General Information
MARCHING BAND | “THE SHOWBAND OF ARKANSAS”
Considered one of the finest college marching bands in the country, the “Showband of Arkansas” consists of 150 winds, percussion, and auxiliary members. The mission of the “Showband of Arkansas” is to represent, foster and promote the “Reddie Spirit” through musical and visual performance. Comprised of students from all academic disciplines, the “Showband of Arkansas” frequently performs as the feature band at high school marching contests, enjoys travel to exciting away-games and regularly thrills thousands of Reddie spectators at home football games. It is open to any student by audition, regardless of major.
CHAMBER WINDS
The Chamber Winds is a select group of musicians within Henderson State University, dedicated to the performance of chamber works for wind, percussion and string instruments. The ensemble presents two performances during the fall semester year. While the core instrumentation of the group is the traditional wind octet or harmoniemusik (pairs of oboes, clarinets, bassoons, and horns), the Chamber Winds maintains a flexible instrumentation to accommodate a diverse and exciting repertoire.
WIND ENSEMBLE
The Wind Ensemble is comprised of the university’s finest wind and percussion musicians, and performs traditional and contemporary wind repertoire of the highest quality in a smaller ensemble setting. The Wind Ensemble performs two on-campus concerts every spring semester, as well as an annual tour which includes performances at national and state conferences and in the public schools. Membership is open to all university students regardless of major, and is by audition only. Four rehearsals per week. May be repeated for credit.
SYMPHONY BAND
The Symphony Band is comprised of student musicians from across campus who have demonstrated an outstanding level of musicianship and commitment to musical excellence. The Symphony Band performs two on-campus concerts during the spring semester, featuring works for larger wind band in addition to works that are considered to be among the core wind repertoire. Membership is open to all university students regardless of major, and is by audition only. Four rehearsals per week. May be repeated for credit.
CONCERT BAND
The Concert Band is open to all university students who wish to continue performing traditional band literature. The ensemble is dedicated to broadening the artistic level and interest of its members while performing music of artistic and historical significance. The Concert Band also serves as a practicum for music education majors during their senior year. Membership is open to all university students regardless of major, and is by audition only. One rehearsal per week. May be repeated for credit.
REDDIE BASKETBALL BAND
The Reddie Basketball Band performs for thousands of spectators every spring semester. This group of students serves as ambassadors of spirit and tradition at basketball conference home and tournament games. In addition to their support of the HSU men’s and women’s basketball teams, the Reddie Basketball Band makes numerous appearances at various university functions. The group of 40 members is open to all students.
Organization
The Henderson State University Band Directors are responsible for all aspects of the band program, coordination of faculty and staff, and student organizations. In addition to these administrative tasks, the directors teach and conduct the following courses: Chamber Winds, the Wind Ensemble, the Symphony Band, the Concert Band, The Showband of Arkansas Marching Band, the Reddie Pep Band, band history and literature, conducting, and the Marching Band Techniques course.
The Henderson State University Director of Bands, Dr. Jesse Leyva, is responsible for all administrative and recruitment aspects of the band program, coordination of faculty and staff, and student organizations. In addition to these administrative tasks, his teaching assignments include the Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Chamber Winds, Marching Band, and courses in band history, literature, and administration. Mr. Leyva also serves on Henderson State University Department of Music committees.
The Henderson State University Assistant Director of Bands, Mr. Steve Knight, assists with administrative duties and recruiting, as well as writes drill and arrangements for The Showband of Arkansas. Teaching responsibilities include the Marching Band, Symphony Band, Reddie Pep Band, and courses in secondary music education methodology. Mr. Knight also serves on Henderson State University Department of Music committees and is in charge of web development for the band department.
The band secretary handles office administrative duties for the band department, which includes in excess of 150 students in 6 ensembles.
Student staff positions include those in the music library staff, equipment staff, and the uniform staff. Student staff are supervised by the directors.
The Showband of Arkansas also has two very active and helpful honorary fraternal organizations, the Theta Phi chapter of the national honorary band fraternity Kappa Kappa Psi, and the Theta Theta chapter of the national honorary band sorority Tau Beta Sigma, whose purposes are to build a better band through service, whenever and wherever needed.
