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District, State and Sousa
Honor Bands

District Band is an audition honor band hosted by Kansas Music Educators Association.  Our district includes all of the 6A schools in the Northeast corner of the State from Topeka to Kansas City.  All high school students are eligible to audition.  Over 1,000 students audition for the band division.

 

Audition music is released by KMEA at the end of the school year.  Auditions are held in November of the following school year. Students prepare an etude and scales outside of class, usually with the help of a private teacher. The audition is blind, where the judges cannot see the students auditioning. The students perform the etude and scales in addition to sight reading.

 

Selected students perform at the District Band Festival in December.  These students are then eligible to audition for the Kansas All-State Band. The music and selection process for State is the same as District. These auditions are in early January at Salina Central High School.  Once selected, these students will participate at the KMEA Conference in February or March.  

The Kansas John Philip Sousa Junior Honor Band is open to students in 6th - 9th grades.  Audition music is available in May for the following school year.  Recordings are due in October for the selection process.  Selected musicians convene at the Lied Center at KU in January for 2 days of rehearsals and concerts.  

THE FOLLOWING OLATHE EAST STUDENTS WERE SELECTED
Congratulations!

 

2025 Kansas All-State Honor Orchestra

Wesley Janssen
Jack Kennedy
Ryne Poindexter
Emerson Prather
Jacob Swisher
Ryan Yu


2025 Kansas All-State Honor Band

Lilly Battese
Aurelia Fuehne
Taylor Holland 
Brady Smotrilla
Camden Acheson, Alternate

 

2025 John Philip Sousa Band

Marcus Janssen 

2024 ECKMEA District Honor Band

Wesley Janssen
Taylor Holland
Brady Smotrilla
Jacob Swisher
Lilly Battese
Camden Acheson
Ryne Poindexter
Ashlyn Peterson
Ryan Yu
Nolan Schmanke
Sean Yu
Isaac Burkhart
Emerson Prather

Riley Olson
Aurelia Fuehne
Nana Abdelhaq
Brett Dittus
Jack Kennedy
Sriram Chilukuri

ALTERNATES
Claire Waggoner
Delayna DePrima
Marcus Janssen
Brady Boyack

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