Marching band earns third place trophy at Parade of Champions, makes history

This past weekend, James Madison University and the Marching Royal Dukes held their 41st annual Parade of Champions marching band competition. There was a total of 54 bands in attendance, and the Marching Blue Streak Band was one of the 12 bands competing in the AAAA class.

Scored based on individual categories such as general effect and music, the marching band received a score of 70.75. With this, they earned the third place trophy, scoring just .15 higher than the fourth place band. This was their highest Class AAAA competition placement in the school’s history and also the highest placement they’ve received in any class since 2010.

This coming Saturday they will be performing in the VBODA State Marching Assessment, where they will be awarded with an individual rating ranging from poor to superior. With a superior rating, they will have completed the first step towards becoming eligible to receive the Virginia Honor Band title for the eighth time.

Samantha Little