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The Four-State Honor Bands provides an outstanding learning experience for area students. While all students will benefit from the opportunity, those with strong musical backgrounds will find it especially rewarding.
Participants are nominated by their band directors in mid-fall and the event is hosted in mid-January.
Concerts will be live streamed. 2026 concert information coming soon.
Watch 2025 Northwest Wind Symphony in Concert
Dr. Linda R. Moorhouse is Director of the School of Music at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she holds the Suzanne and William Allen Distinguished Professorship in Music. She is a Presidential Fellow in the University of Illinois President’s Executive Leadership Program and contributes broadly to campus governance through service on the University Senates Conference, the Athletic Board, and other campus committees.
Previously, she served the School of Music for eight years as Associate Director and Director of Undergraduate Studies, following her leadership of the Illinois Bands program and its graduate wind conducting area. She is also a former Fellow of the Big Ten Academic Alliance Academic Leadership Program. Prior to joining the University of Illinois faculty in 2010, Dr. Moorhouse taught for more than two decades at Louisiana State University, where she was recognized with multiple teaching awards at both the School and university levels.
Dr. Moorhouse has had an active career as a conductor, clinician, and adjudicator throughout North America, as well as in Europe, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and Canada. Ensembles under her direction at two Research I universities have performed at national and regional conferences of the College Band Directors National Association, the North American Saxophone Alliance International Conference, and the American Bandmasters Association. A past president and current Secretary-Treasurer of the American Bandmasters Association, she has also held presidential and executive leadership roles with the National Band Association (NBA) and Women Band Directors International. Her contributions have been recognized with the NBA’s Citation of Excellence, Distinguished Service Award, and election to the Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts—the “Oscar” of the band profession. Additional honors include the Tau Beta Sigma Paula Crider Outstanding Band Director Award, the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Order of Merit, recognition as a Sigma Alpha Iota Member Laureate, and national and international leadership awards from Women Band Directors International. She is also a member of the Conn-Selmer Division of Education’s VIP community and is profiled in Grove Music Online.
Her scholarly and professional contributions include multiple chapters in the Composer’s Insight series (Meredith Music), the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series (GIA), and other Meredith Music publications. Dr. Moorhouse earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from the University of Washington, studying with Peter Erös and Timothy Salzman. She holds a Master of Music Education from Louisiana State University and a Bachelor of Music Education with Honors from the University of Florida, where she is a member of the University of Florida Bands Hall of Fame.
Dr. Strickland joined the Northwest faculty in fall 2013 and was the University’s recipient of the 2018 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education. She has played a significant role in the growth of the Bearcat Marching Band while incorporating technology and unique instruction methods into classes and rehearsals. She served as chair of Northwest’s School of Fine and Performing Arts from 2017-2022 and selected to conduct the Wind Symphony in fall 2024.
Prior to joining Northwest, she taught for 13 years at public schools in rural southern Louisiana. She has served on the Louisiana Music Educators Association Board of Directors and as the Missouri chair for the National Band Association. Additionally, she is active as a guest conductor, adjudicator and clinician of marching bands, concert bands, and percussion groups of all ages.
Strickland earned a Ph.D. in music education, a Master of Music Education and a Bachelor of Music Education, all from Louisiana State University. Her academic interests include innovative technology for teaching intonation to instrumental musicians, participation in music across the lifespan, varied pedagogical approaches to the instrumental ensemble sight-reading experience, hearing loss among wind and percussion players, and quality teaching methods for young percussionists.
Bio coming soon...
Four-State Honor Band Coordinator
nwbands@nwmissouri.edu
Grades 9 – 12
Band directors are requested to nominate their most deserving students for participation in the Four-State Honor Bands. Final selections will be based on the following:
Students with known conflicts should not be nominated by their respective directors.
No.
Yes. There will be a fee of $10.00 for each student selected for the Honor Band Ensembles. This non-refundable fee will be due as soon as possible after selection notification.
Once nominated and selected a link for payment will be sent to band directors and students.
ABSOLUTELY, in fact they are encouraged to do so! There is no charge for audience members…this is a FREE concert, open to the general public!
