If you are a band director, orchestra director or percussion ensemble director who is considering applying for the 2014 Music for All National Festival, presented by Yamaha, don't forget that applications and audition recordings must be received by June 5, 2013.

• Recorded and Written evaluation: All who apply receive recorded and written evaluation from the listening panel, making the audition process itself an educational resource.

• A national stage: High School and Middle Schools concert bands, orchestras and percussion ensembles from all over the country are invited to apply to be a part of the Festival.

• Expanded opportunities for concert bands: The National Concert Band Festival will now include two stages (opportunities) for high school bands- "Featured Bands"" on the Honors Stage at Clowes and "Invited Bands" on the Festival Stage at the new Howard L. Schrott Center for the Performing Arts, both at Butler University. Read more about these NEW exciting opportunities here.

• A non-competitive experience: without the worry of ratings or rankings, directors are free to explore and stretch themselves, and students can enjoy music-making without the pressure of competition.
  

• Concert Performances and Clinics: Each ensemble performs a concert before a knowledgable audience, including the Festival evaluation panel, music educators and fellow band and orchestra members. Ensemble directors will receive recorded and written comments from evaluators and input on their conducting as well. Following the peformance, each ensemble will have a clinic providing even more educational opportunties.

• Master Classes: All students participate in instrumental master classes, led by top applied faculty and professional musicians. 

• Social Events for Students and Directors: The Festival social gives students the chance to relax, have fun and get to know students from other programs across the country. The director and evaluator reception and hospitality opportunities offer networking and informal interaction with colleagues, guest artists and icons of music education.

• Gala Awards Banquet: The "black-tie-optional" banquet for students, directors, parents, staff and evaluators culminates the Festival with first-class standards that distinguish the Music for All National Festival. The formal banquet with over 2,000 guests is sure to be unforgettable for you, your students, parents and supporters.

• World-Class Venues and Facilities: Featured Bands perform at Clowes Memorial Hall and Invited Bands at the new Howard L. Schrott Center for the Performing Arts, both on the Butler University campus. Percussion ensembles perform at Warren Performing Arts Center and Orchestras at Hilbert Circle Theatre, home of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

• DVD & CD Package: Each student member and director gets a recording package of their concert, including professionaly-produced video on DVD and audio on CD.

• Ensemble Hosts: Each invited ensemble will be assigned a "host" to help guide you through the Festival weekend and is committed to ensuring that you have the best possible experience before and during the Festival. Hosts are familiar with, and in most cases have had an ensemble perform at, the Festival.

• Opportunities for Additional Ensembles: Many groups want to travel with all of the students in their school's band program and Music for All provides educational options to allow as many of your instrumental music students as possible to participate. Directors can choose to submit audition applications for multiple bands from one school for the Featured Band and/or Invited Band stages. Selected bands from both stages can choose to bring additional ensembles- concert bands, percussion ensembles, or orchestras- to participate in additional opportunities during the Festival.

 

Do you still feel like you don't have a complete picture of the Music for All National Festival? Watch the video below and hear from the directors and students from Vero Beach H.S. in Vero Beach, Flordia as they experienced the Music for All National Festival for the first time!

 

Don't miss this opportunity! The 2014 Festival will take place March 6-8 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Send your ensemble audition materials now!

 

If you are considering applying let us know your interest here.

 

Learn even more about opportunities at the Music for All National Festival, presented by Yamaha

 

Watch videos from the 2013 Music for All National Festival

Are you planning to apply for the 2014 Music for All National Festival?

Music for All is receiving applications and audition recordings now for the 2014 Music for All National Festival, presented by Yamaha, March 6-8 in Indianapolis, IN. Applications and audition recordings are due June 5, 2013. So that we can be sure to expect your application and prepare for the listening process, we invite you to submit this form indicating your intention to apply for the 2014 Festival.

All submissions are confidential and non-binding. This simply helps us to plan for the listening process and to ensure that we receive audition materials you might send (we'll be on the look out for your application).

