When are MSBOA All-State auditions?

MSBOA says the 2026-2027 statewide audition schedule will be available Wednesday afternoon, October 14, 2026. District 10 lists October 21-22, 2026 at Zeeland Creekside Middle School; the Northville notice lists October 24-25, 2026 at Saline High School. These are host notices, not a complete statewide list. Northville's school form was due 3:30 PM Monday, September 21, 2026. See the dated tryouts and confirm your host with your director.

What is on the MSBOA All-State audition?

An announced etude, scales, and sight-reading. The September 8 posting links the 2026-27 etudes, excerpts, and information by ensemble and instrument.

Do I record my MSBOA audition at home?

No. Your audition is recorded in a proctored room while you play, and your district runs the sitting and supplies the recording device. MSBOA District 10 lists its 2026 sitting at Zeeland Creekside Middle School on October 21 and 22; Saline High School hosts October 24 and 25. Other districts publish their own host and dates, so ask your director which one you are assigned to. The recording carries your student identification number only, with no reference to you or your school. Bring your own etude book; the room shows the scale names and nothing else. Checked September 23, 2026.

Is there sight-reading on the MSBOA audition, and how long do I get?

Yes. Sight-reading is inside the ten-minute recorded audition. The 2026-27 high school PDF does not give study time, length or level. It says percussion sight-reads on snare. MSBOA's All-State page says an adjudicator ranks the auditions. MSBOA's 2024-2025 yearbook printed 60 seconds to study, the order etude, scales, sight-reading, a panel of adjudicators, and 1000 points (500 etude, 250 scales, 250 sight-reading).

When will I find out if I made MSBOA All-State?

A results date is not on the All-State page or the announcement. The statewide schedule posts Wednesday afternoon, October 14, 2026. Ask your director.

What if I miss a rehearsal after I make MSBOA All-State?

The 2026-27 pages do not state a missed-rehearsal rule. MSBOA's 2024-2025 yearbook printed a rule beside 2025 dates, which is not a 2026-27 confirmation. After you make it, MSBOA lists two and a half days of rehearsal in January and a concert on the Saturday of the Michigan Music Conference. The Northville notice lists the conference January 21-23, 2027.

Is there an MSBOA All-State jazz ensemble?

Yes. The High School Jazz Ensemble has separate 2026-27 etudes and information linked from the September 8 announcement.

How should I start preparing?

Start with scales. In the words of Virtunity's founder, a band director and private lesson teacher: Your first notes set the tone for the whole audition. Build them slowly with a metronome so accuracy and a beautiful sound never break, then layer in the etudes once they are posted.

All-State posting

Michigan All-State band audition requirements

The 2026-27 materials are posted.

MSBOA | Recorded All-State audition

Start with one passage

Check MSBOA's Recorded All-State audition requirements for your instrument. Audition date: confirm with your director.

Begin your etude with a short passage. Confirm the official packet with your director.

Plan with Virtunity

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Available on iPhone. The browser version is in early testing.

Last checked October 6, 2026 | Official source: https://www.msboa.org/Events/All-State.aspx

What to work on this week

Use this plan for your next round, a solo, or next season. Not taking another audition? Choose music with your director and use the same steps.

5 minutes - Read before playing. Find the required passage in the official packet. Mark its start and end. Count through a rhythm that needs attention.
10 minutes - Work on one small chunk. Choose a few notes or a short phrase. Play slowly enough to follow the notes and rhythm.
10 minutes - Connect two chunks. Practice the next small section. Then join the sections, paying attention to the connection.
5 minutes - Record and listen. Record the joined passage. Follow the score while listening. Write down one thing to revisit.

Dated tryouts

The 2026-27 MSBOA All-State audition schedule posts October 14, 2026.
Source Read September 23, 2026.
District 10 hosts All-State recordings October 21-22, 2026 at Zeeland Creekside Middle School. Registration ran September 1-30, 2026, with late registration October 1-2, 2026 at $25 per event.
Source Read September 23, 2026.
The Northville band notice lists All-State auditions October 24-25, 2026 at Saline High School. Its school form opened Monday, September 7, 2026 and was due 3:30 PM Monday, September 21, 2026; the notice lists the Michigan Music Conference January 21-23, 2027.
Source Read September 23, 2026.

Published scoring rubric

Document season: 2024-2025 (older yearbook; no 2026-27 replacement found in the September 11 research).

MSBOA 2024-2025 yearbook page, All-State scoring rubric

This page reports what the official organization posted. Virtunity does not write audition requirements.

Confirm every date and requirement with your director. Organizations update packets.

Back to all states

MSBOA

Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association (MSBOA)

2026-27 materials are posted.

Ensembles: All-State High School Band, All-State Middle School Band, All-State High School Full Orchestra, All-State High School Jazz Ensemble, All-State Middle School String Orchestra
Season: 2026-27
Audition window: MSBOA says the 2026-2027 All-State Audition Schedule will be available Wednesday afternoon, October 14, 2026. The announcement and All-State page do not state audition dates or registration deadlines. Selected ensembles rehearse in January and perform on the Saturday of the Michigan Music Conference.
Instruments: woodwinds, brass, percussion, jazz rhythm section, and orchestral strings including harp

What the organization posted

The 2026-27 materials are posted. The September 8 announcement links 2026-2027 All-State High School Band Etudes and Information (WW, Brass & Perc), 2026-2027 All-State Middle School Band Etudes and Information (WW, Brass & Perc), 2026-2027 All-State High School Jazz Band Etudes and Information, 2026-2027 All-State High School Orchestra Excerpts and Information, 2026-2027 All-State High School Harp Excerpts and Information, and 2026-2027 All-State Middle School String Orchestra Excerpts and Information. MSBOA describes a ten-minute recorded audition with an announced etude, scales, and sight-reading.

