INDIANA — The 49th ISSMA Marching Band season steps off on October 1st. This year’s events will feature 169 Indiana High School Marching Bands participating in the Festival, Scholastic, or Open Class. The Festival Class is a non-competitive classification which places a greater emphasis on the musical aspects of the performance. The Scholastic Class was created in 2013 and takes into consideration band size as well as school enrollment. The Open Class is for those bands desiring to perform at the State Finals held at Lucas Oil Stadium by qualification through a Regional and Semi-state event. Scholastic Class and Open Class Bands receive an educational assessment in the performance and effectiveness of the music and visual aspects of their performance. All bands, regardless of classification, receive a Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Participation rating based upon their level of achievement.
Festival class events will be held at Southport High School and Crown Point High School on October 1st. The Scholastic Class Prelims followed by the Open Class Invitational will be held on October 8th at Homestead H.S. in Ft. Wayne, Chesterton H.S., Whiteland Community H.S., and the Jerry Brewer Stadium in Jasper. Open Class Regionals will be held on October 15th at Carroll H.S. in Ft. Wayne, Lafayette Jefferson H.S., Center Grove H.S. in Greenwood, and Evansville Central H.S.
Scholastic Class Bands receiving a Gold Rating at the Scholastic Prelims will perform at the Scholastic Finals on October 22nd at Franklin Central H.S. in Indianapolis. The top 10 Open Class bands in class at each Regional site will participate in the Open Class Semi-state to be held on October 29th at Franklin Community H.S. (Open D), Decatur Central H.S./Indianapolis (Open C), Pike H.S./Indianapolis (Open B), and Ben Davis H.S./Indianapolis (Open A). Admission at each event is $8.00 for adults and $5.00 for students and preschoolers.
The State Marching Band Finals will be held on November 5th at Lucas Oil Stadium, where the four State Champion bands will be crowned. Admission for the State Finals is $22.00 for adults and $18.00 for students and preschoolers.
Composite schedules for each Festival, Scholastic Prelims, Open Invitational and Open Regional site are now available at www.issma.net