All-State Modern Band Festival
Joe Mundy, modern band chairperson
October 6, 2025
DoubleTree by Hilton, Manchester, NH
Audition Fee: $25.00
Registration Fee: $100 (accepted students only)
Audition Registration Deadline: Friday September 5, 2025
Audition Video Submission Deadline: Friday September 12, 2025
Auditions will not be accepted after that date.
Audition Fee: $25
Festival Registration Fee (accepted students only): $100
NHMEA All-State Modern Band is open to all NH student musicians. Students in this ensemble work with a guest director to plan and execute a ‘rock show’ style performance. Last year’s group performed the following setlist:
- Everlong- Foo Fighters
- Crazy on You- Heart
- The Chain- Fleetwood Mac
- Ain’t it Fun- Paramore
- Killing Me Softly- The Fugees
- Do I Wanna Know- Arctic Monkeys
Once the ensemble is established following audition submission, students meet in three pre-event zoom meetings where they will develop a set list and performance plan for the day of the event. This setlist is collaborative and allows the group to identify and highlight their strengths. Students have time to practice over the course of a few weeks leading up to the event, and then after a day of live rehearsal with the guest director, the group will perform their concert.
Students do not need a formal music background in order to be in this ensemble. There is no requirement for reading music or learning notated materials. Once the collaborative setlist is built, students will learn their parts by their own means in preparation for the event day.
The size of the ensemble is flexible, but typically will be similar to:
- Vocals: 3-5
- Guitar: 2-4
- Bass Guitar: 1-2
- Keyboard: 1-2
- Drums: 2-3
- Audio Tech: 1-2
REGISTER HERE FOR MODERN BAND AUDITIONS – Directors Only
Student Eligibility: NH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS GRADES 9-12
- You must be a member in good standing of your school’s performing arts department, if one exists. NHMEA gives the director’s discretion to ensure that student applicants meet this criteria.
- Homeschooled students must follow the NHMEA policy regarding Home Education Students in NHMEA Festivals. Please contact the festival chairperson with any questions.
- Your school district must pay the NHMEA School Participation Fee by October 1, 2025.
- All audition fees must be paid by October 1, 2025. Students with unpaid audition fees will not have their auditions considered.
- If selected as an All State Modern Band participant, your school music teacher must accompany you to the October Music Festival as your chaperone.
- If selected as an All State Modern Band participant, the director and student will abide by all participation guidelines and policies while at the festival.
- All applications & auditions must be submitted by the directors/teachers. Invoices will go to the schools for the total cost of that school’s auditions.
- Once students have been registered, you will receive an email with a link to upload your students’ auditions.
- In order to participate in this ensemble, students are expected to attend (3) three pre-event zoom meetings for planning and preparation. Please make sure all applicants will be available to attend these three meetings, as well as the festival itself. Schedule listed below
2025 NHMEA Honors Modern Band Ensemble Schedule:
Summer 2025 – Students prepare audition materials
September 5, 2025 – Audition Registration forms due by midnight
September 12, 2025 – Audition submissions due by midnight
September 13-14, 2025 – Adjudication
September 17, 2025 – Ensemble posted
September 21, 2025 – Pre-event zoom meeting with director, 6-7pm
September 28, 2025 – Pre-event zoom meeting with director, 6-7pm
October 5, 2025 – Final pre-event zoom meeting with director, 6-7pm
October 6, 2025 – All State Modern Band Festival, 8am-5pm
-Performance in Armory Room – DoubleTree by Hilton, Manchester, NH
2025 All State Modern Band Guest Director: Dr. Seth Adams, University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Seth Adams, Ph.D., is Assistant professor of Music at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in music education. Adams specializes in teaching instrumental methods, the philosophy of music education, applications of music technology, and informal/community music practices. His current research program includes examining the lived experience of real-time network-mediated music, the social bonding effects of music, and the philosophy of aesthetics in music education.
Seth’s musical background includes an eclectic mix of wind band conducting, solo marimba, jazz bass, marching band, and the singer/songwriter tradition. His approach to music education is heavily influenced by his own genre-crossing and a belief in the deliberate combination of formal and nonformal learning practices. He is a recipient of the Modern Band Higher Education Fellowship at Music Will, the largest nonprofit music education program in the United States. As a Higher Ed Fellow, Adams seeks both to incorporate modern band pedagogy in his collegiate teaching and to build partnerships with local public schools.
Prior to his career in higher education, Seth was a Ravinia Teaching Artist in the Chicago Public Schools and director of bands at UIC College Preparatory High School. Seth also spent five years as a front ensemble music arranger and teacher in the drum and bugle corps activity (DCI), and 15 years as a full-time bassist and drummer in both Greater Boston and Chicagoland. Seth’s previous musical projects include founding the Temporal Displacement Orchestra (a group that virtually premiered Frank Ticheli’s In C-Dorian in 2020), co-founding Animal Farm (an award-winning original music act for children and families), and composing original works for percussion ensemble (including the popular TapSpace publication “The River”).
