Honor Bands.

Photo Gallery

2008-2009 6-8 State Honor Band.

2008-2009 9-10 State Honor Band.

2007-2008 State Honor Band.

2005-2006 State Honor Band (Candid Photos).

2005-2006 State Honor Band (Photos by Luan Buhse).

About

The Minnesota Band Directors Association sponsors two honor bands annually, one comprised of students in grades 6, 7 and 8, and another comprised of students in grades 9 and 10. The MBDA Honor Bands provide the opportunity for select students from across the state of Minnesota to immerse themselves in an invigorating environment of music-making under the direction of a distinguished guest conductor.

Interested students apply by completing an application and submitting a taped audition. A committee of qualified adjudicators scores each audition tape against an agreed upon set of standards, ensuring that a consistent standard of excellence is used in assessing each applicant.

Regional Honor Bands

Regional level honor bands (by nomination) were held on either January 24th, 2009 or February 21st, 2009 (to be decided by your regional leadership team).

More information: Visit the links to the left for your specific region and information.

State Level Honor Bands

State Level Selection Process

Students in grades 6-10 must be members of the school band program during the year of audition and have directors who are presently members of MBDA. Students are selected based on ability through the evaluation of audition tapes by qualified music educators, but each school is limited to no more than six (6) students per band (typically each MBDA Honor Band consists of between 70-80 students). Instrumentation is determined by the needs of the guest conductor and by the musical demands of the selected literature. The ranking given to the student by the school director is consulted only when the audition score, instrumentation, and school participant limit are in conflict. It is the intent of MBDA to represent as many schools across the state as possible while functioning within the stated guidelines.

Participation in the MBDA Honor Bands is earned by:

  • A successful audition; and
  • A commitment to attend all scheduled Honor Band Activities.

Dismissal:

  • Any participant who is absent from a scheduled Honor Band activity (ie: rehearsal, sectional, meal, break time, etc.) other than in a case of severe illness or unforseen emergency, shall forfeit their place in the Honor Band and be asked to hand in their folder before being dismissed.
  • Advance notice of irresolvable conflicts will allow another student to be placed from the list of alternates. Participants must resolve all outside conflicts and commit to all Honor Band activities.
  • Participants who forfeit their place may be denied consideration for MBDA Honor Bands in future years.

The 2009 timeline of events will require that audition tapes and CD's are received in early December 17, 2008. Membership will be determined and mailed to directors by mid-February, 2009.

Questions about Honor Band auditions should be directed to David Miller, MBDA 6-8 State Honor Band Representative for 2007-08, or Ryan Anderson, MBDA 9-10 State Honor Band Audition Chair.

2008-09 State Level Audition Materials

6-8 Grade Honor Band
9-10 Grade Honor Band
Scoring Rubrics

Questions about Honor Band auditions should be directed to David Miller, MBDA 6-8 State Honor Band Representative for 2007-08, or Ryan Anderson, MBDA 9-10 State Honor Band Audition Chair.

6-8 State Honor Band Information

The event will be held April 18-19, 2009 at Red Wing High School.

The conductor will be Lee Kjesbo, MBDA Recently retired from Buffalo High School.

Lee Kjesbo retired in June of 2008 after 35 years of music education in the Minnesota Public Schools, the last 15 at Buffalo High School. Along with his colleague Scott Rabehl, he taught 4 bands, 3 jazz ensembles, marching band, pep band, lessons and ensembles at BHS. In addition he team taught classes in AP Music Theory and Classical Music Listening with Scott and Michael Walsh.

Growing up on a farm in West Central Minnesota, Kjesbo was fortunate to have parents and a community who valued music. He studied piano, trombone, voice, and organ. Mr. Kjesbo received a B.S. degree in Instrumental and Vocal Music from Moorhead State College in 1970 and a Master of Music Education from the University of Minnesota in 1983. Additional graduate studies have included a variety of courses from different universities. Craig Kirkoff's conducting symposiums have played a major role in Mr. Kjesbo's development as a music educator. He attended 3 of them. "Mentors like Mr. Kirkoff are an important resource for a teacher. I have been very fortunate to have highly talented, experienced teachers who were willing to share their knowledge with me."

