High School Student Events
The School of Music at Mercer University hosts several events for high school students throughout the academic year! Events range from full-day visits designed for prospective students to enjoy a ‘day in the life’ of a music major to multiple-day Honor Band Festivals designed to provide a premier musical experience to young musicians. This page will provide event details as well as registration and audition information. We hope to see you on campus soon! Go Bears!
Use this page to learn more about:
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Tenor/Bass Festival
Host: Stanley Roberts, Conductor
When: Tuesday, October 21, 2025; 9:15 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Where: Mercer University – Macon, GA
Cost (includes music, T-shirt, and lunch):
- $30 per student
- $15 for All-State Choir Students
- Free to all All-State Reading Choir Students
Join us on October 21 for our annual High School Tenor/Bass Festival! This is an excellent opportunity for high school students to build community and see how fun choral singing really can be. Students will be provided music for the festival, as well as lunch and a t-shirt. Under the direction of Dr. Stanley Roberts, students will rehearse music and sing with the men of Mercer Singers in concert that afternoon.
Registration for the 2025 Tenor/Bass Festival will open in August. Click here to register. Click here to process your payment. For questions, please contact Dr. Roberts. Registration will close September 30.
Bands at the Grand: High School Honor Band Festival
Host: Brittan Braddock/Mercer Bands
When: February 20-22, 2025
Where: Mercer University and Grand Opera House in Macon, Georgia
Cost: $50/student, limited scholarships available
Please join us for the second “Bands at the Grand” High School Honor Band Festival! The mission of the “Bands at the Grand” Festival is to provide a premier musical experience and build a community of talented high school musicians in the Southeast. High School musicians from Middle Georgia and the surrounding region will be invited to audition. Made up of about 80 talented high school musicians, the Honor Band will rehearse and prepare a concert to be performed at the historic Grand Opera House in Macon, Georgia, February 20-22, 2025. Jeffrey Rowser, Director of Bands at Woodward Academy, will be the guest conductor for the High School Honor Band.
For questions, contact Dr. Brittan Braddock.
Audition Registration
Auditions are open to all students enrolled in a high school band program grades 9-12. All students are required to fill out the 2024 – 2025 HSHB Audition Form. This same form is also where students will submit their audio.
Audition materials are due by Sunday, December 1, 2024.
All auditions must include:
- Student stating their name and school first
- Two major scales of the player’s choice (at least two octaves): in sixteenth notes no slower than ♩= 60
- Chromatic scale of the player’s choice: two octaves in eighth notes, ♩= 80
- All-State OR All-District audition excerpts OR 1 faster/technical etude + 1 slower/lyrical etude
- If using All-District audition materials that only include one excerpt, ADD a contrasting etude for a total of two music selections
Directors will receive a list of students selected for the High School Honor Band and all students will be notified by December 29, 2024. Chair placement within the ensemble will be based on the initial audition. Music for the festival will be emailed to the students by the end of January, 2025. If selected for the Honor Band, students will be expected to attend all scheduled rehearsals and activities February 20-22, including attending the Friday evening concert presented by Mercer Bands. Parents/Directors are responsible for transportation, lodging and supervision at all other times during the Honor Band weekend. Possible accommodations include our on-campus hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn.
Fees
There is no fee to audition. The cost to participate in the festival if selected is $50 per student.
Timeline
December 1, 2024: Video Auditions are due
January 2025: Music distributed to performers
February 20-22, 2025: “Bands at the Grand” Honor Band Festival
Schedule (subject to adjustment)
Thursday, February 20, 2025 @ Mercer University
3:00 p.m. – Registration @ McCorkle Music Building Lobby
4:00 p.m. – Masterclasses with Mercer University Wind, Brass, and Percussion Faculty
6:00 p.m. – Dinner (pizza provided)
7:00 p.m. – Rehearsal #1 in Band Room in McCorkle Music Building (MUWE Dress Rehearsal at the Grand)
9:30 p.m. – Finished
Friday, February 21, 2025 @ The Grand Opera House
9:00 a.m. – Rehearsal #2
12:00 p.m. – Lunch downtown (YOYO)
2:00 p.m. – Rehearsal #3
5:00 p.m. – Dinner (YOYO) Set-up and sound check of MUWE
7:30 p.m. – Mercer University Wind Ensemble Concert at The Grand
Saturday, February 22, 2025 @ The Grand Opera House
10:00 a.m. – Honor Band Dress Rehearsal at The Grand Opera House
12:00 p.m. – Lunch (Downtown, YOYO)
2:00 p.m. – Arrive and Dress
2:30 p.m. – Warm-up/Tune
3:00 p.m. – Honor Band Concert
Music Day in the Life
When:
Discover the life of a music major in the School of Music by living it. Join us for classes, ensembles, information sessions, and evening events at our Music Day in the Life days. Registration for 2025 – 2026 Music Day in the Life days will open in August!