(THE REPORTER) — Nearly 16,500 high school students from 20 states will perform at the Bands of America Grand National Championship, presented by Yamaha, Nov. 14-16 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Locally, three high school bands from Hamilton County will compete: Carmel, Fishers and Noblesville.

A record 113 bands are scheduled to compete from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The Bands of America Championships is the nation’s premier marching band event, showcasing outstanding student musicians and visual performances.

The competition will last for three days, Thursday to Saturday. The preliminary competition starts Thursday morning at 7 a.m. and concludes on Friday with a special performance by the Missouri State University Pride Marching Band at 20.45

“Marching band is even more than music and performance; it’s a powerful experience that builds discipline, teamwork and lifelong memories,” said Dr. Jeremy Earnhart, president and CEO of Music for All, the parent organization of Bands of America. the national championships are the pinnacle of performance opportunities for high school bands. Participation takes the benefits of participating in music to the next level, challenging high school students to strive for excellence, showcase their talents on a national stage, and feel the pride of being a part of something truly extraordinary. The benefits that are developed from participation in school music are the soft skills that employers point to as skills required for their workforce.”

Grand National performances will be evaluated by a panel of nationally recognized music educators and marching band experts. Thirty bands advance to the semi-finals on Saturday. The doors open at 06.30 and the semi-final competition starts at 07:00 (actual start time will be determined after the conclusion of Friday night’s preliminary awards ceremony).

Saturday also features exhibition performances by the Ohio State University Marching Band at 3 p.m. and the University of Michigan Marching Band at 4:30 p.m. Then, for the first time, the two schools will transcend their rivalry and perform together at 16.45. The performance will also include student musicians from United Sound, a non-profit organization whose mission is to remove barriers and promote social change through music.

The 12 bands with the highest scores advance to Saturday night’s finals, which begin at 7:00 p.m., and the top-ranking band is named the Grand National Champion at the end of the evening.

For a look at the full schedule of bands, visit marching.musicforall.org/gn.

The Bands of America Championships season included 30 events across America, culminating in the Bands of America Grand National Championships.

Tickets

All tickets are digital and via Ticketmaster, and the event is cashless. You can skip the ticket queue and buy tickets online at marching.musicforall.org/boa. Tickets are available on-site at the Lucas Oil Stadium box office.

Check out marching.musicforall.org/gn for all ticket options, including preliminaries, semi-finals, reserved seats for finals and student group tickets, as well as stadium rules to know before you go.