Applications are open for the eleventh annual North County Honor Band! All students in grades 8 thru 12 from any middle or high school in the Battle Ground, Camas, Hockinson, La Center, Ridgefield, Washougal, and Woodland school districts are invited and encouraged to apply.
This year’s honor band weekend will take place Friday and Saturday, February 6th and 7th, 2026. The groups will rehearse in the late afternoon/evening on Friday as well as the late morning and afternoon Saturday before performing a concert Saturday evening. Both the middle and high school band will rehearse at Hockinson High School, and the performance will also be at HHS at 6pm on Saturday.
Why apply for the North County Honor Band?
It’s Local!
With so much musical talent in our state, our smaller schools and programs often get overlooked when it comes to selection for state and regional honor groups just due to the sheer number of applicants to these groups versus the number selected. Participating in the North County Honor Band not only gives those students who already play in honor bands another opportunity to grow and be challenged as musicians, but also provides a quality honor band experience for those students who may not always have the opportunity to participate in these state groups. This is not to say we are lowering the bar for our students; rather, we are striving to give all deserving students a chance to be a part of a high-level honor group.
It’s Affordable!
We all have students who are unable to participate in other honor bands due to the cost of these events. When you factor in travel, lodging, meals, and all the other costs some students end up spending over $400 for an honor band weekend! At a price of $50 per student, the North County Honor Band is a bargain. We simply want a quality and affordable honor band experience for our students. Your $50 covers all costs for the weekend and includes a t-shirt and two meals for each participant. The Saturday evening concert is also free to the public.
It’s High Quality!
We go to great lengths to try and recruit some of the best teachers, conductors, and personalities to conduct these honor bands. This year will be no different.
NCHB Middle School Conductor: Laura Arthur
Laura Arthur is a veteran music educator and advocate based in Portland, Oregon. She serves as Public Policy Chair for the Oregon Music Education Association and works as a clinician, coach, and substitute educator. A former district music TOSA and successful middle school band director, Laura has presented locally and nationally on music education and advocacy. She performs on bass clarinet and bari sax, and champions equitable access to quality music education for all students.
NCHB High School Conductor: Ed Protzman
Edward. F Protzman is the Director of Bands and an assistant professor of music education at Portland State University. Before his appointment at Portland State, he had a successful career as a high band director serving as the Director of Bands at William Mason High School in Mason, Ohio; Blue Valley Southwest High School in Overland Park, Kansas; and Central Bucks West High School in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Protzman guest conducts and presents educational clinics across the United States. In 2021, he presented a clinic at the Midwest Band and Orchestra International Conference in Chicago, Illinois. In 2019, the George N. Parks Leadership in Music Education award was presented to Protzman by the National Association for Music Education and Music for All.
_____
Thanks!
Corey McEnry Jennifer Ritenburgh
Director of Bands Director of Bands
Hockinson High School Hockinson Middle School
North County Honor Band Co-Host North County Honor Band Co-Host
