http://tnstatenewsroom.com/archives/7726

Aristocrat of Bands Invited to Participate in Nation’s Top Marching Band Event

NASHVILLE (TSU News Service) – The TSU Aristocrat of Bands, the first by an HBCU, has been invited to perform at the Bands of America Grand National Championship, considered the nation’s premier marching band event.

The TSU team will be part of a selected few university and college bands from across the nation to be featured at the competition of more than 90 high school bands in Indianapolis, Ind., in November.

According to Dr. Reginald A. McDonald, Acting Director of Bands at TSU, the Aristocrat of Bands will join bands from Murray State University and Western Carolina University to conduct exhibition performances during the annual competition.

“We see this as a great opportunity for our band and Tennessee State University to expose other people to what’s good and outstanding about TSU,” Dr. McDonald said. “This affords us opportunities for outreach, education and for recruitment into our music and other academic programs here.”

He said college and university marching bands are invited to perform during breaks as a way of exposing the high school bands to the “marching style” of band drill.

“Unlike high school bands that generally practice in ‘traditional style,’ college and university marching bands are show and performance based where members move at different paces and conduct different maneuvers while playing their instruments,” McDonald said.

In preliminary competition on the first day of the tournament, up to 36 bands will advance to the semi-finals, which take place the next day. Twelve bands advance to finals on the same day. All performances take place in Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis Nov. 7-8.

According to “marching.com,” the official web news service of the Bands of America Grand National Championship, the event creates “an aura of excellence that fosters healthy competition and professional development.”

Since its inception in 1946, and subsequently becoming a show band under the administration of second TSU President Dr. Walter S. Davis, the Aristocrat of Bands has been featured at many international and national events, including half-time shows at several NFL games, Bowl games and Classics, and Presidential Inauguration – the latest that of Bill Clinton in 1993.

Visit http://www.tnstate.edu/music/aristocrats.aspx and read more about the TSU Aristocrat of Bands.