South Lakes’ Marching Band scored high this year in their annual assessment. Out of five judges, our band scored a 1 (the highest score) with every single one. This earned them a “Superior” rating, scoring higher than most in this region. 

Our band has been one of the best in the region, and has had “Blue Ribbon” status for 8 years. For this reason, the results weren’t surprising for many. 

“In part I wasn’t surprised, we’ve gotten the highest score in almost all of my four years. I was nervous about this year specifically because my drum majors and directors were really stressing about the show” Senior Parker Jaster said.

The band is scored from 1-5 by five judges, on four different criteria. They score the music and visuals, being the band’s main part of their performance. They also score the effect of both the music and visuals, and how that is perceived by the audience. 

Bands are scored on a scale of 0-100 in final assessment, with most scoring in the low 80s, making it a close race most years. For example, we lost to another band recently with only a hundredth of a percentage difference in score. 

The experience was thoroughly rehearsed and laid out, rigorously practiced for hours leading up to the assessment. “It’s procedural for me,” Senior Parker Jaster said. Each person had their job, and they flowed together to achieve their score.