78 Honor Band

The 78 Honor Band is open to high school and middle school students who attend a school a school in one of the following school districts:

Escondido Union High School District
Escondido Union Elementary School District
San Marcos Unified School District
Vista Unified School District
Oceanside Unified School District
Carlsbad Unified School District
Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District
Ramona Unified School District
Fallbrook Union High School District
Fallbrook Union Elementary School District
San Dieguito Union High School District

For 2025, rehearsals will be February 13-15th with the concert on February 15th. Students are selected to participate in the 78 honor band by audition. More information can be found below.

2024 Important Dates

Title	Date	Location
Auditions Open	12/09/2024	Online
Auditions Close	01/10/2025	Online
Students notified of results	01/30/2025	Email
Rehearsal #1	02/13/2025	San Marcos High School
Rehearsal #2	02/14/2025	San Marcos High School
2024 Honor Concert	02/15/2025	San Marcos High School
HS Symphonic Band Sound Check	02/15/2025	San Marcos High School
HS Wind Ensemble Sound Check	02/15/2025	San Marcos High School
MS Symphonic Band Sound Check	02/15/2025	San Marcos High School

78 Honor Band Goals & Philosophy

The 78 Honor Bands project is an opportunity for all secondary music programs in the northernmost area of San Diego County to come together to create opportunities for students.

The goals of the project are as follows:

Promote the highest quality possible music making
Give the opportunity to students to perform literature they may not be able to play with their own programs
Give students the opportunity to work with renowned conductors and educators
Provide students at smaller programs the opportunity to perform in ensembles with full instrumentation
Provide students a challenging musical environment which pushes their growth
Give students and directors ideas they may take back to their own programs

Audition Information

Students will submit auditions online. Beginning Monday December 9, 2024 students will be able to access the registration information and submit their auditions online. There is no fee to register, students need only to complete the registration form and upload their audition recording. If accepted to the 78 honor band, there is a participation fee of $60. Our goal is that no student will be excluded because of an inability to pay the fee. If you would like information about financial assistance email your band manager after you receive the acceptance email and they will assist you.

Middle School Students

For middle school students, we will be using the GMEA All State lyrical excerpts. The required scales are Bb, Ab and Bb chromatic, all one octave. To register, access the music, and submit your auditions, please join this google classroom:

https://classroom.google.com/c/NzI5MTI5NTQwNDkz?cjc=rp7ubog

High School Students

For high school students there are two sets of excerpts to choose from. The GMEA all state excerpts are slightly easier and the CBDA all state excerpts are slightly harder. Students can audition with either set of excerpts and are eligible for both bands regardless of which excerpts they use. The CBDA all state excerpts will be given more weight in determining chair and band placement.

HS GMEA Excerpts

HS CBDA Excerpts (you will need to order the music on this list)

High school students can register via this form:

High School Registration Form

Band Managers

A dedicated team of music educators serves as the band managers for the 78 honor band. They represent some of the finest music programs across the 78 corridor.