Marching bands taking next steps

The Sound of North marching band defeated 50 bands from around the Midwest to advance to the finals of the Bands of America super regional competition Oct. 24 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The North marching band competed in the preliminary competition the day before, earning third place in Class AAA and securing one of 14 spots for the finals, said Keith Burton, Columbus North High School assistant band director. During the finals, Sound of North finished 13th. In total, 64 bands from Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Texas, Kentucky and Tennessee competed in the Oct. 23 preliminaries.

The Columbus East Olympian Spirit Marching Band also performed Oct. 24, competing in the Whiteland Community High School Invitational, finishing in eighth place among eight bands.

Many of the competitors at the invitational had qualified for Saturday’s semistate competition, so the competition was stiff, said David Rodgers, Columbus East High School band director.

The Olympians will take the weekend off while Sound of North competes in the semistate competition at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis.

East will compete in the Mid-States Band Association preliminaries Nov. 7 in Mason, Ohio. If the Olympians earn a top 10 spot during the preliminary competition, they will advance to the Mid-States finals, also on Nov. 7.

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Indiana State School Music Association Class A Semi-State Competition

  • When: Oct. 31, Columbus North performance at 3:10 p.m.
  • Where: Ben Davis High School, 1200 N Girls School Road, Indianapolis
  • Cost: $7 for adults, $5 for students, preschoolers
  • Competition: The Sound of North will need to place in the top 10 bands to advance to the state finals Nov. 7 at Lucas Oil Stadium

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