Dunbar takes first in state marching band championships

LOUISVILLE — The Paul Laurence Dunbar High School marching band took first place over reigning champ Lafayette at the Kentucky Music Educators Association state finals Saturday night.

This marks the 21st year in the competition's 25-year history that one of the two Lexington bands has taken first place in Class 5A. Lafayette finished second Saturday.

A sea of parents and friends wearing black and red sweaters cheered wildly when Dunbar was presented the Governor's Cup award for the first time since 2007.

"The bands were all great, and all of them deserve to win," said Charlene Henning, a Dunbar band parent. "We've worked hard for it, just as every band out here has."

Dunbar and Lafayette were among 80 who earned a spot in the semifinals held at several football stadiums throughout Louisville. Twenty bands — four in each class — made the cut for the finals at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium held later in the day.

Bourbon County, the only other Bluegrass-area band to make the finals, was the reigning 3A champion from 2009. The 70-member band from Paris finished in second place Saturday night behind Adair County.

Several other Central Kentucky bands made it to the semifinals. Lexington Christian Academy and Paris High School competed in Class 1A; East Jessamine, West Jessamine and Madison Southern in Class 4A; and George Rogers Clark and Henry Clay in Class 5A.

Bands are divided into classes 1A through 5A based on high-school enrollment and are judged based on musical performance, visual performance and general effect. "To get to the top, you have to have the entire package," said Joe Stites, KMEA state president.

To earn a spot in the quarterfinals, which were held last weekend at sites all over Kentucky, bands had to earn at least one Proficient or Distinguished rating during the season.

The 80 bands who competed in the semifinals were the top scorers from 122 that competed in quarterfinals. Stites said judges are trained to assign scores based on both individual and group performance, scrutinizing everything from individual posture and spacing to intonation and overall sound.

"Not only are you being encouraged to achieve yourself, but you're achieving with other people," he said. "You're depending on those other people, and they're depending upon you.

"That's a wonderful thing for any of us and certainly part of the 21st-century skills we're trying to teach all these students."

Bands were given fifteen minutes to set up props and equipment, warm up, perform, and exit the field, which can be a daunting time limit.

Most finalists required an army of volunteers to set up props on the field, and at least one all-terrain vehicle or golf cart to haul trailers holding percussion instruments.

The first band played at 10 a.m. Saturday, with the final band taking the field at 10:45 p.m.

But waking up early, putting in a 12-hour day and braving 40-degree temperatures are standard operating procedure for the bands, which have been practicing and competing since the dog days of summer, Stites said.

"Nobody's complaining. They're doing it because they're going to do what it takes," he said.

For a photo gallery from the state championships, go to Kentucky.com

This story was originally published October 31, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Dunbar takes first in state marching band championships."