Join us for the Grand Rapids Community College Honor Band festival, taking place March 29 and 30, 2025. We hope to have many Michigan high school students attend and spend the weekend making music with us! This event is open to all high school students (grades 9-12) in Michigan who play a wind or percussion instrument. Auditions will only be required of students who wish to sit as a principal player in their section, or be assigned solos in music. If you would like to hold one of these positions, please indicate it on the nomination/registration form, and audition material and instructions will be emailed to you before the holiday break.
Student musicians and parents/guardians can self-register by filling out the nomination registration form form and paying the $25 registration fee. High school band directors and private teachers may nominate students by filling out the nomination/registration form.
Highlights of the event
- All activities will take place at the Albert P. Smith Music Center on GRCC’s campus (142 Ransom Ave. NE Grand Rapids, MI 49503) and Saint Cecelia’s Music Center (24 Ransom Ave. NE Grand Rapids, MI 49503)
- All honor band participants will work with the GRCC music faculty, along with members of the GRCC Wind Ensemble.
- Honor Band participants will hear performances from current GRCC music students during the event.
- The cost to participate in the event is $25. This fee can be paid by credit card. A link to provide payment will be sent to those who complete the registration/nomination form. If a director will be paying for a group of students, they should contact Shannon Shaker directly.
- The concert for the event will be held on Sunday, March 30 at 4:00 pm in Royce Auditorium at Saint Cecelia’s Music Center.
- Tickets to the concert will be $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and military personnel. Student admission is free with a valid student ID. Tickets can be purchased in advance, or at the door.
- Each participant will receive 1 complimentary ticket for a friend or family member to attend the concert.
- The fee will cover parking each day at GRCC.
- The Honor Band will be conducted by Dr. Shannon Shaker, Director of Bands at Grand Rapids Community College and guest conductor and composer Andrew David Perkins.
Clinicians
The Honor Band will be conducted by Dr. Shannon Shaker, Director of Bands at Grand Rapids Community College.
Shannon Shaker
Shannon Shaker holds the position of Assistant Professor, Director of Bands at Grand Rapids Community College. She leads the Wind Ensemble, Campus Band, and Jazz Ensemble. Dr. Shaker also
teaches applied clarinet, along with other music classes in the department. Dr. Shaker is also the Artistic Director of the Grand Rapids Community Band, Beer City Winds. Shannon served as Director of Bands and Music Education at Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Maryland from 2018 - 2020.
Shannon holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting from Arizona State University where she was a conducting student of Gary W. Hill, and served as a teaching assistant in the wind band program.
Dr. Shaker is from Pinconning, Michigan, and earned her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Central Michigan University in 2009. After earning her teaching certificate, Shannon taught for Eagle County Schools in Edwards, Colorado, where she taught music to students of all ages. During her tenure there, she taught elementary music, high school band, music technology, drumline, and guitar classes, while running First Notes, an El Sistema based youth orchestra. Shannon returned to Michigan and taught elementary music and band for Ypsilanti Community Schools in Ypsilanti, MI before pursuing graduate studies. She then earned her Master of Music degree in Wind Conducting from Central Michigan University, where she studied with John E. Williamson, and was a teaching assistant for the wind band program.
Shannon is active in the professional music community. She is a member of the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), College Music Society, National Association for Music Education, World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE), and Women Band Director International (WBDI), where she has served as scholarship chair since 2019. Shannon is an active guest conductor, clinician, and presenter.
Andrew David Perkins
Composer, conductor, multi-instrumentalist, & GRAMMY® nominated music educator Andrew David Perkins (b.1978) holds an advanced specialist certificate in orchestration from the Berklee College of Music, a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Michigan State University. Finalist for The National Band Association Revelli Award, Merrill Jones Award, and The Ravel International Composition Prize, his music has been featured at ABA Conventions, CBNDA National and Regional Conferences, TMEA, The Midwest Clinic, The Western International Band Clinic, and at numerous all-state concerts and state conferences. Mr. Perkins is the winner of the 2018 National Band Association/Alfred Publishing Young Band Composition Contest, and his concert band suite "TUEBOR" was selected as the winner of the 2023 American Bandmasters Association Sousa/Ostwald Composition Contest.
Mr. Perkins has had the pleasure of receiving commissions from a number of organizations including The Royal Academy of Music London, Le Conservatoire de Limonest, The Assembly Saxophone Quartet, The Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association, Michigan State University, The University of San Diego, Purdue University Fort Wayne, The University of South Carolina, Wright State University, Sienna Heights University, Albion College, The University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, Bowling Green State University, The Flint Youth Symphony Orchestra, and The Pegasus Wind Symphony. His music is published through APOLLO STUDIOS Music Publishing (ASCAP) and he resides in Michigan with his family.
Event information, Dates, Cost, Travel, Schedule and Concert Attire
Event information, Dates, Cost, Travel, Schedule and Concert Attire
Important dates
- GRCC Honor Band will take place Saturday, March 28 and 29 2025
- The nomination/registration form must be completed by March 1, 2025
- The registration fee must be paid by March 21, 2025
- Audition Material will be sent to those who indicate a desire to hold a principal position or be assigned solos
- Audition materials will be due (via an unlisted youtube link) March 10, 2025
Cost
- $25 registration fee.
- Includes snacks on Saturday and Sunday
- Includes parking in Ramp A
- Students should bring their own lunch on Saturday.
- Each participant will receive 1 complimentary ticket for admission to the concert on Saturday, February 3rd.
- Concert admission is $10 for adults, $5 for seniors/military, and free for students with a school ID.
Travel
- Participants can park in Parking Ramp A. The entrance is on Ransom Ave. Just south of Lyon St, across the road from the Music Center. Take a ticket when you enter the ramp, and you will be provided with validation at registration.
- There is a Silver Line bus stop near the entrance of the Albert P. Smith Music Center. For more information about bus travel, please visit The Rapid System Map and The Rapid Schedule.
- There is limited parking at Saint Cecelia’s Music center for attendees of the concert. If the lot is full, you can park at any metered or lot parking in the area.
Schedule
Saturday, March 29, 2025
- 8 a.m. - Registration in Albert P. Smith Music Center Lobby (142 Ransom Ave. NE Grand Rapids, MI 49503. Students can warm up in practice rooms and classrooms
- 9 a.m. - Full band rehearsal in Recital Hall (rm. 200)
- Noon - Lunch (pack your own)
- 1 p.m. - Sectionals with GRCC faculty
- 3 p.m. - Full band rehearsal in Recital Hall (rm. 200)
- 6 p.m. - Rehearsal ends and participants go home
Sunday, March 30, 2025
- 1 p.m. - Full band rehearsal Royce Auditorium at Saint Cecilia’s Music Center
- 3 p.m. - Break to change for concert and a snack
- 4 p.m. - Concert at Saint Cecilia’s Music Center
Concert Attire
Students should wear the uniform or specified attire they wear for their high school band concerts. If the student does not have a high school uniform, please wear black long trousers or skirt with black dress shoes, and a black or white blouse or dress shirt with at least ¾ length sleeves.