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Home > News > 2020 BOA Championships canceled

2020 Bands of America Championships canceled


Full schedule of Regionals, Super Regionals and Grand National Championships affected

By Ken Martinson, Marching.com Founder

INDIANAPOLIS (July 21, 2020) — Music for All announced today that all Bands of America marching events for the fall 2020 season have been canceled, including twenty Regionals, three Super Regionals and the prestigious Grand National Championships.

In a statement, Music for All Executive Vice President Debbie Laferty Asbill said, "We are facing uncertain and unprecedented times, and the health, safety and wellness of the students, band directors, staff, volunteers, spectators, and others associated with our programs remain our number one priority. With this extraordinary development, we share in the deep disappointment of the thousands of performing students, teachers, and supporters."

With the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Music for All is creating multiple online educational opportunities for directors and students. The organization has already been offering online programs to help teachers make the most of the upcoming school year. In addition, Music for All will be offering remote evaluation opportunities designed to provide quality feedback from adjudicators and goal-oriented experiences to motivate and inspire students.

The annual Bands of America Grand National Championships are held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The annual Bands of America Grand National Championships are held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The cancellation of the 2020 season is especially heartbreaking for the Rosemount (MN) High School Marching Band, which was registered to attend Grand National Championships for the first time. The band has been a regular participant at BOA Super Regionals in St. Louis and Indianapolis, advancing to finals for the past 15 years and earning several class champion titles, but has never continued its fall marching season to the mid-November Grand Nationals.

"BOA events give us the opportunity to see and hear great bands from around the country, and the experience has been the cherry on top of our season," according to Leon Sieve, one of four band directors at Rosemount High School. "The students' faces say it all. Pure joy!"

"2020 was going to be our 'breakout' year for Grand Nationals," Sieve said. "Our entire band community was excited about taking this next step to get on the Grand National stage. From the show that was planned, to the costumes, props and music, it was definitely a show we were looking forward to bringing to Indianapolis. It will be put in safe keeping for the 2021 season. Only two other Minnesota bands have attended Grand Nationals in the past. We could most likely be rehearsing in snow for the last several weeks of the season, so it takes some strategic planning to accommodate those rehearsals."

Music for All is already preparing for the 2021 Bands of America Championship season, and plans to announce the 2021 schedule and open registrations this fall.


For more information visit MusicForAll.org.

Related information on Marching.com: Bands of America Grand National Championships.


Photo by Marching.com.

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