When Herrin High School seniors Emily Hosman and Joshua Jones took their places on the Shryock Auditorium stage at Southern Illinois University, they weren't just representing their school—they were part of an elite group of musicians from across the region assembled for a day of musical excellence.

The River to River Honor Band, which performed on February 25, 2025, brought together approximately 86 of the top band students from Southern Illinois for an intensive one-day experience culminating in an evening concert.

"It is the main competition that SIU holds that allows for quite a few schools to form an honor band, essentially," explains Jones, who plays alto saxophone and piano. "We come together and play new songs, and then we hold a concert that night."

The pair were among nine Herrin High students nominated by their band director to participate in this prestigious event. For Hosman, who plays trumpet and piano, it was her first time attending.

The day began with auditions for chair placements, with students performing excerpts from music they would play later. Despite having received the music only the Friday before, and some of the bands having played the song before, the Herrin students performed admirably.

"When we first got our chair placements, I got to meet all of my stand mates," Hosman recalls of her favorite part of the day. "I kind of got to know them and how long they've been playing. In our band, you're at the top, so it's nice to have others who you can look up to and trade off with."

After placements were determined, the musicians spent the day working under the direction of SIU's music director, intensively rehearsing five challenging pieces before performing them that evening for a sizable audience.

Jones, who had participated in the event before, approached the day with a healthy perspective: "I don't get super nervous because I don't see this as high competition. I see this as more of a fun day to experience and to learn as much as I can."

Both seniors have ambitious plans after graduation. Jones will attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to study electrical engineering while continuing to play in the university band. Hosman is headed to the University of Louisville for chemical engineering with a possible minor in Chinese or Japanese, and is considering continuing with band depending on her schedule.

Back at Herrin High, the 70-member band is preparing for their upcoming contest season, with practices that began after Christmas. Many members, including Hosman and Jones, will also participate in this weekend's solo and ensemble competition being hosted at Herrin High.

"I'm playing a piano solo, a trumpet solo, a trumpet duet, and a piano duet," says Hosman.

Jones adds, "I'm playing an alto sax solo, a piano solo, and a piano duet"—the latter being a performance with Hosman.

The Herrin High band has consistently received top ratings at contests since these seniors entered high school, with last year producing what their director called "probably the best contest score he's ever seen from our band."

While the band program continues to excel, the students note one significant challenge: the lack of an auditorium at Herrin High.

"I think a lot of people don't really see what the band does most of the time, and we do really well at a lot of things," Hosman emphasizes. "A lot of our members at solo ensemble are getting firsts and really good ratings. They've been playing for a long time, and they deserve that recognition."

The River to River Honor Band offers an unique opportunity in what Jones calls "the best of the best," showcasing the dedication and talent of students like Hosman and Jones who "work as hard as we can" to make music that enriches the entire community.