Marshall Hosting Festival Band Concerts

Steve Barnett, Marshall's director of bands, who is coordinating the event, said there was record participation this year. Sixty-six schools from Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia nominated more than 1,000 students. Approximately 400 students were selected and placed into three honor bands: the John Marshall Band, the Thundering Herd Band and the Marco's Marauders Band.

These are like 'all-star' bands for the region's top band students," Barnett said. "We have three outstanding guest conductors coming in."

Marshall music faculty members will be teaching master classes for the high school students during the festival.

Guest conductor and clinician for the weekend will be Robert W. Smith, considered one of the most popular and prolific composers of concert band and orchestral literature in the U.S. today. He is vice president of product development and an exclusive composer for the C.L. Barnhouse Company and Walking Frog Records. He also teaches in the music industry program at Troy University in Troy, Ala.

The concluding concerts on Saturday, each featuring one of the three honor bands, will each take place in Smith Recital Hall as follows:

• Marco's Marauders Band at 4 p.m.
• Thundering Herd Band at 4:45 p.m.
• John Marshall Band at 5:15 p.m.

Smith will conduct the John Marshall Band. The Thundering Herd Band will be conducted by Mark Hardman, band director at George Washington High School in Charleston, W.Va.,  and the Marco's Marauders Band will be conducted by Doug McCullough, band director at Beavercreek High School in Dayton, Ohio.