INDIANAPOLIS — America's premiere national marching band event is in Indianapolis this weekend.
Young musicians are competing for the title of Grand National Champion.
Bands of America Grand National Championships draws talent from across the country to Lucas Oil Stadium.
This year, 113 bands are represented.
One of those bands is from Nicholas County, Kentucky.
“We’re a little band from a little town. We don’t get that much," Samara Spoonemore said. "We’ve been practicing every day from 2:05 to 5:30.”
More than 15,000 students from across 20 states are at Lucas Oil this weekend.
"This is the largest Grand Nationals we’ve ever had here in Indianapolis and Bands of America,” Spoonemore said.
James Stephens with Music For All says competing in the championships enriches a student’s life.
“So many of my peers that are not in music or teaching but still point to band as an activity that helped create the same tenacity and skill sets that’s brought so much success to their careers," Stephens said.
30 bands will advance to the semi-finals on Saturday.
The 12 highest-scoring bands will advance to the Saturday evening's finals, starting at 7.
The top-scoring band will be named Grand National Champion at the end of the night.
Whether they win or lose, Spoonemore says she’s learned a lot from the experience.
“Teamwork. Communication skills, listening to people, being good with time. You can’t be late, you can’t come two hours early," she said.
This year, Bands of America had 30 championship events across the country.
Grand Nationals marks the end of the 2024 season.
