Denton will be the site of two separate high school marching band competitions this Saturday.
A total of 28 bands from across the state will participate in the Golden Triangle Marching Classic at Denton ISD’s C.H. Collins Athletic Complex.
Apogee Stadium at the University of North Texas will be the site of the Dairy Queen Bands of America Regional Championship, where 24 other Texas high school marching bands are slated to compete.
At each competition, the 10 bands with the highest scores will advance to Saturday night’s finals. Each competition has seven judges who will score bands on music, visuals and general effect.
An audience of roughly 5,000 is expected to attend the Bands of America regionals, said Erin Fortune, a spokeswoman for Music for All. Bands of America is a program of Music for All, a not-for-profit music education group.
Saturday’s event in Denton is one of 18 regional championships being conducted around the country and one of three scheduled in Texas over the next several weeks. Denton County bands competing in the contest include Guyer, Lewisville, Trophy Club Nelson, Flower Mound and Flower Mound Marcus high schools.
“When you come to a Bands of America event, you just feel the level of excitement, and everyone is happy to be there,” Fortune said. “We believe that it’s more than just a competition. We believe it’s about coming together as one big music community.”
Preliminary performances begin at 8:45 a.m. Finals are slated to start at 7:45 p.m. At the close of the preliminary contest, the University of North Texas will perform an exhibition.
A day pass is available for $26, and general admission tickets for the preliminary competition or final contest are $17 each. General admission is free for children younger than 10, and there’s a $5 discount for students, senior citizens, and members of the military and their spouses.
The Golden Triangle Marching Classic is in its 11th year. Proceeds from the competition benefit the Denton High School band, which is playing host to the event and is slated to perform an exhibition Saturday. It will not be among the competing bands. Among the competing bands participating Saturday from Denton County are Argyle, Little Elm and Ryan high schools.
According to the Golden Triangle Marching Classic, a mix of University Interscholastic League and Bands of America formats will be used to score the competing marching bands.
“The Golden Triangle Classic has become one of the area’s top marching band competitions with renowned judges from across the state awarding trophies to the top three bands and recognitions for marching, visual effect, general effect, color guard and music,” according to a Denton ISD statement.
Tickets to the Golden Triangle Marching Classic are $10. Varying concession items will be available.
For more information on the Texas Dairy Queen Bands of America Regional Championship, visit www.musicforall.org or call 1-800-828-2263.
For details about the Golden Triangle Marching Classic, call Denton High band director Brian Wilson at 940-369-2000 or visit www.dentonisd.org/gtclassic.
BRITNEY TABOR can be reached at 940-566-6876 and via Twitter at @BritneyTabor.
