Oakland University\u2019s School of Music, Theatre and Dance welcomed nearly 200 talented high school musicians from 96 schools across Michigan to campus on November 7\u20138 for the 2025 Oakland University High School Honor Band, one of the region\u2019s largest and most anticipated high school music events.<\/p>\n
Due to the extraordinary interest from students across the state, this year\u2019s Honor Band was hosted in the beautiful Oakland Center to allow for more student involvement and showcase OU\u2019s beautiful campus. With more than 400 student nominations submitted, the School of Music, Theatre and Dance launched a new two-ensemble format this year: a 9th\u201310th Grade Honor Band conducted by Damien Crutcher<\/a>, and an 11th\u201312th Grade Honor Band conducted by Dr. Kevin Geraldi<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Across the two-day event, students participated in full-ensemble rehearsals and sectionals with Oakland University\u2019s distinguished music faculty. The weekend culminated in a concert in the Founders Ballroom, featuring both honor ensembles as well as a special performance by the Oakland University Wind Symphony.<\/p>\n \u201cThis event continues to be a significant point of pride for our department, showcasing the outstanding talent of young musicians in Michigan and highlighting Oakland University\u2019s collaborative initiative within music education in our state,\u201d said Dr. Pamela Klena, Assistant Professor of Music and Coordinator of the High School Honor Band.<\/p>\n
Dr. Klena, who has overseen the Honor Band for many years, has guided the program through remarkable expansion \u2014 from a single ensemble to a statewide experience that now draws hundreds of eager high school students across Michigan.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 2025 Oakland University Honor Band was one of the most meaningful events of my time at Oakland and our largest yet,\u201d Klena said. \u201cWith more than 400 nominations, 200 high school students accepted at 96 schools across the state, we expanded to two ensembles, allowing for developmentally appropriate repertoire and more focused recruitment. Hosting both groups concurrently at the Oakland Center created an impactful weekend that drew overwhelmingly positive feedback from students, families, and directors.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis event remains a cornerstone of my teaching and service, reflecting my commitment to inclusive, meaningful music-making and the strong community at the heart of our instrumental program,\u201d she added. \u201cAnd none of this is possible without an incredible team and faculty that believes in the vision and purpose of such an important event.\u201d<\/p>\n The Honor Band continue to be a vital bridge between Oakland University and Michigan\u2019s music education community. The weekend offers students a high-level musical challenge while inviting families and teachers to experience OU\u2019s welcoming campus environment.<\/p>\n \u201cProviding meaningful music-making opportunities like the OU Honor Bands connects the university to its community through shared artistic experiences that inspire and educate,\u201d Klena said. \u201cThese opportunities allow young musicians to engage with university faculty and guest artists, fostering growth, mentorship and a sense of belonging. They also strengthen community partnerships and highlight the university\u2019s commitment to accessibility, creativity and lifelong learning through music.\u201d<\/p>\n Anonymous feedback collected from families, students and directors after the event highlighted the weekend\u2019s strong impact, with many praising the 2025 High School Honor Band for its organization, musical rigor and welcoming atmosphere. One participant shared, \u201cI expected to have fun, but even my expectations were exceeded. Fantastic experience.\u201d<\/em> Another noted, \u201cThis experience helped me understand what it takes to become a successful musician. I truly enjoyed it.\u201d<\/em> Others expressed similar enthusiasm, saying, \u201cI absolutely loved my conductor!\u201d<\/em> and \u201cY\u2019all put the HONOR in Honor Band!\u201d<\/em> A director added, \u201cMy students said this was the best OU Honor Band they\u2019ve been to so far.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n As demand continues to grow \u2014 with some years seeing more than 300 students turned away \u2014 OU is exploring future expansion, including the potential launch of a High School Jazz Honor Band and a Middle School Honor Band.<\/p>\n For now, the 2025 High School Honor Band stands as a celebration of musical excellence, community connection and Oakland University\u2019s ongoing commitment to supporting and inspiring the next generation of Michigan musicians.<\/p>\n \u201cThis event is about far more than a single concert,\u201d Klena said. \u201cIt is about building relationships, nurturing young talent, and showing students that they belong here.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.oakland.edu \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Oakland University\u2019s School of Music, Theatre and Dance welcomed nearly 200 talented high school musicians from 96 schools across Michigan to campus on November 7\u20138 for the 2025 Oakland University High School Honor Band, one of the region\u2019s largest and most anticipated high school music events. Due to the extraordinary interest from students across the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2166948,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2166947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Oakland-University-hosts-nearly-200-students-for-2025-High-School.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2166947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2166947"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2166947\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2166949,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2166947\/revisions\/2166949"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2166948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2166947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2166947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2166947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n Student musicians perform at the 2025 High School Honor Band event at Oakland University<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Damien](\"https:\/\/www.oakland.edu\/media\/Oakland\/Assets\/News\/Images\/smtd\/2025\/Honor_Band_2025_3.jpg\")
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\n Damien Crutcher conducts the 9th-10th grade Honor Band<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Kevin](\"https:\/\/www.oakland.edu\/media\/Oakland\/Assets\/News\/Images\/smtd\/2025\/Honor_Band_2025_4.jpg\")
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\n Dr. Kevin M. Geraldi conducts the 11th-12th grade Honor Band<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n