Six schools from around the state came to Lexington High School for the 42nd Annual Festival of Champions on Saturday, Sept. 27.
The festival is part of the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) Adjudicated Events. Marching bands from the participating schools came to Richland County to compete for a ranking or rating that would possibly put them in a place to compete at the state competition in November.
Schools typically start preparing for the marching band season in July. According to Lexington High School Marching Band Director Kevin Taylor, they start practicing before school starts because in order to qualify for the state competition, the band must practice and compete in competitions like the one they hosted.
Lexington did not compete for a ranking in this competition. Rankings are based on a 300-point scale in which the band is judged in five categories: music, percussion, visual, general effect, and auxiliary. Those individual scores are then averaged for a final score.
Instead, Lexington received a rating from the judges. Rating is based on five ratings, Rating I being the most superior and Rating V being the least favorable performance. After their performance, Lexington received a favorable Rating I, qualifying them for the State Competition. This year is Taylor’s first year of being Lexington’s marching band director.
Their routine was themed “The Resistance,” with songs from Cirque du Soleil, “Transformers,” and “Man of Steel.”
“I love doing this because I’m able to see students achieve a potential and levels they would maybe have never done,” said Taylor. “It’s really exciting to see that.”
Madison High School was also present, but this performance was their second, so their director, Bill Fowles decided to receive “comments only.” Therefore, the marching band only received constructive criticism for their performance so they may improve for future OMEA performances.
“The students are really enjoying this even though it’s something totally new to them,” said Fowles. He said before they joined the OMEA Adjudicated Events, they only did parades and half-time shows.
“It’s different than performing at half-time. Everyone here is here to listen and watch the marching band. It’s just a different atmosphere,” shared Fowles.
The other schools present at this weekend’s Festival of Champions were Wellington High School, Maumee High School, Louisville High School, Medina High School, and Olentangy High School. All schools received high rankings and number one ratings, except for Wellington who received a number two rating and a lower ranking score.
Taylor said these results are not typical.
“Out of an ‘average’ mix of bands on an average day, 40 percent at any given competition may qualify to compete at State Finals. However, all of the groups that attended our Festival on Saturday have traditions of success within the competitive marching band genre,” he said.
The school with the highest ranking score was Medina, receiving a final score of 261.95 out of 300 and a number one rating. Behind them was Louisville with a final score of 247.8, also with a number one rating.
Lexington received a number one rating, which qualifies them for the state competition in November.
The video below shows pictures of the event with music performances by Lexington and Maumee. There’s also a photo gallery at left under Related Galleries.
