Honor Band Festival, February 6-7, 2026
The School of Visual and Performing Arts at The University of Louisiana Monroe is
pleased to announce the second annual ULM Honor Band Festival. The Honor Band will
consist of students selected based on nominations by their high school band director.
There is no limit to how many students a band director can nominate. Nomination does
not guarantee selection - though all participating schools will be guaranteed at least
2 selections. Any student that is currently enrolled in grades 9-12 is eligible to
be nominated. Our guest conductor is Dr. Larry Blocher (read more about Dr. Blocher below).
Chair placement within each section will be determined at the audition on Friday morning.
Audition materials will be sent out along with notification of selection.
Important Dates
Registration Opens October 12, 2025
Nomination Deadline December 12, 2025
Notification of Selection January 6, 2025
ULM Honor Band Festival Friday, February 6 & Saturday, February 7, 2026
ULM is not responsible for travel/ lodging. Student supervision during the evening
is the responsibility of the band director or appointed supervisor(s) from each school.
Nomination
Directors should submit the registration form AND email a spreadsheet of student nominations
to parrish@ulm.edu no later than December 12, 2025. An excel sheet is available for download from the
online registration form. Contact Dr. Allen Parrish with any questions: parrish@ulm.edu or 318.342.1580.
ULM Honor Band Festival Schedule
Friday, February 6, 2026
9:00 A.M. - 10:00 A.M. Registration & Warm Up
10:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. Auditions
12:00 P.M. - 1:00 P.M. Lunch (On your own)
1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. Rehearsal 1
3:00 P.M. - 3:30 P.M. Break
3:30 P.M. - 5:00 P.M. Rehearsal 2
5:00 P.M; - 6:00 P.M. Dinner
6:00 P.M. - 7:15 P.M. Rehearsal 3
7:30 P.M. - 8:30 P.M. ULM Wind Ensemble Performance
Saturday, February 7, 2026
8:00 A.M. - 10:00 A.M. Rehearsal 4
10:00 A.M. - 10:15 A.M. Break
10:15 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. Rehearsal 5
12:00 P.M. - 1:00 P.M. Lunch
1:00 P.M. - 2:00 P.M. Rehearsal 6
2:15 P.M. - 2:30 P.M. ULM Q & A
2:45 P.M. - 3:30 P.M. Rehearsal 7 (Dress Rehearsal)
3:30 P.M. - 4:00 P.M. Break
4:30 P.M. - 5:15 P.M. Concert
Director clinic schedule is coming soon!
Dr. Larry Blocher is Professor Emeritus at Troy University in Troy, Alabama. He recently retired from
combined appointments as Dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts, Director
of the John M. Long School of Music, and Professor of Music at Troy University following
17 years of service (2005-2022). In addition to his administrative responsibilities,
Dr. Blocher served as an associate conductor with the university bands and taught
undergraduate and graduate music education classes.
Prior to his arrival at Troy University, Dr. Blocher served as Associate Director
of the School of Music, Associate Director of Bands, Director of Music Education,
and Professor of Music at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas for 10 years.
Additionally, he was Assistant Director of Bands, Coordinator of Music Education,
and Associate Professor of Music at Morehead State University, Director of Music Education
and Assistant Professor in the School of Music and College of Education at Syracuse
University, and Director of Jazz Studies and Saxophone and Assistant Professor of
Music at the University of Dayton. He received his BME and MM (music education and
performance) degrees from Morehead State University in Kentucky and his Ph.D. in Music
Education from The Florida State University.
Dr. Blocher is a currently a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Band Research and a Project and Committee Chair for the National Band Association. He has served
on the editorial board of the Music Educators Journal and the Advisory Board to the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. Dr.
Blocher has presented invited clinic sessions at the Midwest on 5 separate occasions,
educational sessions at Music for All, and research sessions at the World Association
for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) in Spain, Japan, and Austria.
His research has been published in the Journal of Research in Music Education. His original compositions for band are published by Excelcia Music Publishing. Dr.
Blocher has been a guest clinician/conductor/adjudicator in 33 states and 11 countries.
He is a past president of the Kansas Bandmasters Association and received both the
Outstanding Bandmaster and Outstanding Contributor to Music Awards from the Kansas
Bandmasters Association. He is a past recipient of the Mortar Board Outstanding Educator
Award and the University Leadership in the Advancement of Teaching Award (Wichita
State). He is a recipient of the of the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors
Commissioning Award. Dr. Blocher was named a Lowell Mason Fellow by The National Association
for Music Education (NAfME). He is a co-principal author of the Teaching Music through Performance in Band series (GIA).
VAPA
VAPA Music