James Madison HS Marching Ensemble Wins First Place at Parade of Champions

From James Madison High School:

The James Madison High School Marching Ensemble won 1st Place Band in the Class AAAAA category during the 39th annual Parade of Champions sponsored by James Madison University. More than 50 high school bands competed during the October 22 event.

JMHS Band also won Best Visual, Best General Effect and Best Color Guard. These categories evaluate the technical proficiency in marching, how musically the performers play and the difficulty of the demands placed on the performers. The entire program must be coordinated to present a unified production.

"This year’s field production is designed to be competitive at a national level and has an incredibly high demand on the performers both musically and visually,” said Director Michael Hackbarth. “The incredible teamwork of the students combined with their high level of dedication and focus throughout the season has led to outstanding performances and competitive results at both the state and regional competitive level.”

JMHS Bands’ 2016 production is entitled “The Great Divide,” and features three musical movements: Polarized, Hard Times and Common Cause.

The James Madison High School Marching Band comprises 160 members, including musicians and color guard. Director is Michael Hackbarth. More information can be found athttp://www.jmhsband.org/.

2016 Performance Schedule

• Halftime during home football games
• Sept 2: Home Football v. Oakton
• Sept 16: Home Football v. McLean
• Sept 30: Homecoming Football v. Yorktown
• Oct 21: Home Football v. Fairfax
• Oct 28: Home Football v. Washington Lee

2016 Competition Schedule

• Sept 17: Bands of America Regional, Pittsburgh
• Oct 1: Marine Corps Invitational, Annapolis
• Oct 15: Bands of America Regional, Newark DE
• Oct 22-23: JMU Parade of Champions
• Oct 29: Virginia Band & Orchestra Director’s Association Assessment

Photo courtesy of Pixabay