By Natalie Fulton
Fans and families alike enjoyed the loud fanfares and smooth ballads that filled the warm Arizona air.
The crowd roared for each of the 37 high school marching bands that took the field for competition in the 57th Annual University of Arizona Band Day. Bands from Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas gathered at Arizona Stadium on Oct. 30.
Upon being welcomed and introduced by the booming voice of Arizona Stadium’s announcer, Jody Oehler, the band’s drum majors saluted and began conducting their peers in performance.
Each band performed an eight-minute marching show, with musical selections ranging from Beethoven to Michael Jackson. Dancers accompanied them with brightly colored flags, set props and visual effects executed by the movement of musicians’ bodies and instruments.
The Chandler High School Band impressed the crowd with their use of white folding chairs. Each member of the roughly 100-person band brought a chair onto the field, using it simultaneously and effortlessly in poses and movement. The host, UA’s Pride of Arizona Marching Band, performed their show inspired by the band Muse.
The day filled with great music and high energy entertained an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 spectators. The upper east side of the stadium was packed with supporters trying to find a shady area to escape the Arizona heat. Parents moved to the lower level of the stadium, bearing the sun for a few minutes, to video and photograph their student’s band performance. Fans of every band clapped and cheered after each show, supporting all of the students involved.
While Band Day is a great opportunity for high school students to enjoy other bands, it is still a competition. Judges score the bands in several categories: musical performance, music general effects, visual performance, visual general effects, percussion and auxiliary.
The scores are totaled and ratings of “good,” “excellent” or “superior” are given to each band. The most outstanding band or bands are presented with the prestigious Nunamaker Award. This year, the Nunamaker Award was awarded to two schools: Mountain Ridge High School from Glendale, Ariz. and Bel Air High School from El Paso, Texas.
The UA Band Department and the Glassman Foundation hosted the day-long event. The Glassman Foundation raises money for organizations that provide Southern Arizona’s youth with art, recreation and education.
Fans and families alike enjoyed the loud fanfares and smooth ballads that filled the warm Arizona air.
The crowd roared for each of the 37 high school marching bands that took the field for competition in the 57th Annual University of Arizona Band Day. Bands from Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas gathered at Arizona Stadium on Oct. 30.
Upon being welcomed and introduced by the booming voice of Arizona Stadium’s announcer, Jody Oehler, the band’s drum majors saluted and began conducting their peers in performance.
Each band performed an eight-minute marching show, with musical selections ranging from Beethoven to Michael Jackson. Dancers accompanied them with brightly colored flags, set props and visual effects executed by the movement of musicians’ bodies and instruments.
The Chandler High School Band impressed the crowd with their use of white folding chairs. Each member of the roughly 100-person band brought a chair onto the field, using it simultaneously and effortlessly in poses and movement. The host, UA’s Pride of Arizona Marching Band, performed their show inspired by the band Muse.
The day filled with great music and high energy entertained an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 spectators. The upper east side of the stadium was packed with supporters trying to find a shady area to escape the Arizona heat. Parents moved to the lower level of the stadium, bearing the sun for a few minutes, to video and photograph their student’s band performance. Fans of every band clapped and cheered after each show, supporting all of the students involved.
While Band Day is a great opportunity for high school students to enjoy other bands, it is still a competition. Judges score the bands in several categories: musical performance, music general effects, visual performance, visual general effects, percussion and auxiliary.
The scores are totaled and ratings of “good,” “excellent” or “superior” are given to each band. The most outstanding band or bands are presented with the prestigious Nunamaker Award. This year, the Nunamaker Award was awarded to two schools: Mountain Ridge High School from Glendale, Ariz. and Bel Air High School from El Paso, Texas.
The UA Band Department and the Glassman Foundation hosted the day-long event. The Glassman Foundation raises money for organizations that provide Southern Arizona’s youth with art, recreation and education.
