Music Department Hosts Honor Groups for High Schoolers
Each winter the Utah Tech Music Department holds honor group experiences for high school musicians. Utah Tech faculty lead an Honor Band, Honor Orchestra, Honor Choir, and Honor Jazz band.
The first honor band experience started in 1989 under the direction of now Professor Emeritus Gary Caldwell. The experiences are now led by current Utah Tech faculty Dr. Bryant Smith, Dr. Paul Abegg, and Dr. Roger Hale.
The honor group experience:
The UT Honor Band is great chance for students to work collaboratively with their peers from the region, and with UT faculty as directors. They are given challenging music that is also enjoyable and memorable. During their time on campus students the high school students get a chance to feel good about Utah Tech, and hopefully they will be encouraged to return here to do their schooling. During breaks in rehearsal faculty talk with prospective students about musical and scholarship opportunities. This also gives students chances to ask questions, and information is shared with large groups. This gives students a wide perspective of the musical experiences they can expect.
Dr. Paul Abegg says, “The Honor Orchestra provides an opportunity for the top music students to participate in a full orchestra setting right here in our community.”
On the Honor Band concert, the UT Symphonic Band plays a combined number with the high schoolers. That provides a great chance for students to perform great music with those who are continuing their music education in college. This allows high school students to see how Dr. Smith works with band and how he develops relationships with students. This helps them feel comfortable about learning music from a different director than they are used to and develop an opinion about whether they want to continue studying at UT.
Selection of the honor group membership varies:
For the band, students are selected by an audition process. They are asked to prepare an audition and submit a video which is reviewed here at UT. The band members are selected based on their performance abilities. Honor Orchestra participants are recommended by their high school teacher. Auditions for Honor Jazz are held at the high schools during the school’s normal rehearsal.
The rehearsal process:
The honor group experience is short and intense. A typical schedule has the groups rehearsing on Friday from 9am-3pm, and on Saturday from 9am-12pm. The performance takes place at 1:30pm on Saturday. This adds up to only 10 hours to prepare this concert. It takes a willingness to work together and put group concerns first.
The concert:
Each concert lasts approximately 30 minutes. Which is significant considering that the groups only spend parts of two days together rehearsing.
The band will perform three standalone pieces, one of which usually has multiple movements in addition to the musical work combined with the UT band. This year the band will play a multi-movement work called A Midwestern Suite by Tom Davoren, which was an American Bandmasters Association prize winner a few years ago. They will also play Irish Tune from County Derry by Percy Grainger, a standard in band literature, and Jitterbug! which utilizes the elements of jazz.
The High School Honor Orchestra is also 30-minute program. The music selected gives students an opportunity to play full orchestral repertoire which they may not get in their school experience.
Current UT student involvement:
This is a great way for UT Students to show prospective students what playing music at UT is like. They take an active role in the recruiting process, and they also act as mentors to high schoolers who are interested in continuing their musical learning. This has been the most effective measurable recruitment effort in terms of enrollment.
Long-term benefits:
During this condensed preparation time, students gain self-confidence, both in their playing abilities and their personal lives. The UT honor groups is a place for them to stretch their abilities and do music that pushes their limits. In the long run, that helps them become better musicians. Also, connecting with people from their region is a great way to foster good will and positive feelings for music makers everywhere. Dr. Abegg commented that the honor group experience “has been the most effective measurable recruitment effort in terms of enrollment.”
Honor group experiences are common at as university recruiting activities. It’s a very hands-on approach for a young musician to work with a professor and see the advantages of coming to Utah Tech.
The Utah Tech Honor Band will take place December 12–13, 2025. The Honor Choir is held January 15-16, 2026. The Honor Orchestra will take place on January 23-24, 2026. The Honor Jazz Band was held September 26-27, 2025.