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Last updated on Friday, October 16, 2015
(INDIANAPOLIS) - Outstanding high school marching bands from 20 states will compete in one of the nation’s most prominent marching band championships, Music for All’s Bands of America Grand National Championships, presented by Yamaha, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN, November 11-14.
The states include Hawaii, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.
On Nov. 11, ten schools will kick off the event with the Indianapolis Marching Band Tournament. A panel of nationally recognized music educators and marching arts experts will evaluate each competing band in the Indianapolis Marching Band Tournament Wednesday and the Grand National Championships Thursday through Saturday. Thirty bands from Thursday and Friday's preliminary competition will advance to Saturday's Semi-Finals. The top 12 scoring bands on Saturday will move on to the evening Finals competition, where the Grand National Champion will be named. Paige's Music is the Official Music Store of the event.
This being Music for All's 40th Anniversary of existence as an organization and of hosting Bands of America Grand National Championships, the event is planned to be more extravagant than ever before. With many new sponsors and premier performances by bands across the nation, spectators can expect a one-of-a-kind experience.
For the first time, bands from Hawaii and Alaska (Alaska's only high school marching band) will perform at this competition. These students and directors will be flying thousands of miles to Indianapolis, many leaving their home state for the first time, to compete and represent their culture to the many spectators in attendance.
"Bands of America Championships are a program of Music for All, which has a mission to create, provide and expand positively life-changing experiences through musicfor all," according to Eric L. Martin, President and CEO of Music for All. "Active participation in music and arts is a vital part of a meaningful educational experience. The thousands of students who will perform at this championship showcase the dedication, teamwork and mastery required and fostered through music and arts education."
Grand Nationals is the largest national high school marching band championship and culminates a season of 19 Bands of America Championships held throughout the country this fall. The Bands of America Super Regional at Indianapolis was held October 23-24, also in Lucas Oil Stadium.
Schedule
The Indianapolis Marching Band Tournament begins on Wednesday Nov. 11 at 6:45 p.m. and will conclude at 9:45 p.m. with the awards ceremony. The Grand National Championships preliminary competition begins on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 10:15 a.m. and will conclude at 11:30 p.m. The preliminary competition resumes on Friday Nov. 13 at 7:30 a.m. and concludes at 8:45 p.m. Gates will open for the Semi-Finals competition on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 7:00 a.m. with performances beginning at approximately 8:00 a.m. and will conclude at 4:45 p.m. Gates open for the Finals competition on Saturday Nov. 14 at 6:30 p.m. with performances beginning at 8:00 p.m.All times are tentative pending the final schedule of performing bands. Current times will be listed here.
Eleven Indiana bands compete in this national competition
Eleven Indiana bands, including Avon High School, Ben Davis High School, Carmel High School, Center Grove High School, Goshen High School, Homestead High School, Lake Central High School, Lawrence Township High School, Monrovia High School, New Palestine High School and Triton Central High School will compete in the Grand National Championships.
Indianapolis Marching Band Tournament Nov. 11
The four-day event begins as ten marching bands perform in the Indianapolis Marching Band Tournament, presented by Yamaha, from 6:45 p.m.-9:45 p.m. at Lucas Oil Stadium. The marching bands from Arlington High School, Arsenal Technical High School, Broad Ripple Magnet High School, Crispus Attucks High School, Emmerich Manual High School, George Washington Community High School, John Marshall Community High School, Key Learning Community, Northwest High School and Shortridge Magnet High School and will compete in the Indianapolis Marching Band Tournament.
Spirit judges will award the most spirited, enthusiastic school with the Spirit Award and a $1,000 scholarship for the school's band program. Tickets are available FREE in advance of the event from any of the bands participating in the Indianapolis Marching Band Tournament or at the Ticket Office during the Wednesday evening event for $5.
Music for All is hosting the Indianapolis Marching Band Tournament as part of Grand Nationals, giving the Indianapolis school marching band members the opportunity to perform in a professional stadium at no cost to the schools. The tournament is one of the many ways Music for All supports music education in Indianapolis Public Schools.
Special Events
Three college bands will perform in exhibition: The University of Cincinnati Bearcat Marching Band and the University of Kentucky Wildcat Marching Band on Friday evening and Western Carolina University Pride of the Mountains Marching Band on Saturday evening.
Friday evening's festivities will include the presentation of the Patrick John Hughes Parent/Booster Award, a national award honoring an outstanding band parent and supporter and named in honor of Louisville resident Patrick John Hughes, co-author with his son Patrick Henry of "I Am Potential."
Special events include programs for future music educators, student leaders, music education advocates and a three-day Expo in Lucas Oil Stadium.
Ticket information
Tickets are still available for the Grand National Championships at Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster by phone and at the Lucas Oil Stadium ticket office. Tickets for the four days of events range from $5 to $117.
Children ages 10 and under are free for general admission seats.
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