This weekend, 400 high school students from nearly 100 schools will be participating in the 2000 Cyclone Honor Band.

The two-day event is held annually and begins on Friday with an all-day rehearsal. A concert Friday night features the Ankeny High School 11th and 12th grade concert band and the ISU Wind Ensemble.

The honor band workshop will continue on Saturday with group rehearsals and clinics for individual instruments. The students will also perform in a concert that afternoon.

Students must be nominated by their director in order to participate. The directors also list qualifications such as participation in All-State and other honor band, and ratings received at various solo music contests.

The students are divided into three different bands according to their qualifications. The three bands are aptly named White, Gold and Cardinal.

Three guest conductors will be directing the bands. Earle Dickinson is the director of bands at Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids. Cynthia Hutton is an assistant professor of music at Southern Oregon University. Robert D. Jorgensen is the director of bands and professor of music at the University of Akron.

Jeff Mount, band instructor at Manning Community High School, has been taking students to the honor band for three years. The tradition continues this year with five students.

Mount enjoys the event because of how much the students benefit from the event.

“Students learn to follow different directors. They also may play music that they wouldn’t be exposed to in their own band,” Mount said. “The band is also a good way to introduce Iowa State University to the students. For the upperclassmen who are thinking about attending Iowa State, this gives them another chance to visit the campus.”

The concert on Friday night begins at 7:30 p.m. The Cyclone Honor Band concert on Saturday beings at 4 p.m. Both events will be held at Stephens Auditorium. Tickets cost $4 for students and $5 general admission.