Marching Band Takes the Field at BOA Chattanooga By: Lianna Oldham

Marching band competitions are the perfect opportunity to showcase skills, talent, and overall musical performance. According to The NewYorker, “There are more than 20,000 high school band programs in America, some with as many as 400 members. Middle schools and colleges also field bands, as do sports teams of all types and at all levels.” On October 4th, 2025, The Hillgrove High School Marching Band performed in Chattanooga for their BOA competition. BOA is ‘Bands of America’, and it’s a marching band competition where high schools across the country come together and compete. Sophomore, Reagan Grunden express how the Color prepares for the competitions, “On some weekends, we have nine to nines, and we just try to practice hard and stay focused and make sure we have all the choreo down and just stay clean and stay positive through it all.”  Junior, Lincoln Nadeau, a Drum Major in the band, expresses the motivation given to the band members, “The band directors give like a little, a little speech beforehand, and I'm just there for the vibes. I'm not really one to make people excited through a speech. So, I'm there to be happy. You know.”

When performing, band members must present themselves in front of judges and members of other schools. According to Marching.com, “Marching band competitions involve bands performing a competitive show that is judged on music, marching, and visual effect. Bands perform in preliminary rounds where they are often classified by size, and top performers advance to finals. A panel of judges provides scores based on various categories, and the final ranking is determined by the cumulative scores from the final round.” Freshman Collin James express nerves experienced when performing, “So any nerves and pressures I have, not really. I just think. I just think of all the set numbers. I think of my band. Director, Mr. Lumpkin, he's a goat. He just tells you to be confident, take deep breaths, deep and then take deep breaths out and in our second. Director, um, Brian, he says, hearts on fire, minds on ice.” Sophomore, Reagan Gruden, expresses the after feeling of the competitions, “Um, sometimes it can be hard and everyone's just in a bad mood, but other times, everyone's excited, and even though if it's bad, we're still proud of ourselves and proud of what we do on a daily basis. 

Marching band competitions are a unique opportunity for Hillgrove band students to demonstrate their talent, dedication, and teamwork. From practicing the show to performing it, The Hillgrove High School Marching Band comes together as one and do what they know best at performing and showing off their skills.