The Music for All National Festival, presented by Yamaha celebrates outstanding music making by the nation's finest concert bands, orchestras and percussion ensembles. Learn more about the Festival here.

To celebrate the end of the 2012-13 school year and look forward toward next fall's marching band season, Music for All is making the entire Finals performance of the Carmel High School Marching Greyhounds, Carmel, Indiana, the 2012 Bands of America Grand National Champions, available for viewing FREE online through the end of June 2013.

You can watch that performance right here:

There are many more great full-length performances from the 2012 Bands of America Championships available for your viewing pleasure with a subscription to MFA Video. There are several different subscription plans to choose from to fit your needs!

Choose from:

Live Premium- one-year subscription that includes all Live Webcasts that will happen in the next year (including Grand Nationals 2013!) as well as all On-Demand, post-event video. (includes everything listed in MFA Encore subscription below)

MFA Encore- one-year subscription that includes all On-Demand, post-event video. MFA Encore allows you to view our entire archive of events at your convenience. See all Bands of America Championship shows, prelims and exhibitions since 2008, all Super Regional Final and Grand National Final performances since 2004 and other selected performances dating back to 1979. See all Music for All National Festival Performances from 2012 and 2013 (post-event).

Subscribe to MFA Video TODAY to watch all of the 2012 BOA performances online. The subscription if active for an entire year, so subscribing today will get you ready by reviewing the past year's championships as well as take you through the whole upcoming 2013 fall season!

Check out more details about subscribing to MFA Video here: http://www.musicforall.org/video/subscriptions

The Pizitz Middle School Band, Vestavia Hills, Alabama has been awarded the Sudler Cup by the John Philip Sousa Foundation.

Both the Pizitz Middle School Symphonic Band, under the direction of Kim Bain, and Concert Band, under the direction of Leah Seng, performed at the Middle School National Festival in March 2013 in Indianapolis as part of the Music for All National Festival, presented by Yamaha. The Vestavia Hills High School Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Jerell Horton, also performed at the Festival.

Congratulations to Ms. Bain, Ms. Seng and the students, administrators and boosters of the Pizitz Middle School Band Program!

Read the full story here.

For more information on the Sudler Cup, go to www.sousafoundation.net.

Winston-Salem Regional expanded to a two-day Super Regional

Music for All is excited to announce that this year's Winston-Salem Regional will be expanded to a two-day Super Regional format, to be held October 18-19 at Bowman Gray Stadium. The show is currently a 37-band show with 12 bands competing in Finals. One panel of judges will serve this event and show enrollment is limited to 50 bands.

We are still taking applications for Friday preliminary performance times until an enrollment of 50 is reached. Enroll online or call the Music for All office at 800­.848­.2263 if interested in participating in this newest Super Regional.

New BOA Affiliate Regional Announced: Oregon

Music for All is pleased to announce a partnership with the West Salem High School Band Boosters and the Northwest Association of Performing Arts to bring a show to the Pacific Northwest. This Bands of America Northwest show will be hosted and operated by the West Salem Band Boosters at Hillsboro Stadium in Hillsboro, Oregon on October 12, 2013.

The show will use BOA field operation procedures and Adjudication Handbook and be judged by a Bands of America assigned panel using Bands of America sheets.

This 2013 offering is a precursor to the launch of a full-fledged BOA Pacific Northwest Regional in 2014. We hope you will support West Salem, NWAPA, and choose to participate. Click here to learn how to register for this new performance and BOA evaluation opportunity.

Come be a part of America's Camp this summer! Music for All is looking for two nurses to be a part of the Summer Symposium medical team. You would need to be in Muncie, Indiana from June 21st through June 30th.

What does a camp nurse do?

• Administer medication

• Ensure safety of the campers

• Asses injuries and make recommendations on course of action

Our head nurse, Erin, is looking for 2 more nurses to round out her team for summer 2013. Erin has been coming back to camp in this role for the last 11 years.

