Bands of America

Bands of America

Formation	1975 (1975)
Purpose	High School Marching Band Competitions
Headquarters	Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Parent organization	Music for All, Inc.
Website	www.musicforall.org
Remarks	Current Grand National Champion (2016): Carmel High School (Indiana)

Bands of America (BOA), a division of Music for All, is an organization that promotes and organizes marching band competitions for high school students. Competitions include both Regional and Super Regional Championships as well as the Grand National Championships. The BOA Grand National Championships is considered the largest and most prestigious national marching band event available to high school marching bands. This annual three-day competition is currently held in the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis with about 100 high school marching bands participating from around the country. More than 50,000 participants and spectators attend the event annually. No performance qualifications are required to compete.

Bands of America places the weight of the numbers in the scoring system places 60% of the value on music and 40% on visual, and at the same time, 60% of the score is within the area of general effect and 40% within the performance area. The music performance scores (individual & ensemble) are averaged for 20%, as are the visual performance scores (individual & ensemble). The general effect music scores (20% each) are added together. The general effect visual score is also 20%.

In addition to marching band events, Music for All, Inc. organizes concert band festivals and symposia, musical and leadership clinics, as well as the Honor Band of America and the newly formed Jazz Band of America. One of the largest events of the year is the annual Summer Symposium, which offers a week of instruction from some of the most renowned musicians in the world. High school students from across the nation come together on the campus of Ball State University. The week includes camps for concert band, jazz band, percussion, marching band, colorguard, and the famous George N. Parks Drum Major Academy.

In 1976, the first Bands of America (founded in 1975 as "Marching Bands of America") marching band championship was held during the Summer National Championship in Whitewater, Wisconsin, as part of the Summer Workshop/Festival. Four years later, the first Grand National Championships (now commonly referred to as "Grand Nationals") was held at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, which was won by the J. M. Tate High School.