SYMPHONIC BAND
Meets as a scheduled class during the school day throughout the school year.
Students are expected to have 3 years of ensemble experience and fundamental skills in instrumental performance and music-reading.
Performs four to five concerts per year.
Performs in the NC Bandmasters’ Association (NCBA) District Music Performance Adjudication.
Literature is drawn primarily from the NCBA Grade 3 and 4 difficulty level.
Literature is primarily original works for wind band in traditional and contemporary classical styles, but will also occasionally perform quality arrangements of film, jazz, orchestra and choral music.
Focus is on development of fundamental tone production, technical skills, ensemble sensitivity, self-expression, independent music decision-making, student leadership and character development through music literature and public performance.
Students are eligible for the ensemble by enrollment in a band course during the previous school year or through audition with the band director.
WIND ENSEMBLE
Meets as a scheduled class during the school day throughout the school year.
Students are expected to have no less than 3 years of ensemble experience and advanced skills in instrumental performance and music-reading.
Performs four to five concerts per year.
Performs in the NC Bandmasters’ Association (NCBA) District Music Performance Adjudication.
Literature is drawn primarily from the NCBA Grade 5 and 6 difficulty level.
Literature is primarily drawn from original works for wind band in traditional and contemporary classical styles, but will also occasionally perform quality arrangements of film, jazz, orchestral and choral music.
Focus is on development of exceptional tone production, range extension, advanced technical skills and vocabulary development, ensemble sensitivity, self-expression, advanced independent musical decision-making, student leadership and character development through music literature and public performance.
Students are eligible for the ensemble through audition with the band director.
MARCHING BAND (optional)
Registration is completed in May of the previous school year.
A Marching Band Orientation for parents and potential members is held in late March.
Meets as an extracurricular ensemble from late July - early November.
Wind players and percussionists must be members of either the Symphonic Band or Wind Ensemble.
Students are expected to have 3 years of ensemble experience and fundamental skills in instrumental performance and music-reading.
Performs twelve to fifteen times during the fall semester.
Performs in NCBA-sanctioned marching competitions.
Takes overnight trip to perform at a regional competition every other year.
Literature is commissioned annually and features a variety of musical styles and sources.
Focus is on development of fundamental tone production, movement skills, technical skills, ensemble sensitivity, self-expression, student leadership and character development through music literature and public performance.
Students are eligible for the ensemble by enrollment in a band course during the previous school year or through audition with the band director.
Three optional training sessions for new members are held in April.
BEGINNING BAND
Meets as a scheduled class during the school day during the fall semester.
Students are not expected to have any ensemble experience and fundamental skills in instrumental performance and music-reading.
Performs at a concert at the end of the semester.
Beginning Band members should develop the music literacy and performance skills to be prepared for Symphonic Band upon completion of this course.
Students rent or purchase their own instruments for the class. Mr. Edwards will recommend a specific local music dealer along with suggested instrument brands and models. School-owned instruments may be available for students in financial need.
Students will use the Essential Elements 2000 band method book 1. Students must purchase their own copy of this book for their instrument.
This course features a smaller enrollment than the other band classes to allow more one-on-one instruction and interaction with the teacher.
CHAMBER ENSEMBLES
Chamber ensembles are assigned by the director as part of the coursework for the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble. They meet during class time. Students have the option to form separate chamber ensembles and arrange rehearsal schedules outside of the school day. Student-selected chamber ensembles may not substitute for the ensemble assigned by the director.
Students must perform at least once in a chamber ensemble during class time.
Outstanding chamber ensembles will be selected to perform at the NCBA Solo and Ensemble MPA and/or at concerts designated by the director.
Chamber ensembles may also be asked to perform at select events in the community.
COLOR GUARD (optional)
Meets as an extracurricular ensemble as part of the Marching Band from late July - early November.
Dance or color guard experience is not required to join, but is very helpful.
Performs twelve to fifteen times during the fall semester.
Performs in NCBA-sanctioned marching competitions.
Focus is on development of physical performance skills in simple dance styles, equipment manipulation (flag, rifle and sabre), self-expression, student leadership and character development through public performance.
