MISD Bands Bring Home the Gold
West Texas is famous for its high school marching bands, none more reknown than the
Bulldog Band from Midland High and the Mighty Rebel Band from Robert E. Lee. Both groups received the top rating of Division I at the Region 6 UIL Marching Contest held last Saturday at Ratliff Stadium
in Odessa. Their scores advance them to the UIL Area Marching Contest, which will also be held at Ratliff Stadium, this Saturday, October 25.
The Area contest will play host to the top bands from five UIL Regions. Region 1 will be represented by Amarillo High School. Region 2, which takes in northern Tarrant County near Ft. Worth, will be sending bands from Justin: Northwest High School and the marching squads from all three high schools in Keller ISD, Keller High, Fossil Ridge and Central. MHS and Lee will be joined by Odessa High, Permian and San Angelo Central from Region 6. Competing groups from Region 16 will include Abilene High and Lubbock's Coronado and Monterrey High Schools. From way out west in El Paso, bands will travel in from Hanks, Americas, Bel Air, Franklin and Eastwood High Schools.
The 18 bands will march in a preliminary round beginning at 10:00 am. Five judges, three concentrating on marching and two on music, will rank the bands and advance the top seven to the finals. Finals begin at 6:30 and will end with the top three performance groups advancing to the State UIL Marching Contest in San Antonio's Alamodome, Tuesday, November 4. For a complete schedule of the Area Contest, click here.
Bulldog Band Takes Tops in Tall City
Midland High School's Bulldog Band took top honors at the Tall City Marching Contest Saturday, October 4 at Grande Stadium. In fact, the Bulldogs sunk their teeth into all the awards there were to snap up at the event hosted by Lee High's Rebel Band. The highlight of the evening was an exhibition performance by the Mighty Rebel Band and the moment when the band in maroon presented the band in purple a trophy as the "Grand Champion Band" of the entire competition.
Out of the 18 marching bands competing, the Bulldog brigade captured the awards for "Outstanding Brass Section," "Outstanding Woodwind Section," "Outstanding Percussion Section," "Outstanding Colorguard" and "First Place in Class 5A." The victory was even sweeter as the Midland High bandsmen went toe to toe with West Texas award-winners like Odessa, Permian and Abilene High Schools.
As for the critical response of the five contest judges, "They enjoyed the overall design and general effect of the show," remarked MHS head band director, Brian Collins, "and basically they got picky on everything, which is exactly what we need this time of year." Both Lee and Midland High School bands will compete in the Region 6 UIL Marching Contest at Ratliff Stadium in Odessa Saturday, October 18 hoping to take the first step in qualifying for the 5A UIL State Marching Contest in November.
For a complete schedule of the Region 6 Marching Contest, click here.
