Mountaineer Honor Jazz Band

Special Guest Artist will be announced soon.

The WVU Mountaineer Honor Jazz Band is a two-day experience for high school jazz students. Participants will be selected based on a recorded audition and music teacher recommendation. The Honor Jazz Band will rehearse and perform together under the direction of Jared Sims, Director of Jazz Studies at West Virginia University, and participate in master classes with WVU faculty including Sims, Alton Merrell, Robert Sears, and Jeff Siegfried. The experience will include WVU faculty and student jazz performances and culminates with a performance by the Honor Jazz Band. The event is FREE to participants, but students pay for their own lodging and expenses. Please note that there is some financial assistance that could be available for students that are in need.

This year the dates of Honor Jazz are March 24-25, 2023. The deadline for submissions is February 24, 2023.

Apply Now!

Auditions are now being accepted

Download the audition score for your instrument (PDFs):

1. ONLINE FORM

Please complete this online form: https://wvujazzstudies.wufoo.com/forms/kfnfj4x1p1je78/

2. RECORDINGS

Please create a recording of the above audition piece performed live without edits. A recording of one or two improvisations on jazz standards is optional and encouraged. Student applicants generally opt to make a recording of an improvised solo using a background track (such as iRealPro or YouTube). Recordings can be submitted as an email attachment or a link to a YouTube video. The mp3 recording can be the quality of a smart phone recording.

3. RECOMMENDATION

We ask for a SHORT email or correspondence from a teacher in support of the student’s application.

4. Recordings and teacher recommendations should be emailed to WVUJazzStudies@mail.wvu.edu.