Middle School Honors Band Festival

The UWM Middle School Honors Band Festival is one of the longest-standing events of its kind. Our festival provides the region’s most motivated and accomplished middle school instrumentalists with an opportunity to work with one another and with regionally and nationally recognized wind band conductors. In addition, students interact with UWM performance staff and experience performances by UWM ensembles.

Director Nominations

Only students who are nominated by their band director are eligible to attend. Nominations are open to all band directors. If you or your organization plan to pay for some or all student fees, please contact us during the director nomination period.

Students will be notified via email of their acceptance to the festival, or their wait-list designation, after being processed by UWM Bands staff.

1. Please download the nomination form and use any spreadsheet software to edit. Be sure to fill in your director information in the header portion.
2. Review nomination data formatting as organized by column headers and the first-row sample. Afterwards, please delete the sample row.
3. Enter student data for each nomination. Remember to assign a rank that represents their overall ranking among ALL of your nominees, regardless of instrument or grade level. NOTE: Each rank number should only appear once.
   • We will use this data to form three equal and randomly assigned festival bands and create chair rankings within each band. Please consider the data you provide on each student carefully. 
4. Once all nominations have been entered, save the file with this filename format: “DirLastName_SchoolName.” Email the file to ms-honors-band@uwm.edu prior to the October 15 nomination deadline. 
5. If you need to revise nominations after you have submitted them, please notify Dr. Corley directly at scorley@uwm.edu. 
6. Directors will be notified of their nominees’ festival status (accepted or wait-listed) around October 23. The accepted students’ pre-registration period is October 25-November 8. Separate information regarding this process will be sent directly to those families/homes.  

Only students who are nominated by their school band director before Monday, October 19 are eligible to attend the festival.

Student Registration

Students are notified via email of their acceptance determination, and if accepted, their individual honor band assignment. Students notified as alternates are added to a wait list and will be notified if an opening occurs.

Accepted students will be emailed by Friday, October 23 and should complete registration between October 24–November 7 using the link found in their acceptance email. If assistance is needed, please contact the Box Office.

Registration is $95 per student, which includes all instruction, rehearsal spaces, music, and administrative fees. A $40 discount is available for students who are also enrolled in UWAY or the UWM String Academy by emailing their respective UWM instructors to receive a discount code. It also includes admission to the final concert for the students’ family and other supporters (no physical tickets necessary). All Festival registration payments are non-refundable.

Festival Finale Concerts

Concerts take place on Sunday and are free and open to participating students, their families, and band directors – no tickets necessary.

Special Instrumental Needs

• Flute Students: Should bring a piccolo if you have access to one and want to be considered for piccolo parts. Piccolo assignments will be made under the leadership of the guest conductor/clinician.
• Brass Students: Trumpet and trombone students should bring straight mutes. Other mutes may be requested during the weekend.
• Percussion Students: Please bring the following four items. If borrowing instruments from school consult your band director first.
  • A pair of general-purpose snare sticks
  • Keyboard mallets
  • Timpani mallets
  • Either a triangle with beater or a tambourine

Attire

Casual school clothing is appropriate for festival rehearsals and other activities. For the concert, please wear what you would wear for your own school band concerts. Other suggestions are:

Meals

Limited UWM Union dining facilities will be open during the festival to attendees and to the public. Other restaurants near campus are also available within a four-block walk. Students and parents are free to make meal arrangements that fit their needs. UWM Bands staff releases custodial care to parents/guardians during all festival meal breaks and participants will not be accompanied during this time.  

Emergencies

Office staff is available at (414) 229-5641 during the festival schedule in case of emergencies. UWM Police Non-Emergency line is (414) 229-4627.

Parking

UWM has many parking options, including metered street parking, university parking structures and lots. Participants and patrons are responsible for following posted parking regulations. Students are responsible for arranging prompt pick-up and drop-off plans. For campus details please see the campus map.

Parent/Guardian Information

• The UWM Honors Band Festival releases participants to the custodial care of their parent/guardian during non-instructional times (see schedule above).
• Parents are not required to stay with students during Festival activities. When students are released from UWM’s custodial care (during any non-instructional time), parents may wish to designate another adult for their supervision or make arrangements with a “carpool” group to help facilitate mealtime plans and/or commuting to/from campus. 
• Meal and lodging plans (if necessary) are the responsibility of each participant’s family. Food and lodging are not provided by the Festival. 
• All UWM Honors Band Festival rehearsals are open, public events. All interested parents and teachers are welcomed to observe.