Timeline & Schedule

Timeline to the 2025 OWU Music Festival

September 27, 2024

• Music teacher nominations are available online beginning Friday, 9/27/24.

November 22, 2024 

• Music teacher nominations must be submitted online by Friday, 11/22/24.

December 6, 2024

• Teachers will be notified of student acceptance via email to allow them to personally inform their students.
• Festival concert music parts for all ensembles will be shared with music teachers for practice.

December 9, 2024

• *All teachers, parents, and students on the final ensemble rosters will receive information about permission forms, payment, and practice part PDFs. You can also find this information by clicking on the “2025 Roster Announcement” on the festival website homepage.
• High School Honor Band schedule and instructions for part assignment auditions will be announced. Live auditions with OWU music staff will be held on the morning of the music festival (Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, 8:30 – 9:30 AM in Sanborn Hall) for HS Honor Band members only.

*Parents and students will be notified by email about all music festival information. However, due to firewall restrictions with many email addresses, Music Teachers are the primary point of contact for all Music Festival communication.

January 6, 2025

• Parents and Guardians: verify your child’s participation by completing the confirmation form for t-shirt size, media permission, any medical needs, and an optional extra lunch order on Saturday. Failure to complete the confirmation form by this date may cause a student to lose their spot in the festival.

January 13, 2025

• All fees due by Monday, 1/13/25 (online payment or postmarked check must be sent by this date). If fees are covered by the school or booster organization, parents may indicate this on the confirmation form. Failure to pay for a student by this date disqualifies a student from participation.

January 27, 2025

• An official letter of excused absence will be distributed by January 27, 2025 to all parents and directors to verify a student’s participation in the OWU Music Festival for their school.

Music Festival Schedule (February 14 – 15, 2025)

Rehearsal times include multiple activities at the conductor’s discretion to balance rehearsal goals with student endurance. In addition to rehearsing festival music, holding sectionals, or leading music games, HS ensembles will break every 90 minutes and MS ensembles will break every 75 minutes. All students will be escorted by OWU festival staff during venue transitions.

Friday, February 14, 2025

• 8:00 – 8:30 AM, Check-In 
  • Middle School BISHOP Honor Band: Hamilton Williams Campus Center Lobby
  • Middle School RED & BLACK Honor Band: University Hall Lobby 
  • High School SENIOR Honor Band: Sanborn Hall Lobby (practice rooms on the 3rd floor)
  • Festival Percussion Ensemble: Sanborn Hall Lobby
•  8:30 AM – 12:00 PM, Ensembles Rehearsals.
  • MS BISHOP Honor Band: Benes Rooms (HWCC) 
  • MS RED & BLACK Honor Band: Gray Chapel (UNIV) 
  • HS SENIOR Honor Band: Seating Auditions 8:30 – 9:30 AM in designated Sanborn rooms; Full Rehearsal at 10:00 AM in Presser Rehearsal Room (Sanborn Hall)
  • Festival Percussion Ensemble: Jemison Auditorium  (Sanborn Hall)
• 12:15 PM – 12:45 PM, Lunch provided 
• 1:00 PM – 5:30 PM, rehearsals with breaks and activities at conductor’s discretion. 
  • MS BISHOP Honor Band: Benes Rooms (HWCC) 
  • MS RED & BLACK Honor Band: Gray Chapel (UNIV) 
  • HS SENIOR Honor Band: Presser Rehearsal Room (Sanborn Hall)
  • Festival Percussion Ensemble: Jemison Auditorium  (Sanborn Hall)
• 5:45 – 6:30 PM, Dinner provided
• 7:00 PM – 7:45 PM, Host concert in Gray Chapel (UNIV) performed by OWU’s Percussion Ensemble and Symphonic Wind Ensemble

Saturday, February 15, 2025

• 8:00 – 8:30 AM, Check-In at SAME locations as Friday morning. Parents or Teachers pick up students from this venue at 12 Noon for lunch.
  • Middle School BISHOP Honor Band: Hamilton Williams Campus Center Lobby
  • Middle School RED & BLACK Honor Band: University Hall Lobby 
  • High School SENIOR Honor Band: Sanborn Hall Lobby (practice rooms on the 3rd floor)
  • Festival Percussion Ensemble: Sanborn Hall Lobby
• 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM, Rehearsals
  • MS BISHOP Honor Band: Benes Rooms (HWCC) 
  • MS RED & BLACK Honor Band: Gray Chapel (UNIV) 
  • HS SENIOR Honor Band: Seating Auditions 8:30 – 9:30 AM in designated Sanborn rooms; Full Rehearsal at 10:00 AM in Presser Room (Sanborn Hall)
  • Festival Percussion Ensemble: Jemison Auditorium  (Sanborn Hall)
• 12:00 PM – Parents or Teachers pick up their students for lunch from rehearsal venues.
• 12:15 – 1:30 PM, Lunch
  • Extra Lunch Option:
    • If a parent signed their student up for the extra lunch, students will be escorted to lunch in Marketplace Dining Hall (HWCC).
    • An OWU shuttle van will transport any extra lunch students from the Senior Band and Percussion Ensemble to Marketplace Dining Hall (HWCC).
  • If you did not sign up your student for the extra lunch:
    • A teacher or parent needs to pick up their student from their rehearsal venue 12:00 PM to take them to lunch.
• 1:30 PM, Report to Gray Chapel assigned seating in University Hall
• 2:00 PM, MS & HS Bands Grand Finale Concert in Gray Chapel (UNIV)
  Please remain seated until all three bands have finished the concert!