explain the experience, but we are always available for questions!
What will the students play? United Sound and Music for All will commission a new, Grade 2 piece for the concert. This performance will be the premiere! As a Grade 2, the piece should require very little rehearsal time.
What will the rehearsal look like? United Sound musicians and their peer mentors will join the honor band for 20 minutes during rehearsal on Saturday. Music for All will determine the timing of this. The conductor’s responsibility will be:
Run through the piece two or three times. The runs through will help the peer mentors to correlate the modified parts with what the band is playing.
Also during this 20 minutes, United Staff will help the students to organize getting on an off the “stage” and standing at the right time after the piece.
We will also be there to coordinate with the conductor how and when to acknowledge the United Sound musicians. You’ll find it to be just like any concert with a featured soloist or group!
You will not need to change your conducting, the tempo of the piece, or anything else about the honor band or the piece.
If you have never seen a United Sound performance, consider attending the United Sound performance at the Midwest Clinic with the featured military band. We perform annually on Wednesday at the 5:30pm concert. You are also welcome to join Julie and the students for the rehearsal that day. This 20 minutes will look exactly like your rehearsal with the honor band and usually occurs from 4:30-4:50. The time can vary so please communicate with Julie if you’d like to join us for the rehearsal.
Where will they sit? Our musicians and their peer mentors are seated at the end of the existing HBOA rows. These chairs are removed after they perform.
Percussionists and their mentors may be seated in the front or join the percussion section in the back, depending on individual needs.
Warm up and green room: United Sound will not be in the green room or warming up with the band on stage prior to the start of the concert.
At the concert: Our musicians will join the band for the premiere of the new piece at whatever point it is programmed. Afterward, they will leave the stage and the extra chairs and stands will be removed.
Feeling nervous? You might have a friend who has conducted a United Sound piece in the past. We have performed under the batons of hundreds of school music teachers in addition to: Jason Fettig, Don Schofield, Jim Keene, Kenneth Collins, Adam Williamson, David Starnes, Richard Saudedo, Richard Floyd, Richard Crain, Rodney Dorsey, Omar Thomas, and Jeffrey Grogan.