Student Audition Instructions:
If a student is auditioning on more than one instrument, the DIRECTOR must submit a SEPARATE audition for each instrument. Each audition is $25.
- Submissions must contain a recorded video audition with a clock with a moving second hand or running stopwatch visible.
- The students auditioning must be visible in the video (including hands and faces). It is recommended students and directors preview all videos before submission to ensure students are visible and audio quality is acceptable.
- No identifying clothing may be worn (i.e. no school t-shirts, no town names, no student name identification).
- No pitch/timing alterations of the recording or performance are permitted.
*Due to the nature of the ensemble, all students are required to demonstrate facility on more than one style. These styles can include Pop, Rock, Hip Hop, R&B, Country, Metal, or other genres.
*While singing is not mandatory for instrument auditionees, preparation of a short excerpt demonstrating singing ability can help show the versatility and talent of that instrumentalist.
*Students may audition for their chosen instrument, but also should make the committee aware if they play other instruments as well. For example, a student may audition on keyboard, but also play trumpet. In a case like this, please submit an additional video clip with your audition materials.
Vocals/Rap
2 prepared songs of contrasting style performed with instrument track or live ensemble (sing-alongs and acapella submissions are discouraged):
-One piece should demonstrate background vocals or ability to sing harmonies. Students are asked to develop their own harmonic line. Please prepare a recording of yourself singing this background/harmonic line along with the instrumental or original recording of the song. A sing-along for this recording is acceptable.
-Please include a demonstration of improvisation (melodic and/or lyrical) if the student is comfortable with it. Some ideas for soloists to emulate: Aretha Franklin, Freddie Mercury, James Brown, Esperanza Spalding, Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton
-One piece can be original, at least one must be a cover
-Rapping is welcome and encouraged, either as a cover or original
Guitar
2 prepared songs of contrasting style:
-Should demonstrate diversity of both rhythmic/accompaniment and melodic/lead-style playing
-One piece must include a lead guitar solo. Some ideas of soloists to emulate are: Jimi Hendrix, Annie Clark, Jimmy Page, Carlos Santana, David Gilmour, Nancy Wilson, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Prince, etc.
-Pieces should demonstrate a variety of chordal usage: open chords, barre chords, power chords, triads, etc.
-Pieces should demonstrate a variety of pick/finger techniques as much as possible: finger picking, sweep picking, extended techniques
Bass
4 prepared bass grooves:
-Should demonstrate a variety of styles that show versatility and ability to play in the pocket.
-Some ideas for bassists to emulate for cover grooves: James Jamerson, Carol Kaye, Flea,Paul McCartney, John Entwistle, Gail Ann Dorsey, etc.
-One can be composed, three must be covers
Drums
2 prepared pieces and 2-4 additional grooves:
-Should demonstrate a variety of groove styles: aka Rock, Hip Hop, Latin, etc.
-Must demonstrate ability to play along with recording to demonstrate ability to switch between drum grooves in sections of the song
-Additional grooves should be recorded with a drumless jam track or a metronome
Keyboard
2 prepared songs of contrasting style:
-Should demonstrate diversity in both rhythmic and melodic playing
-One piece must include an improvised keyboard solo. Some ideas of soloists to emulate: Keith Emmerson, Fiona Apple, Ray Manzarek, Stevie Wonder, etc.
Other Instruments (electronics, ukulele, brass, strings, winds, etc.)
2 prepared pieces:
-Should demonstrate style and versatility as lead or accompanist
-Should include improvisatory section
-Highly recommended for brass, strings and winds: an original, simple arrangement of you playing background notes over a chord progression. This can be recorded multi-track or with live section players
Audio Technician Assistant
Students who are interested in live sound/audio tech work, should consider applying to be the student assistant for our audio technician for the day. This student will assist our hired professional audio tech with set up and audio monitoring for the day and performance. Students who want to audition for this role will need their director to submit a separate application with answers to the following questions.
Directors please create a document which answers the questions below for your student. Once complete, send it to festival chairperson, Joe Mundy, by the specified audition due date of 9/12/25. It may be sent as an email attachment to joseph.mundy@sau57.org.
Student Name:
Director Name:
School:
- What experience does your student have running an audio console? Please talk about the comfort level that your student may have with the equipment. What is their knowledge level of EQ, compression, effects, etc? Do they have experience in a leadership role where they could teach other students, or were they more of an intern?
- What experience does your student have setting up and troubleshooting external audio gear? Are they comfortable patching cables and using signal flow to solve a problem? Please talk about the comfort level that your student may have with the equipment. Were they in a leadership role where they could teach other students or were they more of an intern?
- Why would your student be a good fit for this daylong event? Would they be comfortable taking the lead and running the sound system for a performance with partial adult support or would they need to shadow an adult and learn throughout the day?
- Traveling with gear is a physical job and every venue has its challenges. Is your student able to help move equipment from one location to another and be on their feet all day, or do they need special accommodations?