LAS CRUCES – New Mexico State University’s marching band, The Pride of New Mexico, will host a regional Bands of America competition later this month with 15 high school marching bands taking the field.
Schools from Arizona, New Mexico and Texas will be represented Saturday, Sept. 17 at Aggie Memorial Stadium. Centennial, Las Cruces and Organ Mountain high schools are among the local schools set to compete. This will be the first time a BOA championship is held in New Mexico.
BOA is an organization that hosts national marching band competitions at the high school level. It is part of the nonprofit Music For All, which works to expand opportunities for music students and educators involved in marching band, symphonic band, orchestra and choir.
“Music for All is about building leaders and celebrating teachers. The Bands of America Championship in Las Cruces is a celebration of music education at its finest, showcasing the excellence, teamwork, and student leadership of the region’s outstanding marching bands,” said Jeremy L. Earnhart, president and CEO of Music for All, in a news release. “These young performers and their achievements advocate for the importance of music education in schools locally and nationwide.”
The upcoming competition is one of 26 BOA championships that will be held across the country this fall. The 15 schools will compete in the preliminary competition where they will be judged by a group of nationally recognized music educators and marching band experts. The 12 highest scoring bands will go on to compete in the finals competition later that same evening.
Top bands from across the country will end their marching season by competing in the BOA Grand National Championships Nov. 10-12. Students will have the chance to perform inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Members of the public are welcome to head out to Aggie Memorial Stadium this month to take in the music and choreography executed by the high performing bands. Tickets are $25 for prelims and finals, or $40 for all-day passes. Children 10 and under will be admitted for free. People can purchase tickets online at TicketMaster.com.
Participating high schools include:
- Andrews High, Texas
- Canutillo High, Texas
- Centennial High, New Mexico
- Cibola High, New Mexico
- Cienega High, Arizona
- Clovis High, New Mexico
- Del Valle High, Texas
- Eastwood High, Texas
- Eldorado High, New Mexico
- Grapevine High, Texas
- La Cueva High, New Mexico
- Las Cruces High, New Mexico
- Organ Mountain High, New Mexico
- Riverside High, Texas
- Volcano Vista High, New Mexico
- William Brennan High, Texas
The 45th annual Tournament of Bands hosted by NMSU is another upcoming marching band competition. High school bands from New Mexico and west Texas will take the field at Aggie Memorial Stadium Oct. 29. Ticketing information will be available at a later date.
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Leah Romero is the trending reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News and can be reached at 575-418-3442, [email protected] or @rromero_leah on Twitter.
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