The Horizon High School Band program is made up of multiple ensembles and performance opportunities for students:
All students participate in The Sound of Horizon, the Horizon High School marching band, which is a combination of all winds (brass and woodwind players), all percussion (including drumline and front ensemble percussion), and all color guard students. The Sound of Horizon rehearses after school in the fall two days per week, and additional rehearsals are required for percussion and color guard students.
All students also participate in a band class period during the school day. For winds (brass and woodwind players), this class is called Wind Ensemble or Concert Band. All percussion students are in a percussion class together during the school day, and percussion sections combine with the Wind Ensemble and Concert Band groups for concerts including our Winter Concert, Concert Music Performance Assessment, and Spring Concert in addition to other performance opportunities.
Color Guard students participate in The Sound of Horizon in the fall. From November through March or the date of the state Color Guard Championships, our Color Guard students rehearse indoors as the Horizon Winter Guard, an indoor competitive performance ensemble.
Students may elect to participate in more than one band class during the school day as long as it fits with their schedule! You can use your second ensemble as a practice period, to mentor or assist younger students, or to perform on or learn a secondary instrument.
Students may also join our jazz band program. All students in jazz band are also enrolled in a primary band class period during the school day in addition to jazz band. Your primary class is used to practice instrument fundamentals and more; your jazz band class is an opportunity to learn more about the jazz idiom with opportunities for improvisation, secondary instruments, and more. Students performing on specialty instruments like guitar, bass guitar, and piano are welcome to join jazz band with director approval and this will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
All students in our program also have the opportunity to participate in additional performance opportunities throughout the school year including percussion ensembles, brass and woodwind ensembles, jazz combos, and other student-led ensembles at the FBA Solo and Ensemble Music Performance Assessment and more.
There is a place for YOU in our program, no matter your experience level with band or color guard! Beginners are always welcome, as we have a Beginning Band class too!