Marching.com News Briefs

Ten of America's best high school and university marching bands are set to step up for the thrill of a lifetime and bring the beat to the 83rd Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 26. View the list of bands along with the musical selections they will be performing. Full story >>

The American Fork H.S. Marching Band raised $250,000 in two days to compete at the Bands of America Grand National Championships and honor their heroic assistant band director, Heather Christensen, who died in October while trying to keep a bus carrying band students from crashing. Full story >>

More than 90 marching bands from 20 states will perform in the 2009 Bands of America Grand National Championships, presented by Yamaha, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis November 11-14. Full story >>

As the fall season for high school and college marching bands nears the end, drum and bugle corps are already looking ahead to next year. Units that compete on the Drum Corps International summer tour will hold auditions for prospective members in November and December. Full story >>

The United States Postal Service has issued a commemorative stamp in four designs celebrating Thanksgiving Day parades and prominently featuring a marching band. Full story >>

PepWear has donated 12,000 brand new t-shirts and hoodies to National Relief Charities, a nonprofit dedicated to quality of life for Native Americans living on poverty-stricken reservations. Full story >>

NAMM Foundation Music Products Industry Scholarships offer tuition scholarships of $2,500 to $5,000 to support full-time music business and music education college students who demonstrate unique qualifications and proven interest in pursuing careers in the music products industry. The deadline to apply is Sept. 30, 2009. Full story >>

Halftime Magazine, in conjunction with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, is giving your band a chance to win a private screening of the new movie, Fame. Hurry—the deadline to enter is August 10, 2009. Full story >>

Band directors can expose their students to powerful marching programs presented by drum and bugle corps during this year's Drum Corps International summer tour. Groups ordering 25 or more tickets qualify for ticket discounts, and select events will feature pre-show educational clinics. Full story >>

A new documentary takes viewers behind the scenes as students pursue their dream of playing for the celebrated Penn State college marching band. Full story >>

Journalist Colt Foutz has written an in-depth book that serves as a biography of Cavaliers founder Don Warren and a comprehensive history of the Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps. Full story >>

The Band Shoppe has announced a search for models to appear in the 2009 Band Shoppe catalog. Full story >>

A new piece of color guard equipment is generating enthusiastic buzz among instructors and performers. The "Air Blade" spins similar to a rifle but has an unmistakable modern design. The new product was launched in May 2008 and is already being used by several World Class drum and bugle corps on the DCI summer tour. Full story >>

To celebrate the joys and benefits of playing music, NAMM—the not-for-profit association of the music products industry—has teamed with Sesame Workshop and Music for All to create a "musical extravaganza" float for the 2009 Tournament of Roses Parade. Full story >>

Stonebriar Capital, LLC, doing business as Music T's, Custom Design by Music T's and Diploma Plaques International is now PepWear, LLC. The ownership and officers of the company remain the same. Full story >>

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the premiere of The Music Man on Broadway, the North Iowa Band Festival in Mason City, Iowa will be led by a "76 Trombone Marching Band." The event committee is inviting anyone who would like to participate to join the band. Full story >>

Is your high school marching band rockin' enough for MTV? The television network is casting a new show which will chronicle the inner workings and outside lives of a high school marching band. Interested groups should inquire to begin the application process. Full story >>

A new book offers a rare opportunity for band directors to learn techniques that were used in one of America's most successful marching band programs. In The Dynamic Marching Band, Wayne Markworth draws on 35 years as director of bands at Centerville H.S. in Ohio to create a how-to manual covering a broad range of topics related to preparing a marching band. Full story >>

Music For All has created the Patrick John Hughes Parent/Booster Award to annually recognize extraordinary support, involvement and contributions of music parents and boosters. Patrick John Hughes is the father of Patrick Henry Hughes, a remarkable young man who participates in marching band even though he was born without eyes and without the ability to fully straighten his arms and legs. Full story >>

Author Courtney Brandt has published The Line, the first book in her series of young-adult novels. Brandt hopes the books will shed more light on the marching band experience. Full story >>

The Portland Rose Festival's 2007 Centennial Celebration won the coveted Grand Pinnacle Award at the annual International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) conference industry awards ceremony. Full story >>

High school band and auxiliary members can apply to march in the Tournament of Roses Parade as part of the Bands of America Honor Band. The 300-piece national parade and field show band will be directed by George N. Parks, Director of the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band, and an all-star staff. The student application deadline is February 1, 2008. Full story >>

Musical instrument manufacturers have joined together to create the 2008 New Gear Charity Auction benefiting Music for All. The auction on eBay will run January 17-27, 2008, and will feature more than 40 items valued at $75,000. Full story >>

Next year the BOA Grand National Championships will move from Indianapolis' RCA Dome to the new Lucas Oil Stadium. On November 17 marching band alumni are invited to take a "last trip" through the RCA Dome's famous airlock. Full story >>

Before you head to a marching contest in Southern California on October 27, check with organizers to determine whether the event has been affected by the fires in the region. Full story >>