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State Military Marching Band Contest Information

Contest Schedule

The military state contest will be held annually. There will be four divisions:

  • 1A/2A (combined) and 4A 
  • 3A and 5A/6A (combined) 

Eligibility

Any high school varsity marching band that declares the military track when entering the region contest shall be eligible to enter the State Military Marching Band Contest, provided that band receives an overall division 1 rating at the region contest. Each year, bands declaring the intent to advance beyond the region contest must choose either the open class track or the military track, but not both.

Entry Requirements

Entry for each band shall be completed by following the instructions on the UIL website.

An entry fee will be assessed. Other fees associated with contest expenses may also be assessed.

Rules

Participant bands shall follow the published rules of the state military marching band contest, including performance regulations. 

Performance Regulations

Performance regulations as listed in C&CR Section 1105 Region Marching Band Contest shall apply, with the following exceptions:

(1) Any band that leaves the field in less than five minutes or fails to complete its performance in eight minutes shall be disqualified.

(2) Any band that utilizes electronics or amplification of any kind shall be disqualified.

(3) Any band that utilizes props of any kind shall be disqualified. Batons, maces, and flags are not considered props.

(4) Performance style shall be that of a traditional military marching band - to include music that consists primarily of military marches, marching that consists primarily of forward linear motion, and step size that is either 30 inches or 22.5 inches. Brief periods of adjusted step size are permitted. Each judge shall consider any deviation from this performance style when adjudicating the bands

Adjudication

The state music office shall assign five judges consisting of three music judges and two marching judges. Criteria, as outlined on the state military marching band contest music and marching adjudication sheets, shall be followed. 

Preliminary Round and Final Round

The five highest ranking bands in each division shall advance from the preliminary round to the final round. The final ranking in each round will be determined by adding the rankings of all five judges for each band. Unless otherwise noted, all related ranking procedures as defined in the C&CR and on the UIL website will be observed.

Awards

The following awards will be given:

(1) Each non-finalist band shall receive a participant plaque.

(2) 4th and 5th place in each division shall receive a finalist trophy.

(3) The top three places in each division shall receive the gold (1st), silver (2nd), and bronze (3rd) medalist trophies and corresponding draped medals.