Four State Honor Band
May 7, 2026
42nd Annual Four State Honor Band
Date: May 7, 2026
Who: High school wind and percussion students
What to expect:
- Enjoyable and educational experience
- Supportive environment
- Opportunity to perform with some of the region's best musicians
Why attend:
- Great way to conclude the school year
- Chance to showcase talent alongside top musicians
Nomination deadline: Friday, March 6
Seating criteria:
- Students seated according to their 2025-26 judged events (regional/state band, solo and ensemble, etc.)
- Director information given serious consideration
Fair and equitable:
- Every effort made to ensure fairness to all programs, regardless of size
Don't miss out on this exceptional opportunity! Nominate your students and be part of a memorable musical experience.
Nomination Deadline: Friday, March 6th
Featuring
2026 Clinicians
Dr. Michael Scott Butler
Dr. Michael Scott Butler is a conductor committed to shaping the future of the repertoire while honoring its past. He believes that conductors have a responsibility to champion new music for wind ensemble and orchestra, while also preserving and reinterpreting the masterworks that define the tradition. For Dr. Butler, the role of a conductor is not only to curate and preserve great music but also to help define what belongs in the canon moving forward—supporting living composers and presenting their work with conviction. His ultimate aim is to create transformative musical experiences—not through technical perfection, but by fostering conditions for honest emotional connection and reflection.
Dr. Butler serves as Director of Bands at Youngstown State University, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Dana Faculty Ensemble, and directs the YSU Youth Orchestra. Since his arrival in 2021, he has elevated the national profile of the program. Under his leadership, the Wind Ensemble earned second place in the 2023 American Prize and was selected to perform at the 2024 College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) North Central Conference and the Ohio Music Educators Association Conference. The ensemble was also featured at Severance Hall as part of the Northeast Ohio Band Invitational in 2023.
Dr. Ryan M. Yahl
Dr. Ryan M. Yahl currently serves as the Visiting Associate Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands at Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio, where he directs the marching band, Men’s and Women’s Basketball and Ice Hockey Pep-Bands, and conducts the Symphony Band. Prior to this appointment, Yahl was the Assistant Director of Bands at East Texas A&M University (formerly Texas A&M University-Commerce) for five years. He taught middle school and high school band in the state of Ohio for nine years.
Yahl earned his bachelor’s (2006) and master’s (2009) degrees in Music Education from Bowling Green State University, and his doctorate in Wind Conducting (2018) from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. He holds membership in several professional music organizations, including Life Membership in Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Service Fraternity, and currently serves as the Research Chair for the American School Band Directors Association (ASBDA).
2026 Guest Composer
Tom Davoren
Tom Davoren’s music is commissioned and played wherever bands are in the world by artists including the Central Band of the Royal Air Force, ‘The President’s Own’ United States Marine Band, Brass Band of Battle Creek, and soloists Jens Lindemann, Hiram Diaz, and Glenn Van Looy. Highlights include performances at the American Bandmasters Association Convention, Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, CBDNA National and Regional Conferences, WASBE, World Music Contest Kerkrade, Royal Northern College of Music Festival of Brass, Carnegie Hall in New York, and the national band championships of many nations. In 2019 Tom, a proud Welshman, was delighted to become composer in residence with the Band of the Welsh Guards, of the Household Division of the Royal Corps of Army Music.