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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. Concert information coming soon.
Watch 2025 Northwest Wind Symphony in Concert
Thank you for your interest in the Four State Honor Bands! This section will be updated soon.
Dr. J. Ashley Jarrell currently serves as Director of Bands at the University of North Georgia, where his responsibilities include conducting the Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band, and teaching music education and conducting courses. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Jarrell served as Assistant Director of Bands at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Previously, he served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and the inaugural candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Wind Conducting at Illinois, where he was a recipient of the Begian Conducting Assistantship. While a graduate student at the University, Dr. Jarrell served on the School of Music Graduate Committee and he received the Edmund C. Williams award for excellence in bands. He received the Master of Arts degree in Wind Conducting from Middle Tennessee State University and the Bachelor of Music degree from East Tennessee State University.
Before coming to the University of Illinois, Dr. Jarrell served as Director of Bands at Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet School in Nashville, Tennessee. Consistently named by U.S. News and World Report and Newsweek magazines as one of the fifty best high schools in the nation, Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet School Bands received numerous superior ratings, accolades, and three performances for the Tennessee Music Education Association Conference in the span of six years during Dr. Jarrell’s tenure. He also served as Associate Director of Bands at Middle Tennessee State University and Associate Director of Bands at Harpeth High School (TN.)
Dr. Jarrell is active as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the United States. He is also an active member of many professional organizations including Georgia Music Educators Association, National Association for Music Education, National Band Association, College Band Directors National Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and elected membership with American School Band Directors Association, Phi Beta Mu and Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society.
Dr. Duke is in her first year serving as Associate Director of Bands at Northwest Missouri State, where she also leads the percussion studio and teaches coursework in composition and arranging. Prior to her time at Northwest, she served as Band Director at Western Christian Schools in Southern California. In the past, she has been selected for two CBDNA artistic conducting opportunities: the Mike Moss Conducting Study Grant and the Emerging Career Conducting Workshop. Dr. Duke has also worked extensively in the marching arts, teaching and arranging for high school ensembles, DCI, and WGI percussion groups. She is honored to have studied conducting with Dr. Albert Nguyen and Dr. John Burdett, percussion under Bill Schlitt, and composition and arranging with Michael Lee. Currently, Dr. Duke's professional affiliations include the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), National Band Association (NBA), and Percussive Arts Society (PAS).
Four-State Honor Band Coordinator
nwbands@nwmissouri.edu
Friday, November 13th, 2026
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!
