Furman Honor Band Symposium

Honor Concert Band – this ensemble will function like a clinic experience wherein students will attend instrument technique classes and chamber music rehearsals on Friday, November 18th. Friday evening ends with a celebration showcase performance for friends and family. Think of this as a typical “Woodwind Day, “Brass Day” or “Percussion Day” occurring simultaneously!

Honor Marching Band – students will return to campus on Saturday morning for a rehearsal of marching band music, a brief outdoor rehearsal with Furman’s Paladin Regiment Marching Band, and a halftime performance at the Furman football game! In addition to the standard marching instrumentation, we welcome color guard, dancers, and twirlers. Directors: please nominate these students at the end of your instrument nomination form.

Submit nominations here.

Students and directors will be notified of their acceptance by November 4th.

Cost at a glance (more details below):
Full Symposium Weekend: $40
Concert Band only: $25
Marching Band only: $25

Questions? Contact Dr. Sue Samuels at sue.samuels@furman.edu

Eligibility

Ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth-grade students are eligible. Band directors should recommend students across all 4-grade levels, as care will be taken in the selection process to include all grade levels. Over 200 invitations will be extended to students for participation in the 2022 Furman University High School Honor Band Symposium.

Division of Ensembles

For the Friday portion, students will meet in like-instrument sectionals and classes for the majority of the day. There will be large group performances (woodwinds, brass, percussion) for the evening showcase performance.

On Saturday, students will join the Paladin Regiment as one large massed band at halftime!

Selection Process

No audition required.  Band directors may nominate up to 10% of their current enrollment for participation in the honor band. Priority for selection will be made as follows:

• Band Director’s Ranked Order of Recommendation
•  2022 All-State Students (seated)
• Seniors with past experience at Furman band/summer camp events
• ALL students with past experience at Furman band/summer events
• ALL students with positive band director recommendations (includes color guard, dancers, and twirlers for marching portion)

Given these selection criteria, we will make every attempt to take all seniors who apply to the Furman High School Honor Band Weekend. Priority will be placed upon each director’s ranking scale in making our preliminary selections – please give this careful thought. Any additional pertinent information will assist in the decision-making process. In order to have fair representation from all schools, we ask that you keep your number of nominees near 10% of your program’s total enrollment. Due to limited space, only the highest-ranked 200 of the total nominees will be selected for the concert band. However, ALL STUDENTS WITH POSITIVE RECOMMENDATIONS from their band directors will be selected to participate in the marching portion of the event.

Director Nomination Form

Submit nominations here.
Notification of acceptance will email to directors on November 4.
Questions? Contact Dr. Sue Samuels, Furman Director of Bands
864-294-3193 or email sue.samuels@furman.edu

Important Information

Cost:
Full Symposium Weekend: $40
Concert Band only: $25
Marching Band only: $25
All participation fees are non-refundable and due after notification of selection (we will provide a registration/payment portal). Here’s what they cover:

1. Full Symposium Weekend, $40: all instruction, Friday dinner, Saturday snacks, Saturday lunch, admission to the Furman football game, a participation medal, and a shirt
2. Concert Band only, $25: instruction, Friday dinner, a participation medal, and a shirt
3. Marching Band only, $25: instruction, snack/lunch, admission to the Furman football game, a participation medal, and a shirt

Students are encouraged to participate in the entire Furman Honor Band Experience, but may also elect to participate in only the concert band or only the marching band experience.

Event Location: Furman University campus (McAlister Auditorium, Daniel Music Building, and Ellis Field / Paladin Stadium)

Audition Information

There is no audition for this event. Band Director recommendation is required.

Schedule

Friday, November 18 ——————–

3:30-4:30 – registration (Daniel Music Building Lobby)

4:30-6:00 – instrument techniques classes (locations to be assigned)

6:00-6:45 – dinner (provided)

7:00-8:30 – ensemble rehearsals

8:30-9:00 – Showcase Performance

Saturday, November 19 ——————-

8:00-8:30 – registration/check in

8:30-10:00 – sectional rehearsals

10:00-10:30 – field placement with Paladin Regiment

10:30 – Fan Zone with Paladin Regiment

10:45-11:30 – snack break and change into uniforms

11:45 – in stands to see pregame

12:00 – kick off

1:00 – lunch in the stands

1:30 – halftime

2:00 – students may be dismissed after the halftime performance or they may stay for the entire game with dismissal around 3 pm.