District 17 Band Directors,
We are excited to announce that we are able to hold 2025 District Honor Band in person the weekend of March 14 & 15, 2025. The concert will be held on Saturday, March 15 on the campus of Ohio University in the Templeton-Blackburn Memorial Auditorium beginning at 5:00 p.m. Our guest conductor this year will be Dr. Ishbah Cox, Director of Bands at Capital University! The Honor Band weekend will begin with check-in at 12:00 pm on Friday, March 14. The first rehearsal will begin at 1:00pm. A detailed schedule for the weekend will be sent with the personnel list.
Auditions will be held on Saturday, January 25, 2025 at Athens High School. The auditions will consist of scales, etudes, and sight-reading. We will again attempt to have all auditions be judged by Ohio University faculty or graduate students. The audition music and information can be found below.
Audition Etudes can be found at the link below:
2025 OMEA District 17 Audition Music
The audition requirements are as follows:
Woodwind and Brass
1. OMEA Class "B" Scales
2. Audition Etude
3. Sight-reading
Percussion
1. OMEA Class "B" Rudiments
2. Audition Etudes (All percussionists are required to audition on Snare Drum, Timpani, and Xylophone)
3. Sight-reading
The audition fee is $20.00 per student and should be sent in with the list of all students from your school that will be auditioning. Please make one check payable to "OMEA District 17 Treasurer". Please send your list of students auditioning to me by e-mail: abackes@athenscsd.org by January 13, 2025. Note any audition schedule requests on your list of students auditioning, and we will do our best to accommodate them. You will email me your students auditioning, but all checks should be sent to Ryan Hurd, our OMEA D17 District Treasurer:
Ryan Hurd, OMEA District 17 Treasurer
Jackson High School
500 Vaughn St.
Jackson, OH 45640
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by e-mail
Aaron Backes
740-797-4521 ext. 1011 (school)
Saturday, March 15, 2025
Ohio University School of Music
Sam Koogle, Chair
Audition Submissions are due February 14, 2025
Link to District 17 Middle School Honor Band Information