INDIANAPOLIS — 88 high school marching bands from seven states are competing in the Bands of America Indianapolis Super Regional Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium this weekend.
Terre Haute North Vigo High School seniors Michael Barnett and Oliver Staley-Henne are among the 13,000 musicians participating in the event.
They say hard work and many hours of practice go into a performance.
“Before a comp, we have practices throughout the week," Barnett said. "They range anywhere from three to seven hours at a time."
“More so than the music and the marching, I love the people," Staley-Henne said. "I love being able to come together and commit to one thing and bring all we have to the table."
Preliminary competitions take place all day Friday and early Saturday. Performances are evaluated by a panel of nationally recognized music educators and marching band experts.
Bands receive recorded evaluations and score sheets from each judge. The performances are judged on musical as well as visual elements.
14 of the highest-scoring bands move on to finals.
“A show design is almost theater on the field that is presented to students as early as the late spring," James Stephens with Music for All said. "They spend hours in the summer preparing and learning the specific show."
Stephens says as much as the Indianapolis Super Regional is a competition, it’s also about developing lifelong skills.
“Though we do have trophies, the main focus of Bands of America is to celebrate students, the hard work and dedication that they are putting on the field," Stephens said. "We know the students of today are the leaders of tomorrow."
The Grand National Championship will be at Lucas Oil Stadium November 14-16.
