East Kentwood High School Falcon Marching Band Invitational

The East Kentwood Band takes the field. The band and high school will host the EKHS Falcon Marching Band Invitational on Saturday. (Supplied)

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

There will be plenty of music and moves on the field of Falcon Stadium, at East Kentwood High School, Saturday, Oct. 19, when the school hosts Michigan’s largest scholastic marching band competition, the EKHS Falcon Marching Band Invitational. An astounding 26 marching bands from across the state will perform and compete for top honors. Gates open for the event at 10:30 a.m., with awards being presented at 7 p.m.

Someone who has never attended a marching band competition can expect to see many performances like one sees at football game halftime shows. Bands are classified according to school size and compete in their respective classes (AA-D). Each band has its own chosen performance theme with related music.

The music runs the whole gamut of genres, from rock to classical, and they perform it with synchronized, choreographed movements, most of the time, integrating color guard performers with props too. This is no small task, when you consider some of these bands are in excess of 200 members. That’s a lot of moving parts and instruments! It’s so complex that many of the bands start rehearsing their show during summer vacation, in order to be ready in time for the competition season. The result is an elaborate, dynamic performance that is impressive to hear and watch.

Twenty-six bands will compete this Saturday at East Kentwood High School. (Supplied)

The view should be spectacular too. East Kentwood boasts the highest vantage point of any high school stadium in West Michigan. A very important factor, considering when it comes to marching bands, the higher a person is in the stadium, the better the view of the performance.

People should plan to come out and spend the whole day at this family-friendly event. There will be plenty of food and drinks available at the concession stand, so spectators will not have to miss a single performance. Admission is just $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors, and age five and under are free.

East Kentwood High School is located at 6230 Kalamazoo Ave. SE in Kentwood. All spectators should enter campus from the Kalamazoo Avenue entrance.

All proceeds from this event benefit the Kentwood middle and high school instrumental music programs.

Below is the performance line up for this huge event.

EKHS
Falcon Marching Band Invitational

11:00 Reading (D)

11:15 Decatur (D)

11:30 Dowagiac Union (D)

11:45 Bridgman (D)

12:00 Gobles (D)

Break

12:30 Oakridge (C)

12:45 Montague (C)

1:00 Brandywine (C)

1:15 Parchment (C)

1:30 Kelloggsville (C)

1:45 Lakewood (C)

2:00 Whitehall (C)

Break

2:45 Fremont (B)

3:00 Kenowa Hills (B)

3:15 Charlotte (B)

3:30 Spring Lake (B)

Break

4:15 Troy Athens (A)

4:30 Three Rivers (A)

4:45 Loy Norrix (A)

5:00 Kalamazoo Central (A)

5:15 Wyoming (A)

5:30 Vicksburg (A)

5:45 Portage Central (A)

Break

6:15 Grand Haven (AA)

6:30 Grand Ledge (AA)

6:45 East Kentwood (EXH)

7:00 Awards Ceremony

East Kentwood High School will host its annual marching band competition this weekend. (Photo by Jim Swoboda)

By Kelly Arganbright

Kentwood Band and Orchestra Boosters

The competition will be intense down on the football field, with a stadium full of cheering fans, at East Kentwood High School Saturday, Oct. 21. Uniformed players will be suited up in their school colors, every movement planned, with the sole focus of trying for the best performance of the season. It’ll be a lot like the games you see in every stadium across America, except for one thing, there will be no football.

In fact, this is no game at all. This event is the East Kentwood High School Falcon Marching Band Invitational, a marching band competition, and it’s happening from 2:30-10 p.m.

It is a musical extravaganza and one of the biggest marching band shows in West Michigan, with 20 high school bands from around West Michigan slated to compete for top honors.

People who have never been to a marching band competition, can liken the experience to watching twenty, football game, halftime shows. Bands are classified according to school size and compete in their respective classes. Each band’s performance has its own chosen theme with related music that they perform with synchronized, choreographed movements. This is no small task, when you consider some of these bands are in excess of 200 members. That’s a lot of moving parts and instruments! The result is a performance that is impressive to hear and watch.

And, the view should be spectacular. East Kentwood boasts the highest vantage point of any high school stadium in West Michigan. A very important detail, considering when it comes to marching bands, the higher a person is in the stadium, the better the view of the performance they will have.

People should plan to come out and spend the day. There will be a plenty of food and drinks available at the concession stand, so spectators will not have to miss a single performance.

Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors and age 5 and under are free. All proceeds benefit the EKHS instrumental music programs.

Here is the performance line up:

Class D

2:30 PM Brandywine High School

2:45 PM Bridgman High School

3:00 PM Pewamo-Westphalia High School

3:15 PM Gobles High School

3:30 PM Break

Class C

3:45 PM Freemont High School

4:00 PM Oakridge High School

4:15 PM Parchment High School