Kendall Hazel | Staff Writer

On November 20 and 21, five Buena Vista University (BVU) band members performed in the 22nd annual Iowa Collegiate Honor Band. The event was comprised of band members from several colleges and universities around the state. The band members that were selected from BVU include:
• Shelby Cooper – clarinet; a junior instrumental music education major from Atlantic
• Brandon Glienke – trombone; freshman corporate mathematics and accounting major from Storm Lake
• Rachel Kehrberg – clarinet; a sophomore biology and music major from Hinton
• Jacalyn Schubring – flute/piccolo; a senior instrumental music education major from Germantown, Wis.
• Kelsey Struck – French horn; a senior instrumental music education major from Storm Lake

The event took place Nov. 20 in Nevada, Ia. and was held in the Nevada high school auditorium. Auditions to determine the individual band member’s chair took place first. Following chair placement, a long day of rehearsal began, according to Kelsey Struck.

“We rehearsed for two or three hours. Then we got a break for lunch. Then we rehearsed again in the afternoon, followed by a break around 6:00 PM. Then we rehearsed again until about 8:00 PM. So Friday was pretty much a day just of playing,” Struck said.

On Saturday, the band then had a dress rehearsal followed by the concert.
Struck is no stranger to the selection process, this being her fourth consecutive time being selected to play in the honor band.

“Jerry [Dr. Jerry Bertrand] asked who wanted to go to honor band, and he sent in a list that talks a little about you; what instrument you play, if you’re a music major. Then there is an Iowa Collegiate Honor Band committee that goes through all the applications, and they select the band members,” Struck said.

The selection of these five band members marked the 17th year that Buena Vista University has been represented in the Iowa Collegiate Honor Band. Struck explained that it is something special to represent BVU, but she remarked more on the relationships formed with band members from other schools:

“It’s cool to meet the other people at honor band. We have rivalries with the schools obviously, but ultimately we can still all come together because our main goal is to make good music,” Struck said.

Iowa Collegiate Honor Band also serves as a learning experience, especially for the instrumental music education majors:

“When I’m a teacher, I’ll be able to tell my students about my experiences with honor band and music I’ve played at honor band… I’ve made connections with other music majors and other directors, and those are all things I can use as an educator to help better myself as a teacher and provide better opportunities for my future students,” Struck said.

Struck added that being on Iowa Collegiate Honor Band can strengthen resumes, and she expressed that applying for honor band is a good idea for her fellow BVU band members:

“I definitely think it’s a good opportunity for other people in the band. Even if you weren’t in honor band in high school or even if you aren’t the top of your sections. Even just going to honor band, you become a better musician just from hearing other people and learning from other people. Any playing with an ensemble that isn’t your normal ensemble will only broaden your horizons even more.”