National Concert Band Festival
Part of the Music for All National Festival, presented by Yamaha
Future Festival Dates: March 13-15, 2025 – Indianapolis, IN
Ensemble Application Deadlines: June 5, 2024
Participating students experience an atmosphere of mutual respect while enjoying concerts from other outstanding ensembles. The Festival’s dress code and standards of conduct enhance the world-class atmosphere of the Festival. Ensembles that perform at the Festival are recognized as being among the finest in the nation. Participation is a “credential” worth having. The preparation process itself can have a positive effect on your music program.
Performance Opportunities for High School Concert Bands
Concert bands have been part of the Music for All National Festival since its debut in 1992. The National Concert Band Festival offers three performance stage opportunities for high school concert bands: Clowes Memorial Hall, Schrott Center for the Arts, and the Small School Stage*.
The campus of Butler University offers two performance venues – Clowes Memorial Hall and Schrott Center for the Arts where bands will perform their concert for a knowledgeable audience and then transition to the music building nearby for an in-depth post-concert educational clinic experience. All high school concert bands will submit the same audition and then will be offered one of the two performance venues.
Small School Stage
Music for All estimates that about 68% of America’s high schools with music programs have school enrollment of less than 1,400 in grades 9-12. This is a vast number of schools serving students through music that have resources and situations that may be different than those in larger enrollment schools. We applaud the music educators providing arts education to students in schools of all sizes.
Music for All is presenting a stage at the Music for All National Festival for ensembles from schools with enrollment of 1,400 or fewer in grades 9-12. Applying ensembles may select consideration for this Small School Stage or select to be considered for the other stages with schools of all sizes.
Performance Opportunities for Middle School Concert Bands
The Middle School Concert Band application and audition process is the same as the High School Concert Band process. Middle Schools selected will perform at Schrott Center for the Arts at Butler University.
Bands selected to participate in the National Concert Band Festival are strongly encouraged to consider repertoire in the National Concert Band Festival Core Repertoire Guide.