Students are eligible for the group through audition with the band director and/or independent color guard specialists hired by the band program.
SPRING MUSICAL PIT ORCHESTRA (optional)
Meets as an extracurricular ensemble about twice a week from late January through about the second week of March. Daily rehearsals happen about two weeks before the show opens.
Schedule varies according the performance dates and demands of the musical.
Participation is by director invitation only.
ALL-DISTRICT BAND (optional)
Students may audition for the Central District All-District Band on Saturday, January 7, 2023.
Audition requirements include eight memorized major scales, a multi-octave chromatic scale, a lengthy and challenging solo and sight-reading. Three or more of the major scales are multiple octaves.
Students must pay an $8 registration fee by Tuesday, December 6.
Mr. Edwards gives final approval for students to audition. Unprepared students are not allowed to audition.
Auditions are scored by other East-Central District band directors using a rubric. Auditions are very competitive and seats in the bands are limited. There are usually 900-1000 high school students who audition.
Parents must provide transportation to auditions. This year’s auditions are at Willow Spring High School.
Auditions run from 9 AM to 6 PM. Students receive a randomly-selected audition time slot that lasts about 2 hours. The slots are announced about two weeks before the audition. Audition slots cannot be changed.
The highest-scoring 9th and 10th grade students earn seats in the 9-10 Wind Ensemble. The highest-scoring 11th and 12th grade students earn seats in the 11-12 Wind Ensemble. The next highest-scoring group of 11th and 12th grade students earn seats in the 11-12 Symphonic Band. A total of about 190 students can earn seats in the bands. The number of students selected is pre-selected and varies by instrument.
Students who earn seats are invited to participate in the All-District Clinic on Jan. 27-28, 2023 at Sanderson High School. Mr. Edwards provides transportation and supervision throughout the clinic.
All-District Bands are directed by top-tier high school and college band directors and feature the very best high school band members from across the East-Central District.
UNC-WILMINGTON HONOR BAND (optional)
The UNCW Honor Band Festival is a nomation-based honor band hosted by the UNC-Wilmington Department of Music. Students request a nomination from Mr. Edwards for this Festival in September or October. UNCW announces the results of the nomination process in early November. More information available from UNCW at https://uncw.edu/music/events/honorbandfestival/index.html.
The UNCW event requires a two-night stay in Wilmington. Students must pay a clinic fee and their hotel room cost. Usually multiple students attend and coordinate carpooling, supervision and hotel arrangements. Families must provide their own transportation and supervision for their student.
CAROLINA BAND FESTIVAL (optional)
Carolina Band Festival (CBF) is an auditioned honor band hosted by the UNC-Greensboro School of Music on Feb. 9-11, 2023. Students audition for the Carolina Band Festival by sending in a recorded audition. Recordings are due in early January. Auditions are judged by UNC-Greensboro faculty members. Audition instructions and other details about the clinic are provided by UNCG and are available at http://www.cbf-ccc.org in late fall.
The CBF requires a two-night stay in Greensboro. Students must pay a clinic fee and their share of a hotel room. We usually have multiple students attend and combine with students from another school to help share the cost of hotel rooms. Mr. Edwards provides transportation and supervises students.
ALL-STATE BAND (optional)
The very highest-scoring students in the 9-10 and 11-12 All-District bands are invited to audition for the NC All-State Honors Band. The number of eligible students is very limited and varies by instrument. Larger sections, like flute, clarinet or trumpet, have more eligible seats. Smaller sections have fewer spots. Auditions are on March 4, 2023 at Atkins High School in Winston-Salem.
Audition requirements are similar to All-District Band, but there are some differences. Students are responsible for finding and preparing the correct requirements. Audition requirements are posted at www.ncbandmasters.org.
Auditioning students compete against the highest-scoring students from the other five districts.
There is a 9th-10th grade All-State Band and an 11th-12th grade All-State Band. The All-State Bands are directed by nationally-recognized high school and college band directors.
The 2022-23 All-State Band Clinic will be at UNC-Greensboro on April 28-30, 2023.