Notes

The MSBOA All-State page and etudes announcement were re-read September 23, 2026; neither contradicts the dated host notices below. Materials links were checked September 23, 2026. Separate High School Percussion Etude and Middle School Percussion Etude links are also posted. The standing process is at https://www.msboa.org/events/All-state.aspx. These two pages do not state a results-release date, submission-platform instructions, or exact January event dates. Read the linked document for your ensemble and instrument; the music is not reproduced here.

Retrieved from the organization's page on September 23, 2026.

2026-2027 All-State Audition Etudes, Excerpts and Information

Practice for MSBOA with your audition tempo, tuner and drone on one screen

Virtunity is a practice app built by a band director. Set up each scale and excerpt, then work it up a step at a time.

Scan with your iPhone to get Virtunity

Practice now in your browser: free tuner, metronome and drone

How it fits each part of this audition

Scales: Set up each scale in Virtunity and practice it with the metronome at your audition tempo, with the tuner and drone in the same window. Scale Checker confirms scale notes on your iPhone. Notes only. Not tone, rhythm or a complete performance.
Prepared etudes: Keep the PDF in your Music Library and set the piece up in practice with the metronome, tuner and your notes beside it. Start under tempo: good reps in a row move the tempo up a step, and Keep lets you stay at the old tempo.
Sight-reading: Sight Reading Sprint in the Lab puts one note at a time on the staff for a 60-second round of fast note reading. It is not a full sight-reading excerpt, so read something new every day too, and keep your counting steady with the Lab's rhythm modules.
A recorded audition: Practice the run-through. Record a final take and listen back in Review before you record the real one. A saved take stays private until you choose to share it with a connected teacher.
Tone and intonation: Every judge listens for these. The tuner shows your note and how sharp or flat it is, and the drone gives you a steady reference pitch for long tones.
Tempo: Tap tempo finds a marked tempo, and subdivision clicks keep your eighths, triplets and sixteenths even.

For students 13 and up. Virtunity helps you prepare. Your playing on audition day earns the chair.

How All-State auditions work in Michigan

MSBOA posted its 2026-27 etudes, excerpts, and information on September 8, 2026. High School Band and Middle School Band have separate documents, alongside jazz, orchestra, harp, and percussion materials. The statewide audition schedule is due Wednesday afternoon, October 14, 2026. District 10 and Northville list host dates in the dated tryouts below.

MSBOA describes ten-minute recorded auditions containing an announced etude, scales, and sight-reading, recorded at a district host site while the student plays. Submissions carry an identification number without a student or school name. An adjudicator ranks the auditions to fill the ensemble sections.

The ensembles are High School Band, Middle School Band, High School Full Orchestra, Middle School String Orchestra, and High School Jazz Ensemble. Selected students rehearse for two and a half days in January, then perform on the Saturday of the Michigan Music Conference. These pages do not give a results-release date or exact January dates.

Michigan audition questions, answered

When are MSBOA All-State auditions?: MSBOA says the 2026-2027 statewide audition schedule will be available Wednesday afternoon, October 14, 2026. District 10 lists October 21-22, 2026 at Zeeland Creekside Middle School; the Northville notice lists October 24-25, 2026 at Saline High School. These are host notices, not a complete statewide list. Northville's school form was due 3:30 PM Monday, September 21, 2026. See the dated tryouts and confirm your host with your director.
What is on the MSBOA All-State audition?: An announced etude, scales, and sight-reading. The September 8 posting links the 2026-27 etudes, excerpts, and information by ensemble and instrument.
Do I record my MSBOA audition at home?: No. Your audition is recorded in a proctored room while you play, and your district runs the sitting and supplies the recording device. MSBOA District 10 lists its 2026 sitting at Zeeland Creekside Middle School on October 21 and 22; Saline High School hosts October 24 and 25. Other districts publish their own host and dates, so ask your director which one you are assigned to. The recording carries your student identification number only, with no reference to you or your school. Bring your own etude book; the room shows the scale names and nothing else. Checked September 23, 2026.
Is there sight-reading on the MSBOA audition, and how long do I get?: Yes. Sight-reading is inside the ten-minute recorded audition. The 2026-27 high school PDF does not give study time, length or level. It says percussion sight-reads on snare. MSBOA's All-State page says an adjudicator ranks the auditions. MSBOA's 2024-2025 yearbook printed 60 seconds to study, the order etude, scales, sight-reading, a panel of adjudicators, and 1000 points (500 etude, 250 scales, 250 sight-reading).
When will I find out if I made MSBOA All-State?: A results date is not on the All-State page or the announcement. The statewide schedule posts Wednesday afternoon, October 14, 2026. Ask your director.
What if I miss a rehearsal after I make MSBOA All-State?: The 2026-27 pages do not state a missed-rehearsal rule. MSBOA's 2024-2025 yearbook printed a rule beside 2025 dates, which is not a 2026-27 confirmation. After you make it, MSBOA lists two and a half days of rehearsal in January and a concert on the Saturday of the Michigan Music Conference. The Northville notice lists the conference January 21-23, 2027.
Is there an MSBOA All-State jazz ensemble?: Yes. The High School Jazz Ensemble has separate 2026-27 etudes and information linked from the September 8 announcement.
How should I start preparing?: Start with scales. In the words of Virtunity's founder, a band director and private lesson teacher: Your first notes set the tone for the whole audition. Build them slowly with a metronome so accuracy and a beautiful sound never break, then layer in the etudes once they are posted.