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Feb 27 – 28 • All day
University of the Cumberlands Honor Band Weekend
February 27 & 28 2026
UC Bands is proud to announce the second UC Honor Band Clinic scheduled for February 27 & 28 2026, on the beautiful campus of the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, KY.
The primary goal of the UC Honor Band Clinic is to provide a rewarding musical and personal experience to all our students. Members of all ensembles are selected through band director nominations submitted electronically. Open to all band students in grades 8-12.
Clinic Weekend Includes:
- Honor Band
- Guest clinician
- UC Concert Band in concert
- Sessions for band directors
Please read the following information carefully and encourage your students to be a part of this unique event. Once a band director or student completes the Nomination Form, another email will be sent to the student and band director about the audition requirements. Regardless the level of the students, the organization of the UC Honor Band Clinic promotes a positive and fun learning experience for every student.
Nomination Form
Band directors and students may complete the Nomination Form on the website. A separate form will need to be submitted for each student. We will make every effort to include all students who are nominated, within the limitations we face in achieving balanced instrumentation. Additional information may be requested from band directors to help narrow down the list of students from their school, if needed.
Deadline:
Nomination Forms must be received by December 19, 2025. The results will be announced via e-mail to all band directors and students participating in the honor band on January 30, 2025.
Fee:
Each student admitted to the clinic will need to pay $30.00. This fee can be paid online or sent by check once the student knows they have been accepted. Details will be sent at a later date. Students or directors can pay cash or make checks payable to UC BANDS. We will also have a link to pay online that will be sent out via email.
Timeline for Honor Band Clinic:
- New Deadline is December 19, 2025 – Band Director or Student submits nomination form
- January 9, 2026 – Last day for students to submit audition materials
- January 30, 2026 – Honor Band Participants are notified of band/chair placement
- February 27 & 28 2026 – Honor Band Clinic
Questions:
Contact Dr. Duane Warfield at duane.warfield [at] ucumberlands.edu (duane[dot]warfield[at]ucumberlands[dot]edu) or (606) 539-4331 for questions or clarification about UC Honor Band Weekend.
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Honors Band Guest Clinicians
Dr. Darrin Oehlerking currently serves as Associate Dean of Student Affairs for the College of Arts and Science at the University of Saskatchewan, and is Professor of Music in the USask School for the Arts. He previously served as Director of Bands and Jazz at Bemidji State University in Bemidji, Minnesota, and as Music Coordinator for the Louis Riel School Division in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Dr. Oehlerking earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting at The University of Iowa, where he studied with Dr. Myron Welch. He also studied with Dr. Dale J. Lonis at the University of Manitoba, where he earned a Master of Music Performance degree with an emphasis in Conducting. His undergraduate work was also at Manitoba, where he earned separate Bachelor’s degrees in Music and Education.
Prior to his appointment at USask, Dr. Oehlerking taught a wide variety of students and musicians at the primary, secondary and post-secondary levels. His ensembles have enjoyed success on local, national and international stages, consistently garnering outstanding performance awards and showcase invitations from a variety of organizations.
Dr. Oehlerking has previously served as the President of the Canadian Band Association, as well as the President of the Saskatchewan Band Association. He conducted the 2022 National Youth Band of Canada, and has been a guest conductor, adjudicator, conference presenter and clinician across Canada, the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
He has two arrangements for wind band commercially available from Eighth Note Publications – R.C.M.P Regimental March and Souvenir de Quebec (both originally composed by Charles O’Neill). He is also the editor and compiler of Winds of the North: A Survey of the Canadian Wind Band Tradition and Repertoire, a resource available through GIA Publications dedicated to highlighting Canadian wind band repertoire.
Drew Shannon '23 is the Director of Bands at Southwestern High School in Somerset, Kentucky. He is also the KMEA District 10 Band Chair. Shannon plays trumpet in the Somerset Big Band as well as the Sacred Winds ensemble, which is a professional level ensemble that has annual summer and winter concert series. In addition, Shannon is also the librarian for that group. Shannon graduated from University of the Cumberlands in 2023 and was the recipient of the Phyllis Richardson Woods Scholarship in 2020.