"The camp medical team consists of nurses – RN or LPN, Paramedics and/or EMTs that are available on campus during the entire camp to ensure the safety and health of the students during their camp experience. The team is available to campers 24 hours a day. It is a week full of fun and developing friendships along with ensuring safety of students. The energy of the staff and students is rejuvenating and something to be experienced as it is nearly indescribable. That is what has kept me coming back to camp for the last 11 years." - Head Nurse Erin

Transportation, a stipend, housing in the on-campus dorms and meals are all provided.

Do you want to be a part of this positively life-changing experience this summer?

Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 800-848-2263 for more details!

Music for All is proud to announce that three employees have been promoted to executive and manager positions. 

Debbie Laferty Asbill has been named Vice President of Marketing and Communications. Asbill joined the Music for All (MFA) staff in 1985, when the organization was known as Bands of America. She most recently served as MFA’s Director of Marketing and Communications. She has a degree in communications from Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky and was inducted into Music for All’s Bands of America Hall of Fame in 2011.

Laura Blake has been named Events Manager. Blake joined the Music for All (MFA) staff in May 2005 as Receptionist and quickly moved to an Event Coordinator position the next fall. Since then she has been heavily involved in the operations of all events, taking the lead on volunteer recruitment and management as well as equipment logistics. Laura, raised in Indianapolis, attended Butler University and is a former Bands of America participant. 

Tonya Bullock has been named Accounting Manager. Bullock joined the Music for All (MFA) staff in September 2009 as an Accounting Specialist.  Since then she has been heavily involved in the daily accounting functions as well as managing tickets and merchandise for all events. She has a degree in Accounting from Indiana University. 

Join us in congratulating Debbie, Laura and Tonya on their promotions as they continue to provide postively life-changing experiences for all!

Read the full news release here. 

Music for All is thrilled to announce that we will be streaming Live Webcasts of the 2013 Honor Band of America, Honor Orchestra of America* and Jazz Band of America. While there’s nothing that compares to being in the audience when your favorite musician performs, our streaming Webcasts give you the opportunity to still enjoy the honor ensemble concerts live.

Jazz Band of America – Friday, March 15, 8:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time

Honor Orchestra of America – Saturday, March 16*, 7:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time

Honor Band of America – Saturday, March 16, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time

* Only Saturday’s concert by the Honor Orchestra of America concert will be Webcast Live from Hilbert Circle Theatre. Friday’s Honor Orchestra concert will not be Webcast Live. 

Solo or Subscribe 

Your one-year Premium Subscription includes all of the 2013 Honor Ensemble Live Webcasts, for just $59. As an added bonus, if you start your one year Premium Subscription now you’ll get the 2013 fall Bands of America Championship Live Webcasts, plus all Video On Demand of the 2013 Festival concerts and past MFA and BOA performances.

Honor Ensemble performances are also available as a Live Solo:  Live Webcast of all three performances for $19. Click here for more information on pricing and ordering. 

Video on Demand, post-event

All of the Festival concerts, including the three honor ensemble concerts, the Festival concert bands, orchestras and the percussion ensemble performances will also be available as Video on Demand, after the event, with your MFA Encore video subscription. Video on Demand allows you to enjoy your honor ensemble performance after you return home, whenever you want.  

Click on this link to see more details, schedule of concerts and how to order:

Stay Connected

Another great way to stay connected with what is happening at the National Festival is to connect with Music for All on Social Media!

“Like” us on Facebook for updates and photos! 

www.facebook.com/musicforallnetwork

www.facebook.com/bandsofamerica

www.facebook.com/orchestraamerica

Follow us on Twitter

www.twitter.com/musicforall

www.twitter.com/bandsofamerica

Follow us on Instagram

@officialmusicforall

*Use hashtag #mfafest on Twitter and Instagram to join the conversation with us and other festival participants & fans!