Band Instructors for Grades 8-12 Can Now Nominate Students to Participate in an Honor Band Clinic on the University’s Campus

University of the Cumberlands’ (UC) band is proud to announce the second annual UC Honor Band Clinic scheduled for Friday, February 28, and Saturday, March 1, 2025. The clinic will be hosted on Cumberlands’ Williamsburg campus.

Honor Band members are selected through nominations, which are to be submitted electronically. The clinic is open to all band students in grades 8-12. Access the nomination form here: https://www.ucumberlands.edu/events/uc-honor-band-clinic-2025.

“The clinic gives students from smaller programs a chance to play in a larger ensemble, and all students are able to perform pieces of music they may not have performed at their own school,” said Dr. Duane Warfield, director of bands and professor of music at Cumberlands. “The guest clinicians provide different insight to rehearsals and are energetic and engaging, helping the students learn music in a short amount of time and perform it at the end of the clinic.”

The guest clinicians this year are Dr. Craig Aarhus, associate director of bands at Mississippi State University, and Mr. Zach Shannon, Class of 2014 at Cumberlands, director of bands at Southern Middle School in Somerset. During the clinic, high schoolers will have the opportunity to connect with fellow students from other high schools, the guest clinicians, and Cumberlands music students and faculty.

All current members of UC Band will be assisting with the UC Honor Band Clinic, gaining hands-on experience at event planning, setup, teardown, and assisting during the clinic.

Band directors can nominate students, or students can nominate themselves. The deadline for nominations is Friday, November 15, 2024. Students, parents, and band directors will be notified of nominees’ status on or before Thursday, November 21, 2024. Each student admitted to the clinic will need to submit audition materials and pay $25 online or send in a check at time of registration.

The primary goal of the UC Honor Band Clinic is to provide a rewarding musical and personal experience to all students who participate. During the clinic, guest clinicians, as well as Cumberlands’ Department of Music faculty and students, will work with participants, helping them strengthen their musical skills.  All honor bands will perform on Saturday afternoon, March 1, 2025, in Gatliff Chapel on Cumberlands’ campus. The concert is free and open to the public.

Dr. Warfield said, “The clinic last year was a huge success. There is nothing like the UC Honor Band Clinic in this area, and the feedback I received from students and band directors was overwhelmingly positive.”

For more information about the UC Honor Band Clinic, contact Dr. Duane Warfield, professor of music and director of UC bands, by email at duane.warfield@ucumberlands.edu.

Ensembles from the Department of Music at University of the Cumberlands perform multiple times per year, at football games (Marching Band), basketball games (Pep Band), Christmas at the Cumberlands (all bands and vocal ensembles), and spring concerts. To learn more about Cumberlands’ Department of Music, visit www.ucumberlands.edu/academics.