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:
Please follow us on social media for updates, concerts, and additional information:
Tenor/Bass Festival
Host: Dr. Stanley L. Roberts, Conductor
When: Tuesday, September 29, 2026; 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 Georgia All-State Reading Choir Students
Join us on September 29 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. Contact Ben Barkley with any questions.
Registration for the 2026 Tenor/Bass Festival ends Monday, September 14th.
Bands at the Grand: Honor Band Festival
Host: Dr. Brittan Braddock/Mercer Bands
When: February 18-20, 2027
Where: Mercer University and Piedmont Grand Opera House in Macon, Georgia
Cost: $50/student, limited scholarships available
Please join us for the fourth annual “Bands at the Grand” Honor Band Festival! The mission of Bands at the Grand is to provide a premier musical experience and build a community of talented musicians in the Southeast.
For the second year, both Middle School and High School musicians from Middle Georgia and the surrounding region will be eligible to audition. Made up of 80 talented high school musicians and 80 talented middle school musicians, the Honor Bands will rehearse and prepare a concert to be performed at the historic Piedmont Grand Opera House in Macon, Georgia, on February 20, 2027. In addition, the Mercer University Wind Ensemble will perform a concert on Friday, February 19, 2027.
Registration for the 2027 Bands at the Grand Honor Band Festival is now open!
Middle School Honor Band Audition Registration
Dr. Dylan Parrilla-Koester will serve as this year’s Middle School Band conductor! Dr. Parilla-Koester serves as director of bands and professor of practice at Tulane University where he directs all aspects of the comprehensive bands program. This includes instruction of the Tulane University Marching Band and artistic direction of the Tulane Concert Band. He teaches 
instrumental conducting at Columbia’s Morningside Heights campus during summer sessions, and he is an active clinician, conductor and adjudicator of scholastic ensembles, having worked with middle and high school ensembles from across the United States and Canada.
Auditions are open to all students enrolled in a middle school band program grades 7 and 8 with at least one year of experience in band. All students are required to fill out the 2026 – 2027 Middle School Honor Band Audition Form. Students will submit their audio on the same form.
Please note: This year’s Middle School Honor Band will be Friday and Saturday only – no Thursday events. High School Honor Band will begin on Thursday as in previous years.
Audition materials are due by Friday, December 4, 2026.
All auditions must include:
- Student stating their name and school first
- Two major scales of the player’s choice (one to two octaves)
- Chromatic scale
- All-State OR All-District audition excerpts (ex. GMEA excerpt)
- Percussion please submit GMEA 26-27 audition materials
Directors will receive a list of students selected for the Middle School Honor Band and all students will be notified by December 29, 2026. 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, 2027. If selected for the Honor Band, students will be expected to attend all scheduled rehearsals and activities February 19-20, 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 accommodation options include our on-campus hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn.
High School Honor Band Audition Registration
Dr. Susan D. Creasap will be our high school honor band guest conductor. She is professor emeritus of Bands and Music Education at Morehead State University where she taught for twenty-one years, serving as associate director of Bands and then director of Bands. She earned her Doctor of Arts in Wind Band Conducting/Horn Performance from Ball State University, Master 
of Arts in Music Education/Music History from the University of Minnesota, and Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Creasap’s varied career includes 18 years of experience as a band director in the public schools, horn instructor, and 25 years as a university band director.
Dr. Creasap is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the Kentucky Music Educators Association 2004 College/University Teacher of the Year, the National Band Association “Citation of Excellence,” the Tennessee Bandmasters Association “Award of Excellence,” Women Band Directors International “Silver Baton,” Phi Beta Mu Outstanding Bandmaster Award (KY), Women Band Directors International Lifetime Achievement Award, and, mostly recently, was named to the Women Band Directors International Hall of Fame.
Auditions are open to all students enrolled in a high school band program grades 9-12. All students are required to fill out the 2026 – 2027 High School Honor Band Audition Form. This same form is also where students will submit their audio.
Audition materials are due by Friday, December 4, 2026.
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
- Percussion please submit GMEA 26-27 audition materials
Directors will receive a list of students selected for the High School Honor Band and all students will be notified by December 29, 2026. 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, 2027. If selected for the Honor Band, students will be expected to attend all scheduled rehearsals and activities February 18-20, 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 accommodation options 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 4, 2026: Video Auditions are due
January 2027: Music distributed to performers
February 18-20, 2027: Bands at the Grand Honor Band Festival
Schedule (subject to adjustment)
| Middle School Honor Band | High School Honor Band |
| Middle School: NO THURSDAY EVENTS THIS YEAR
Middle School Honor Band BEGINS FRIDAY!!! Friday, February 19 at Mercer: 8:00am Registration in the Lobby of McCorkle Music Building 9:00am Rehearsal #1 12:00pm Lunch at the Cafeteria (included) 1:30pm Rehearsal #2 5:00pm Dinner (YOYO, downtown) 7:30pm Mercer University Wind Ensemble Concert at the Grand Saturday, February 20 at Mercer: 9:00am Rehearsal #3 11:00am Lunch (YOYO, downtown) 1:00pm Sound Check at the Grand 2:00pm Get changed 2:45pm Set up on stage 3:00pm Honor Band Concert Middle School Honor Band is first High School Honor Band is second |
Thursday, February 18 at Mercer:
3:00pm Registration in McCorkle Music Building 4:00pm Masterclasses with Mercer Faculty 6:00pm Pizza Dinner (provided) 7:00pm Rehearsal #1 in the Band Room 9:30pm Finished Friday, February 19 at the Piedmont Grand Opera House: 9:00am Rehearsal #2 12:00pm Lunch downtown (YOYO) 2:00pm Rehearsal #3 5:00pm Dinner (YOYO) 7:30pm Mercer University Wind Ensemble Concert at the Grand Saturday, February 20 at the Piedmont Grand Opera House: 9:00am Rehearsal #4 11:00am Lunch (YOYO, downtown) 2:00pm Arrive and Dress at the Grand 2:30pm Warm-up/Tune 3:00pm Honor Band Concert Middle School Honor Band is first High School Honor Band is second |
For questions, contact Dr. Brittan Braddock.
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 2026 – 2027 Music Day in the Life days is now open!