Fourteen marching bands from across the region converge on Union Saturday, September 26 to compete in the annual Ryle High School Tournament of Bands. These bands represent an amazing 72 finals appearances at the Kentucky Music Educators Association (KMEA) State Marching Band Championship.
“If you’ve never attended a marching band competition, you’ll be surprised by the level of artistic skill and pageantry,” said Tracy Fuchs, Ryle High School Band Booster’s president. “Each band’s show tells a story using props, music and motion. It’s like taking a 10-minute Broadway show on the road.”
Bands participating in the KMEA-sanctioned Ryle Tournament of Bands represent 13 Kentucky high schools: Beechwood High School, Williamstown High School, Henry County High School, Bourbon County High School, East Jessamine and West Jessamine High Schools, North Oldham High School, Woodford County High School, Madison Central High School, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Henry Clay High School, Tates Creek High School, and Lafayette High School; and Milford High School from Ohio.
Proceeds from the Ryle Tournament of Bands will be used for the school’s music education program, instruments, guest professional clinicians, and a new artist-in-residence program.
Ryle Band Director Robert Elliott notes that these investments will contribute to the overall success of Ryle High School.
“Schools who invest their resources throughout all the school grades by providing music education programs are making an investment into the quality of their high school graduates,” said Elliott. “A national research study showed that schools that have music programs have significantly higher graduation rates than do those without music programs (90.2% as compared to 72.9%).
According to the Journal of Research in Music Education, students in high-quality school music programs score higher on standardized tests compared to students in schools with deficient music education programs, regardless of the socioeconomic level of the school or school district.
The Ryle Tournament of Bands preliminary competition, featuring performances by all 14 bands, begins at 12:30 p.m. The top ten bands will compete in finals beginning at 7 p.m. The Ryle Marching Raiders will perform an exhibition of this year’s show, “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” prior to the trophy presentations.
All admission tickets are for general seating and will be sold at the gate for $10 for those 12 and older, $5 for those 55 and older, and are free for children 11 and younger. The tournament takes place at Borland Stadium at Ryle High School, 10379 U.S. 42, Union, KY.
A full schedule and more information about the Ryle Tournament of Bands can be accessed from the Ryle Band website at www.ryleband.com.
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IF YOU GO:
Marching Band Tournament Etiquette:
Do not enter or leave the stadium while a band is performing.
Do not talk on cell phone during band performance.
Do not allow children to play in the stands.
Do not make negative comments about other bands or judges.
Do not obstruct the view of others.
Thank you for promoting High School Fine Arts. Hundreds of teenagers spend long hours working on outstanding routines. Worth watching their accomplishments on the field! Northern Kentucky families united through music