ASU’s Mighty Marching Band selected to compete in Battle of the Bands
ASU’s Mighty Marching Hornets Band Will “March On” to the 13th Annual Honda Battle of the Bands Nationwide Invitational Showcase – One of only eight bands selected nationwide to compete. – Awarded a $20,000 grant to support music education plus all travel/accommodations free. Alabama State University’s Mighty Marching Hornets Band will join a select group of the nation‘s most prestigious marching bands representing America‘s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to participate in the 13th annual Honda Battle of the Bands. It’s one of only eight bands selected nationwide to compete in the top HBCU band event in the nation. The bands will take the Georgia Dome by storm on January 24, 2015, when they showcase their incredible musical talent and electrifying showmanship in front of tens of thousands of fans and observers in Atlanta, Ga. ASU will receive a $20,000 grant from Honda to support its music education programs, plus travel funds and accommodations paid for in Atlanta for the Invitational Showcase, said James Oliver, director of ASU’s band. “We are so very happy that the judges selected the Mighty Marching Hornets to be among the elite eight HBCU bands who will be battling it out in Atlanta for the top place among all the bands in the nation,” Oliver said. “We feel that because of all of the hard work, early and late night band practices and the great spirit and talent that our student-musicians have shown will allow us to triumph at the Battle of the Bands,” Oliver added. Since this summer, ASU’s band has also been the focal point of a nationwide A&E television documentary, which will premier in January on the A&E Network about the Mighty Marching Hornets of ASU. “This has been an incredible year for our band with all of its positive recognition and for our University with the dynamic leadership of our new president, Dr. Gwendolyn Boyd,” Oliver said. The eight bands performing at this year‘s Honda Invitational Showcase include: “¢ Alabama State University, Mighty Marching Hornets (Southwestern Athletic Conference); “¢ Bethune-Cookman University, Marching Wildcats (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference); “¢ Howard University, Showtime Marching Band (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference); performing at Honda Battle of the Bands for the first time; “¢ Jackson State University, Sonic Boom of the South (Southwestern Athletic Conference); “¢ North Carolina A&T University, Blue and Gold Marching Machine (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference); “¢ Southern University, Human Jukebox (Southwestern Athletic Conference); “¢ Talladega College, Marching Tornado Band (Gulf Coast Athletic Conference); performing at Honda Battle of the Bands for the first time; “¢ Tennessee State University, Aristocrat of Bands (Ohio Valley Conference).
