A 23-member band from a smaller high school is preparing to perform at a major music education conference, while fundraising for the trip. The Willows High School Honkers Band is headed to the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago this December.
According to Action News Now, the band is raising funds for its Chicago trip. The band is set to attend the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago this December.
District Approval Came Months Before the Trip
The Willows Unified School District Board of Education's June 25, 2026, agenda listed an overnight trip request to Chicago for December 15 through 18. The Chicago trip has become a focus of fundraising.
A Small School Punching Above Its Weight
The 23-member Honkers Band comes from a smaller school and has earned an invitation to the Midwest Clinic.
A Marine Veteran Leading the Band
Band director Vincent Hjerpe brings his own performance pedigree to the effort. Hjerpe is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served as a performing musician in the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps before transitioning into secondary music education, according to the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.