A major goal of Mr. Kjesbo while at Buffalo High School was to oversee a balanced, quality band program. His groups have performed at concert contests, festivals and parades throughout Minnesota, western Wisconsin, and in such cities as Chicago, New York, New Orleans, Washington D.C., St. Louis, Boston, Nashville, Traverse City, Michigan, Greeley, as well as Montreal, Calgary, Winnipeg, and Toronto, Canada. "There is a place for competition and travel in music education. One just has to have an educational philosophy about it. Travel with a musical group provides a unique and memorable experience for young people." Through the years his professional memberships have included MENC, MMEA, MBDA, ASBDA, IAJE, NBA, and Education Minnesota. In 2008 Mr. Kjesbo was honored to conduct the Central Minnesota 9-10 Honor Band, sponsored by MBDA.

Mr. Kjesbo has served on numerous committees, including those at Buffalo, Hanover, and Montrose Schools and with professional organizations. He was vice-president of bands for MMEA for a term of 2 years and has served as a judge for MSHSL music contests for over 25 years. In 2006 he was awarded the LEEA Award (Leadership in Educational Excellence Award) from the Resource Training and Solutions of the State of Minnesota. "What a thrill it was to represent Buffalo High School and the many fine teachers I know!" Also in 2006 Kjesbo was honored to be named the Minnesota Educator of the Year by the Minnesota Music Educators. In 2008 Kjesbo received the Outstanding Music Educator Award from the National Federation of High Schools for his work with inter-scholastic music programs. "Educating young people is so much more than just books. A former principal whom I highly respect gave his school this motto: 'Education Beyond the Blackboard'. Activities play an important role in growing well-rounded young people." We must find a way to keep them.

"I am very concerned about the direction education has taken here in Minnesota and in our nation. The priority of educating our youth and providing sufficient funds to do so has diminished. There is more emphasis on standardized tests and on math and science, often times at the expense of electives such as music. Yes, math, science, reading and writing are very important, but let's not forget these students have young, inexperienced minds. They are searching to find their talents and interests. If our goal is to build young adults with a broad range of experiences, then we must support education in the arts. John F. Kennedy said, 'The life of the arts, far from being an interruption, a distraction in the life of a nation, is very close to the center of a nation's purpose and is a test of the quality of a nation's civilization.'"

"It is an honor to conduct these young musicians today. Some are in their 1st year of playing their instrument; others are in the 4th year. They have all been identified as superior musicians. Congratulations to them. Thank you to the Minnesota Band Directors Association for giving me this wonderful opportunity."

Kjesbo lives in Buffalo with his wife Carol (also a musician). He enjoys spending time with her, their 4 children and 3 grandchildren. He likes to find time for reading, gardening and making stained glass projects.

9-10 State Honor Band Information

The event will be held April 18-19, 2009 at Red Wing High School.

The conductor will be Tim Diem, from the University of Minnesota.

Timothy Diem is in his ninth year as an Assistant Director of Bands and his fourth as the Director of Marching Band at the University of Minnesota.

Prior to his appointment at the University of Minnesota, Diem served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Northern Colorado and also spent three years as a music instructor in the West Central Area School District in the greater Barrett, Minnesota area.

Diem received Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Minnesota-Morris in Instrumental Music Education and Piano Performance, and holds master's degrees in Wind Conducting and Collaborative Piano Performance from the University of Northern Colorado. He completed his doctorate in Wind Conducting with a secondary concentration in Music Education at UNC.

Repertoire for this year's 9-10 Honor Band will be:

  • Minnesota Portraits, Mvmt. 1 - Carl Schroeder
  • April - Aaron Perrine
  • Hambone - Libby Larson
  • A View From the Mountaintop - Timothy Mahr
  • Latina - Frank Bencriscutto
  • Minnesota March - Sousa

MBDA Honor Band Program Archives

Documents: Adobe Reader

Resource documents/downloads are available in the Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format.

For troubleshooting or more information: