Senior High Honor Band

Dr. Kelvin Jones is an active educator, conductor, musician, drill designer, and music arranger for high school and university music programs across the country, with his arrangements being performed throughout the United States, including the Dallas Winds. Formerly in his position at Louisiana State University, he served as the director of the award winning and Grammy-nominated, Golden Band from Tigerland.

Bands under Jones’ direction have performed at events on the state and national level, including the Zulu Mardi Gras parade, New Orleans Saints, in Washington DC, Walt Disney World, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship in Atlanta, GA, College Football Playoff (CFP) Peach Bowl and the CFP National Championship games. Under his direction, numerous performances of the LSU Tiger Marching Band have been selected for recognition and viewing at regional and national conferences of the College Band Directors National Association, including the Athletic Band Symposium and nominated for a 2023 Grammy award by the Recording Academy for their collaborative album with Zydeco artist, Sean Ardoin in the Best Regional Roots category.

In great demand as a guest conductor, Jones is an active clinician and has travelled internationally working with music programs in South America (Chile), Carnegie Hall in New York City, with the LSU marching band in Dublin, Ireland, and throughout the US adjudicating concert assessments and state-level marching competitions. He is a Conn Selmer Educational Clinician and also serves as an instructor at the Smith-Walbridge Drum Major Clinic held in Charleston, Illinois, working with high school and college drum majors from across the country. Jones also serves as a consultant for school districts and music programs along with presenting at international, national, and state music conferences across the United States. He is published in the Instrumentalist magazine, Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series, distributed by GIA Publications, the Oxford University Press Publications, among others.

He has received numerous accolades and distinctions for his contributions within the local community from leaders like the Louisiana governor and the Baton Rouge mayor. A huge advocate and champion for diversity, inclusion, and equal rights, he received the LSU Faculty Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Mentorship award given to faculty who make outstanding contributions to the mentoring activities of faculty, staff and/or students from underrepresented groups.

A former K-12 public school educator, he was the band director at West Feliciana High School in St. Francisville, Louisiana. At WFHS, he led an active, comprehensive music program that produced numerous award-winning performances at state and national events, including the 2013 United States National Presidential Inauguration Music Festival in Washington DC. He holds degrees in Music from Jackson State University and Louisiana State University.

Audition Registration - now closed

Eligibility:

9th-12th grade
- 9th graders must choose between Junior High and Senior High (only one audition will be allowed)
Director or Music Teacher is an active member of DBDA.
Students must commit to attending all rehearsals and performances during the Honor Band Weekend. Missing a portion of the rehearsals can result in disqualification or removal from the performance.
Completion of the audition registration form and payment.

Audition Fee: $7.00 per student per instrument - Card, Cash App, or Apple Pay are payment options on the registration form.

Payment is due at the time of registration unless you have arranged with the director for them to pay it.

Make all checks out to DBDA.

Audition Materials

Set II - One Round of Auditions

Click here for Sheet Music

District VI Senior High Honor Band - String Bass. This is the same for LMEA All-State Honor Orchestra, except omitting 1 etude.

Scales: Bb - D - A - E (All 1 octave)

Etude: Page 54. Minuet from French Suite No. 2 - Bach for the Young Bass Player transcribed by Frederick Zimmermann book.

1st Round Audition Schedule!

Click here for - Senior High/High School 1st Round Audition Schedule

Audition Date & Schedule (registration now closed)

Date: Saturday, September 27th, 2025

Location: Haynes Academy (4300 Division St. Metairie, LA 70002)

Room: Music Rooms, Warm up in Gym

Audition Process: We utilize a "blind" audition process to ensure fairness, meaning judges will hear the student's performance without seeing or knowing their identity. Students will be assigned an audition number upon arrival. No names will be used with the judge. Students will perform the required scales and etudes with judges focusing solely on tone quality, intonation, rhythm, technique, and musicality. Using a rubric ensures selection is based purely on musical merit and preparation.

Audition Results & Final Registration

Audition Results will be posted here by the end of the day after auditions.

Final Registration will be posted after audition results are out.

Performance Fee: $20.00 (includes an Honor Band T-Shirt) - payable with Cash, Check, Card, or Apple Pay

Payment is due by the first rehearsal of Honor Band Weekend.

Reading Rehearsal

The Reading Rehearsal is optional, but HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. This rehearsal offers a valuable opportunity to refine individual parts and connect with fellow musicians, ensuring everyone feels confident and prepared for the Honor Band Weekend rehearsals.

Date: TBD

Location: TBD

Time: TBD

Honor Band Weekend Details

Friday, November 21st - Sunday, November 23rd

Dixon Hall, Tulane University

(Newcomb Cir, New Orleans, LA 70118)

Weekend Schedule - coming soon!

Friday - Rehearsals

Saturday - Rehearsals

Sunday - Performance

Concert Pieces & Recordings - coming soon!

All students must have their own:

Music
Pencil
Instrument (including reeds, valve oil, mallets, sticks, etc.)

Rehearsal Notes:

Cell phones are not allowed during rehearsals. Please keep them out of sight until breaks.

Lunch Notes:

The Food Court at Tulane DOES NOT ACCEPT CASH. Bring an alternate form of payment, or bring your own lunch.
Food delivery services have been extremely unreliable when delivering to this location. In the past, food arrived so late that students weren't able to eat until much later in the day. We strongly encourage you to use the food court or bring your own lunch.

Concert Attire:

"Sunday Best" or Semi-formal attire
- Appropriate tops
- Slacks or modest skirts/dresses
Please NO jeans, shorts, t-shirts, logos, tennis shoes, etc.
Note: We want to ensure a professional and respectful appearance for all performances. Please be aware that audience members in the front rows may have an upward viewing angle. Therefore, if your concert attire includes a skirt or dress that is above the knee, you must wear opaque tights underneath to maintain appropriate modesty. Your attention to this detail is greatly appreciated.

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