Seven marching bands from across the state will travel to Union on Saturday, September 24th to compete in the annual Ryle High School Tournament of Bands.
The Kentucky Music Educators Association sanctioned tournament has quickly become the premier marching band competition in the region.
“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 an 8-minute Broadway show on the road.”
Bands participating in the tournament represent six Kentucky high schools: Beechwood High School, Henry County High School, Lloyd Memorial High School, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Henry Clay 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. “The College Entrance Examination Board found that students involved in public school music programs scored 107 points higher on the SAT’s than students with no participation,” said Elliott.
“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.”
According to Music for All, one of the largest and most influential national music education organizations in support of active music making, arts involvement teaches children many skills necessary to succeed in life, including problem solving and decision making, building self-confidence and self-discipline, the ability to imagine what might be and to accept responsibility for it, teamwork, the development of informed perception, and articulating a vision.
The Journal of Research in Music Education, cited 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 seven bands, begins at 2:30 pm. All the bands will then compete in finals beginning at 7 p.m. The Ryle Marching Raiders will perform an exhibition of this year’s show, “American Tapestry: Hope, Struggle, Acceptance,” prior to the 9 p.m. trophy presentations.
Encore Sponsors are Kona Ice and Balluff. Accent Sponsors: Commonwealth Orthopaedic Centers, L&N Federal Credit Union, Papa John’s Pizza and Flipdaddy’s.
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.
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.