Three months ago, 45 marching bands from the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) began the journey down the “Road to the Honda,” all competing for a spot in the 2010 Honda Battle of the Bands (HBOB) Invitational Showcase.
Out of 45 competing marching bands from the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), eight have been chosen to perform in January at the 2010 Honda Battle of the Bands (HBOB) Invitational Showcase.
Representing varied music and performance styles ranging from precision to high-stepping, the eight headlining bands are:
• Albany State University “Marching Rams” (Albany, Georgia)
• Clark Atlanta University “Mighty Marching Panthers” (Atlanta, Georgia)
• Florida A&M University “Marching 100” (Tallahassee, Florida)
• North Carolina Central University “Marching Sound Machine” (Durham, North Carolina)
• Prairie View A&M University “Marching Storm” (Prairie View, Texas)
• Southern University “Human Jukebox Marching Band” (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
• Tuskegee University “Marching Crimson Pipers” (Tuskegee, Alabama)
• Virginia State University “Trojan Explosion Marching Band” (Petersburg, Virginia)
On January 30, 2010, the bands will perform for a crowd of 60,000 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta and prove why they are the best of the best.
Marking its eighth year, the Honda Battle of the Bands is the only national scholarship program that showcases an important facet of HBCU heritage and culture – music education.
The eight winning band programs chosen to participate in this year’s Invitational Showcase will be awarded $20,000 by American Honda for their music programs in addition to the $1,000 grant they received for participation in the pre-qualifying fall campus event tour. Through this program Honda is awarding a total of $205,000 in scholarships to HBCU music programs for the 2009-10 academic year, and since the beginning of the program, has awarded grants in excess of $1 million.
Why can’t we have Alcorn State University at the Battle of the Bands?
With the exception of Southern U, and FAMU who chose these bands and what were they thinking? The performances of the bands obviously have no impact on which bands are chosen to attend. This will continue to hold this battle of the bands back from being the elite competition it could be.
I completely agree with Mr. Plummer.
As I do somewhat agree also with Mr. Plummer, I do have to admit that I have seen Prairie View get down a time or two. I think they threw a few other schools in not to always have just the SWAC and the MEAC in only, which represent the best HBCU bands in the land.
So what schools do you feel should really deserve an invite? and those who shouldn’t?
Va State is on the list …what!!!! And NSU is not…. ludicrous..
I will keep my $10.00 and stay at home that weekend.
No “Alabama State University Mighty Marching Hornets”
That’s a NO SHOW for me !!!!!!!!!!!!
you mean the Sounds Of Dyn-O-Mite from Alcorn State University didn’t make it…… yall ain’t seen nothing until you see the GG’s partna…..
Only band worht seeing is the Human Jukebox from Southern Univ………..the SWAC Baby, recognize………
While I can see how Grambling didn’t get in (they are a shadow of the great units of old) … how could you snub S.C. State Marching 101 or Norfolk State for the other marginal bands like N.C. Central and Virginia State … Clark …WTF? … I guess the organizers decided to only invite bands from broke azz schools. Good Luck! My family and I will sit this one out.
Where was UAPB?
NCCU is far from marginal. As I recall a poll was emailed for people to vote for their school as many times as they pleased. I voted several times as well as other fellow Eagles and that is why NCCU has performed for the past 2 years or more and have performed exceptionally well. EAGLE PRIDE !!!
There are outstanding bands throughout the HBCU network. It is unfortunate that all of them could not be represented in such a showcase event as the Battle of the Bands, however a procedure was established through which these bands were selected, the result of which are the bands appearing at the event. I hope that we, as HBCU alumni, can come together to support not only this event but also the myriad of events in the HBCU calendar, rather or not our individual institutions are selected. To continue the negativity toward this event only takes away from the cohesive and cooperative image that these events are striving to achieve.
NCCU should be there! In addition to this invite, they were selected to march in the Rose Bowl, what an honor! For the record, NCCU is not a broke school. They are doing well for a HBCU. Plus they got props for being a highly regarded school as listed in the US News Report. ‘
“Eagle Pride”