Music for All National Festival brings together the nation’s finest school music ensembles.
The Joliet West High School Symphonic Band is invited to perform at the 2018 Music for All National Festival, presented by Yamaha, the nation’s most prestigious festival for scholastic musical ensembles. The 27th annual Festival will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 15-17, 2018.
Joliet West High School Symphonic Band is under the direction of Eric Wellman and was selected to perform by a panel of esteemed music educators and conductors, by recorded audition.
Music for All is one of the nation’s largest and most influential organizations advocating in support of music education. The Music for All National Festival showcases the finest music ensembles and student musicians in America, shining a spotlight on outstanding music-making and the importance of music education. Being invited is the achievement: with no ratings or rankings awarded, the non-competitive Festival provides a supportive environment for cooperative encouragement for all of the ensembles. Evaluators give feedback on the performances, and groups receive a post-concert clinic for future growth, providing an educational experience for both teachers and students.
The Music for All National Festival takes place in Indianapolis’ finest concert venues, and is comprised of several events: National Concert Band Festival, Orchestra America National Festival, National Choir Festival, Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival, Middle School National Music Festival, Chamber Music National Festival, and three national honor ensembles: The Honor Band of America, the Honor Orchestra of America, and the Jazz Band of America. With the premiere of the National Choir Festival at the 2018 event, the Festival now includes all types of large ensembles that traditionally are part of a school music program – band, orchestra, and choir.
“This is an amazing opportunity for our students. They will be playing in a wonderful auditorium, receive clinics for world class educators, and get to meet outstanding students from across the country,” said Joliet West Band Director Eric Wellman. “I am very proud of their accomplishment and am very excited to prepare for the National Festival in March.”
Joliet West High School Symphonic Band is one of 71 high school and middle school concert band, choir, orchestra, chamber ensemble, and percussion ensembles from across the nation selected to perform at the 2018 Festival. They will perform in concert, be evaluated by renowned music educators, and participate in master classes and special events. Invited concert bands, choirs, orchestras, chamber ensembles, percussion ensembles participating in the 2018 Festival come from 20 states including: Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.
Festival and ticket information will be available at www.musicforall.org/festival or by calling 800-848-2263.