The Seminole High School Wind Ensemble is part of the Concert Band Program and is the central educational organization in the instrumental music department during winter and spring. Membership is by audition only, and co-curricular with Marching Band - meaning that membership in Marching Band is required for all students interested in auditioning for this storied ensemble. The Wind Ensemble will be comprised of students with the performing ability necessary to play grade 5 and 6 literature. Membership in the Wind Ensemble also provides the opportunity for honors credit in the junior and senior year.
Students register for Wind Ensemble as a class of the day and rehearse both in school and after school. They are expected to attend all rehearsals and performances, and will participate in local and statewide adjudications and competitions. In the spring, members participate in a "Concert Band Camp" including sectional coaches and masterclasses with musicians from throughout the Bay Area, state, and upper educational institutions. The Wind Ensemble will also take part in an out of state trip every other year in the Spring. There is a financial commitment required for all Concert Band students. This covers guest clinicians, music, licensing, transportation, Concert Band Camp, travel, and more. There are many fundraising opportunities available to offset the financial burden - please see Fair Share and Fundraising under the Booster link in the main menu for more information. There are also many volunteers needed with opportunities to chaperone, drive, and assist in numerous other ways during Concert Season.
The Wind Ensemble has earned straight superior ratings at the Florida Bandmasters District Assessment for the past 18 years with a total overall superior rating for the past 21 years! This is a Pinellas County record that no other school holds. Members of the Seminole Wind Ensemble have performed with All State Bands, BOA Honor Bands, USF Festival of Winds and many other prestigious groups. The Seminole Wind Ensemble also has been invited to play at the National Concert Festival in 1994, 1998, and 2001. An average of over 90 superior medals are earned each year at FBA Solo and Ensemble District Festival. Students of the Seminole Wind Ensemble have gone on to study at some of the country's most prestigious universities, conservatories and schools of music. Some post secondary schools include MIT, New England Conservatory, Julliard, Manhattan School of Music, Rice University, Oberlin, Indiana, Michigan, San Francisco Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, Berklee, Yale, LSU, and many others. The group has performed in Gatlinburg, Williamsburg, Washington DC, Chicago, Colorado Springs, Indianapolis, Boston, New Orleans, Greenville, Gainesville, and Atlanta. The Wind Ensemble has been the forerunner for the state of Florida at the high school level of new literature and works written for wind band. From the stage of Boston Symphony Hall to the stage of Seminole High School, the Wind Ensemble has remained a facet of the Seminole Band Program that has not only striven for excellence - they have achieved it.
