Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022; horns blare and woodwinds whistle underneath the Alamodome. Hundreds of spectators watch as 23 bands march for, play for, and awe them and the judges. Each band has put in four months of work perfecting their seven-minute-long shows. All those hours came to a head during the Texas UIL State Marching Band Contest.

Every year, high school bands across Texas prepare and perform an intricate display of marching and musical ability for competition. Meets take place throughout the months of October and November. Bands come together to perform their shows for judges who score the shows based on three main criteria: marching skill, musical talent, and overall affect. The marching score is based on the straightness of lines and legs and the consistency of movement in time with the music. The music score is based on how well the music sounds, the accuracy of the notes played, and the emotional effect of the music. The overall affect score is based on the visual effect of the show – how well/neat the show looks. Each band’s total score is the average of the three subscores above. After the judges score the bands, the bands are ranked and only the top few bands advance to the next meet/competition.

Randall Marching Band consistently scored and placed high. This advanced them again and again until they qualified for the UIL State Marching Contest. On November 8th, Randall’s band departed for San Antonio to compete in the state meet at the Alamodome. The following day, competition between the 4A division bands began. All of the 23 state qualifying bands performed in the preliminary section of the State Marching Contest. Their scores determined if they advanced to the finals; only the top ten bands advanced. Randall placed 8th in the preliminaries.

After the preliminaries, there was a break before the finals began. At 7 p.m. the final 10 bands gathered, performed once more, and lined up on the field to await rankings. The silence in the Alamodome generated tension that could snap at any moment. After an eternity in the eyes of the marchers, an amplified voice broke the silence to announce the placements of each finalist band. Cheers erupted out of the stands and the bands as schools were called. Excitement, joy, and relief were all felt by the Randall band as they placed 10th. All of Randall’s hard work, every hour, drop of sweat, and every tear, paid off in the end. Randall finished this marching season as the overall 10th best Texas 4A marching band.