Mike Wolanin | The Republic
The Sound and Spirit of Columbus marching band performs before the annual rivalry football game between Columbus North and Columbus East at Columbus North High School in Columbus, Ind., Aug. 26.
INDIANAPOLIS — The 49th ISSMA Marching Band season steps off on Oct. 1st. This year’s events will feature 169 Indiana High School Marching Bands participating in the Festival, Scholastic, or Open Class.
The Festival Class is a non-competitive classification which places a greater emphasis on the musical aspects of the performance. The Scholastic Class was created in 2013 and takes into consideration band size as well as school enrollment.
The Open Class is for those bands desiring to perform at the state finals held at Lucas Oil Stadium by qualification through a Regional and Semi-state event.
The Sound and Spirit of Columbus Marching Band, the combined band of Columbus East and Columbus North high schools, is competing in the open class this year. The band’s regional competition will be Oct. 15 in Greenwood, with the performance set at 4:30 p.m.
Scholastic Class and Open Class Bands receive an educational assessment in the performance and effectiveness of the music and visual aspects of their performance. All bands, regardless of classification, receive a Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Participation rating based upon their level of achievement.
Festival class events will be held at Southport High School and Crown Point High School on Oct. 1st. The Scholastic Class Prelims followed by the Open Class Invitational will be held on Oct. 8th at Homestead High School in Ft. Wayne, Chesterton High School, Whiteland Community High School, and the Jerry Brewer Stadium in Jasper.
Open Class Regionals will be held on Oct. 15th at Carroll High School in Ft. Wayne, Lafayette Jefferson High School, Center Grove High School in Greenwood, and Evansville Central High School.
Scholastic Class Bands receiving a Gold Rating at the Scholastic Prelims will perform at the Scholastic Finals on Oct. 22nd at Franklin Central in Indianapolis.
The top 10 Open Class bands in class at each regional site will participate in the Open Class Semi-state to be held on Oct. 29th at Franklin Community High School (Open D), Decatur Central High School/Indianapolis (Open C), Pike High School/Indianapolis (Open B), and Ben Davis High School/Indianapolis (Open A).
Admission at each event is $8 for adults and $5 for students and preschoolers.
The State Marching Band Finals will be held on Nov. 5th at Lucas Oil Stadium, where the four State Champion bands will be crowned. Admission for the State Finals is $22 for adults and $18 for students and preschoolers.
