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Marching Bands Play Up Their Strengths

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By LIZ BLEAU, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 10, 2007

BLOOMINGDALE - It's Friday night football without the football - seven hours of halftime performances as high school bands compete in the annual marching band festival.

Under clear bright skies with the crispness of fall in the air, 23 Hillsborough County bands competed Nov. 3 at Bloomingdale High School, feathers flying, metal buttons sparkling and wind instruments polished as smooth as mirrors.

The bands were not competing for trophies or ribbons, but for rankings that ranged from fair to superior, as part of the Florida Bandmasters Association's annual District 7 music performance assessment. From the Northwest area of the county, Leto High was ranked excellent, and Alonso High earned a superior ranking. Sickles High did not participate in the competition.

In all, more than 2,300 band members strutted, drummed or danced their way through 10-minute routines in a competition that began at 3 p.m. and didn't end till nearly 10.

The festival scheduled the bands according to size, from smaller bands - such as the two-year-old, 36-member Lennard High ensemble, to the 247-musician-strong Bloomingdale band.

The music was as varied as the colors of the band and auxiliary uniforms - from vintage Jackson 5 numbers belted out by Armwood High to Chamberlain's James Bond themes and Gaither High's Metallica tunes.

For Chamberlain drummer Brian Kane, 15, being in the band is about commitment.

"It's several days a week during school and after school and games on Fridays, probably 10 to 12 hours a week," he said. "But it's fun."

Reporter Liz Bleau can be reached at (813) 865-1557 or lbleau@tampatrib.com.

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