Honor Band Festival

The annual High School Honor Band Festival began at ASU in 1983 as a way to reach out to area school band programs and to bring high school musicians in grades 9-12 on to campus to find out more about the music program at ASU, to meet and learn from music faculty members, to meet other students interested in music, and to experience and perform advanced-level wind band repertoire.  Honor Band today has become the biggest on-campus recruiting event for the music program, featuring several different guest clinicians/conductors, and with over $50,000 in music and band scholarships awarded each year during the grand finale concert.

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Honor Choir Festival

The annual High School Honor Choir Festival began at ASU in 2012 as a way to reach out to area school choral programs and to bring high school musicians grades 9-12 on to campus to find out more about the music program at ASU, to meet and learn from music faculty, to meet other students interested in music, and to experience and perform advanced-level choral repertoire.  Honor Choir today has become the biggest on-campus recruiting event for the vocal/choral program at ASU, featuring guest clinicians/conductors such as Anthony Leach (professor of music at Penn State and director/founder of Essence of Joy), and with over $25,000 in music and choir scholarships awarded each year during the grand finale concert.

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Piano for Children

The Piano for Children program at ASU is for children, ages 6-12, as an opportunity to learn how to play the piano.  The program is taught by ASU music professors, Dr. Adonis Gonzalez, Dr. Michael Zelenak, and Dr. Brenda Luchsinger, and introduces students to basic note-reading, counting rhythms, and five-finger playing techniques.  Students meet for weekly after school group lessons at ASU.

 

SUZUKI BRASS FOR CHILDREN

The Suzuki Brass for Children program at ASU is for children, ages 4 and up, and is an opportunity to learn about and experience music-making at a young age.  The program is taught by ASU music professor, Dr. Brenda Luchsinger, and introduces little ones to the Suzuki method that is often used to teach young children violin.  Students meet for weekly after school group lessons at ASU.  Child-size trumpets and french horns are provided for student use. 

 

HIGH SCHOOL MARCHING BAND CAMP

The High School Marching Band Camp at ASU offers high school musicians in grades 9-12 the opportunity to spend a week at ASU during the summer to learn about ASU's marching style from our Band staff at ASU.  The camp is led by Dr. James B. Oliver, Director of Bands at ASU, and usually takes place in June each year

GEAR-UP MUSIC/ART ENRICHMENT CAMP

                

The Gear-Up Summer Camp program at ASU was started during the summer of 2022 with support from a special grant and in conjunction with the Montgomery Public Schools as a way to provide summer enrichment activities in the Arts to Montgomery Public School children in grades 7-8.  The 2022 camp featured several different daily music activities including a drumming class, a class on music FUNdamentals with recorders and piano basics, and a group Jazz Jam class for students to develop creativity while learning about the history and evolution of Jazz.

Frederick Douglas Hall Community Choir - The FDHCC began in the fall of 1996 under the leadership of Dr. Joel Jones who then served as Director of Choral Activities at Alabama State University. The choir continues on today, still under the baton of retired ASU professor Dr. Joel Jones, meeting on Monday evenings to rehearse a variety of concert choir repertoire. Membership is open to the community and offers fellowship and a shared love of singing. The choir typically performs two concerts each year: a holiday concert and a spring concert.

Music Educators Community of Central Alabama - The Music Educators Community of Central Alabama is an outreach program hosted by the Music Department of Alabama State University in Montgomery, AL. The goal of MECCA is to facilitate connections among music educators of all experience levels and specializations (band, chorus, general music, strings, etc.)

We welcome

• Those who are new to the world of music education
• Those who would like to share best teaching practices
• Those who teach in music education preparatory programs

Through these connections, the members of MECCA will offer

• Onsite classroom observations
• Professional development workshops
• Mentoring
• Personal support

Membership is free of charge to ALL music educators. Participation is voluntary.

Meetings take place in room 208 of Tullibody Music Hall on the ASU campus. If you are interested, please contact Dr. Michael Zelenak at mzelenak@alasu.edu or call (334) 229-4141.