Join us at GVSU for what will be an outstanding day of music making, including master classes with our faculty, guest conductor (and acclaimed composer) Nicole Piunno, performances by GVSU students, and a concluding concert.

Fee

$25, which helps to offset the costs of guest artist Nicole Piunno, meals, music, recordings, group photo and T-shirt. The remaining costs are provided by the GVSU Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance.

Housing

Housing: As a result of participant input and University insurance and liability guidelines, we will not be offering supervised housing.

Nominations

All nominations will be online. The junior high band is open to all junior high school musicians from grades 7 and 8. The nomination is combined with the director’s recommendation in a single submission.

Director Nomination Form

Nicole Piunno

Nicole Piunno is a composer who views music as a vehicle for seeing and experiencing the realities of life. Her music often reflects the paradoxes in life and how these seeming opposites are connected as they often weave together. Her harmonic language and use of counterpoint mirrors the complexity of our world by acknowledging light and dark, past and present, beauty and brokenness, confinement and freedom, chaos and order, spiritual and physical, life and death. 

Nicole holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in composition and a Master of Music degree in theory pedagogy from Michigan State University. Her composition teacher was Ricardo Lorenz. She earned a Master of Music degree in composition at Central Michigan University, studying with David Gillingham. Nicole earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education and her emphasis was on instrumental music.  Her music has been performed by “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, the United States Coast Guard Band, and at many universities and conservatories around the country. Her large ensemble music has also been featured at multiple regional CBDNA conferences, the Midwest Clinic, and numerous all-state concerts.

Kevin Tutt

Kevin Tutt is the Chair of the Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance. He is also the conductor of the GVSU Wind Symphony and teaches courses in conducting, music education, and general education. 

Prior to his appointment at GVSU, Dr. Tutt held teaching positions at Brandon University, in Brandon, MB, The Pennsylvania State University in University Park, PA, Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA and the Central Dauphin School District in Harrisburg, PA. He has been a guest conductor, clinician and consultant for all levels of ensembles and public school programs in the United States and Canada.

Dr. Tutt holds degrees in conducting and music education from The Pennsylvania State University. His recent professional interests include: teacher evaluation policies in the arts, the impact of arts advocacy, and the evaluation of Teacher Preparation Institutions. His publications have appeared in the Music Educators Journal, Journal of Band Research, Arts Education Policy Review, Research Perspectives in Music Education, Visions of Research in Music Education and Michigan Music Educator and he has been an invited presenter at regional and national music conferences. 

Step 1: Director Nominations (October 2024-January 6, 2025)

Students must be nominated by their band directors to participate. Directors must nominate their students using the online form linked below by January 6, 2025.

Directors

• Before you nominate, please check with each of your nominees to make certain that the nominees can and will attend this event if selected.  
• We will notify directors of student acceptance by January 10, 2025.
• Please make sure that each accepted student practices his/her part diligently before the workshop.  Students who do not know their part may feel out of place.

Junior High Honors Band - Director Nomination Form

Step 2: Student Acceptance/Registration (January 10-24, 2025)

1. Students selected will be sent an email on or before January 10, 2025 with a link to accept their nomination and to complete their registration.
2. Cost: $25. Includes lunch, dinner, and T-shirt and is paid online as part of the registration form.
3. All participants are required to upload a completed Minors on Campus Release Form and COVID-19 Waiver as part of their registration.

February 22 (Junior High):  Tentative Schedule

9:00    Check-in Lobby of Performing Arts Center


9:30    Rehearsal - breaks during rehearsal


12:00  Lunch (included in registration fee) - Pizza

12:45  Instrumental Masterclasses with GVSU Applied Instructors

2:00    Rehearsal- breaks during rehearsal


4:00    Performance by GVSU Bands

5:00    Dinner (included in registration fee) – Subs with performances

6:00    Dress for performance

7:00    Concert