Band will compete at the Bands of America Austin Regional Championship on Saturday. Bands across the region will meet in Round Rock to compete for the coveted Grand Champion title, which Vandegrift won last year. This is the first competition of the season.

“I feel like the band is working really hard to perform a great show,” associate band director Stephanie grote said. “They should do really well on Saturday.”
The contest will have two parts: the preliminary round and the final round. Ten bands will advance from the preliminaries to the finals based on the judge’s scores. Among other things, they will be judged on musicality and marching.

“I think that we’ve been working hard and we’re ready,” junior Pranav Batra said. “There’s always more work to do but I think we are where we should be.”

Band members have been practicing since the end of July for this year’s marching season. They rehearse every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday after school and during band periods.

“We practice a lot and very hard to learn and clean the show to make sure we can perform it to the best of our ability,” junior Katie Ward said. “Most of the freshmen are blown away by how much time it takes to be in marching band, but it’s all worth it, especially when we see the end result in the Alamodome.”

Vision has grown to nearly 50 girls this year. They are practicing everyday to avoid mishaps on the field.

“I’m excited because I love band,” sophomore Vision dancer Cassy Kanuck said. “Since I did it last year, it’s not as nerve wracking, but it is still something to be prepared for.”

Band members visualize that their performances at football games are an opportunity to practice for the competition.

“We don’t really focus on winning a competition,” Grote said. “We just focus on doing our very best and letting the judges decide what they think.”