The sound of brass scales and drum cadences filled Restoration Plaza in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Monday as young musicians gathered for a chance to turn talent into tuition. At the third annual NYC HBCU Band Audition Fair, hosted by the nonprofit Big Apple Leadership Academy for the Arts, 17 band directors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities came to hear students from across the city and Long Island audition for music scholarships.
Dr. Jada John, co-founder and executive director of BALAA, created the event in 2023 to address what she saw as an access gap for New York City youth.
“These types of recruitment fairs are common in the South,” John said. “But we don’t have HBCUs here, and music programs have been shrinking across New York City. We wanted to recreate that access here in Brooklyn. Everything we offer is free because sometimes access is all young people need to be successful.”
The fair has grown significantly since its first year, when just three students auditioned and earned a combined $284,000 in scholarship offers. Last year, more than half a million dollars in offers were extended, according to John. This year, with 70 students registered and 17 directors present in person, organizers are hoping to surpass the $1 million mark.
Among the directors listening closely was Dr. Gabriel Arnold, director of Bands at Savannah State University. It was his first time recruiting this far north.
“What led me here is the opportunity to recruit students up here up North to bring them down South so they can continue their education and also continue in the activity that they love and give them money while doing it,” Arnold said.
He also emphasized that auditions extend beyond technical precision. “We’re looking for students who are musically talented and who have strong fundamentals. They need to be able to read music, have good tone quality, and sound good. But I also want to know about them. I ask how they got to this point. I want to get a sense of who is coming into our program.”
Students perform an etude or prepared piece, play scales, and submit their academic information through a QR code. Directors later match them with potential scholarships and academic programs.
“When we get back home, we match them up with a scholarship and with academic programs,” Arnold said. “I send them information about their future major and help them make their decision easier.”
For many students, that decision could redefine what feels possible.
“I’m a senior, and I plan on going to college for music education,” said Amaya Greer, a trumpet player who has been performing since third grade. “I’m hoping to get scholarships out of this and hopefully learn more in case I do want to audition for other schools. One thing I like about band is the community and how music really affects lives."
“I can touch people just by playing my instrument," said Greer, a student at Uniondale High School in Long Island.
Beyond individual success stories, organizers hope the fair reshapes how students see themselves in marching band culture.
“Students compare themselves to big collegiate bands and think they’re not good enough,” John said. “But those bands are made up of musicians at different levels. Wherever you are, you are good enough.”
As auditions began, students moved between warm up rooms and performance spaces, clutching instruments and steadying nerves. In a city where arts programs often face cuts, the fair offered something rare: a direct pipeline from practice room to possibility. For one morning in Brooklyn, the road to the South ran straight through a music stand.
