One of the things most commonly associated with this time of the year (fall) is football, for this article, I am specifically referring to high school football. Something else that shouldn’t be overlooked each fall, especially in regards to high school football, is marching bands – the fall is their season too, and we have some amazingly talented high school marching bands in the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC). During their season, the bands not only entertain crowds every Friday night during halftime of the football game, but they also face off against other marching bands in the hopes of winning a state championship.

Marching band
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In the weeks leading up to the state competition, each EVSC high school hosts an invitational competition - complete with judges, scoring, and awards - that features other bands from around the area. Not only do these events allow the bands to hone their skills and perfect their routines, but they also serve as great fundraisers for the school’s music program.

Marching band
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In Evansville, one invitational event has already happened, with four more scheduled for the coming weeks. Below is the schedule of events if you would like to attend. If you have never been to a marching band competition, I cannot encourage you strongly enough to attend one. I can almost guarantee you will be blown away by the talent and precision that is on display, especially if you knew how much time and effort goes into these programs (I can tell you it is a LOT). It’s even more impressive when you keep in mind these are all students that still have homework and grades to think about, many of them have jobs, and some of these students are still in middle school for crying out loud.

2022 EVSC Marching Band Invitationals

  • Harrison High School - Saturday, September 17th
  • North High School - Saturday, September 24th
  • F.J. Reitz High School - Saturday, October 1st. Yours truly will be the emcee once again for this year's "Drill on the Hill."
  • Bosse High School - Tuesday, October 11th. Yes, it is on a Tuesday, and I will be the emcee for this event as well.

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2022 State Competitions

The Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) regional competitions will be held on Saturday, October 15, at four Indiana high schools, including Central High School in Evansville. The bands that advance will then perform at the semi-state competition on Saturday, October 29. The next stops for the bands that advance there will be the state finals, held on Saturday, November 5, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Step Back in Time: 1977 PCHS Band Plays President Inauguration

Even though it was 44 years ago, Winnie McConnell remembers January 20, 1977 like it was yesterday. That icy-cold day was President Jimmy Carter's Inauguration. The Princeton Community Tigers Marching Band had the immense honor of marching down Pennsylvania Avenue in the Inaugural Parade.

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