Participating Director Information
Welcome to your Bands of America resource hub, where you will find all logistical information before your band takes the field this season. All of the information below will be communicated via email as well.
If your head director has changed since enrollment, please update us by completing the following form.
2019 Deadlines & Forms
You MUST complete the following forms before your band can take the field at a Bands of America Championship.
Click here to download the schedule of deadlines as a PDF.
The following forms will be available at the end of the summer
Due September 3, 2019:
- Copyright Clearance Form
- Information Form
- Director Name Badge & Additional Credentials
- Student Roster Submission Form
- Bus/Truck Parking Pass Request Form AND Payment
- Enrollment Verification Form
Rolling Deadline
- Program book and script information
*All program book and script information is due 30 days prior to your event
Important Information for All Participating Schools
Important flyers and policies that apply to all Bands of America Championships.
Fall Final Packets
Download important information for your championship such as schedules, stadium maps, stadium flow, and more!
BOA Adjudication Handbook
The handbook contains three parts: the Bands of America Championships Procedures, Official Performance Procedures, and the Adjudication Handbook. Samples of scoresheets and judging criteria are located in the appendix.
The 2019 Adjudication Handbook will be available on May 31, 2019.
Housing Bureau
All competing and exhibition bands and their booster groups utilizing hotel accommodations during Bands of America Grand Nationals and Super Regional Championships are REQUIRED to make their hotel reservations through the BOA Housing Bureau.
Clinics
These informational sessions are presented as an optional addition to the Regionals and are designed for directors and staff to analyze your performance video with BOA adjudicators in a positive and constructive atmosphere.
Copyright Resources
Music for All is committed to full compliance with the copyright laws of the United States and requires all enrolled bands to comply with copyright laws including: arrangements of copyrighted music, use of copyrighted visual images and other materials, use of copyrighted audio or spoken text, and display of copyrighted words and images.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my marching band eligible to enroll in a Bands of America event?
As long as your band meets the eligibility for participation as defined by the Bands of America Official Procedures and Adjudication Handbook, you may enroll in any of our events. All Bands of America events are non-qualifying.
How are bands “classified”?
Per our commitment to re-evaluate the classification numbers of 2A-4A, classification numbers have been updated for 2018. Bands are classified by school enrollment, grades 10-12 only. Under our four-class system:
- Class A is up to 600 students
- Class AA is 601-1250
- Class AAA is 1251-1750
- Class AAAA is 1751 and above
The classification system was adopted by BOA in 2009 following a presentation of research on the enrollment of past participation at BOA to the Music for All Programmatic Advisory Committee, and it is intended to provide better enrollment balance at events. The system will be re-evaluated every three years. For purposes of determining enrollment, your principal must certify enrollment and consider all those students in the grades 10-12 population as reported on fall State and/or FTE funding reports.
How do I become eligible to participate in a Super Regional or Grand National Championships?
All of our events are non-qualifying, which means that all you have to do is have a complete registration in order to participate in Grand National Championships. You are not required to participate in another event prior to enrolling for Super Regionals or Grand Nationals.
What is a “complete registration”?
A complete registration consists of an application, a signed consent form, and payment (either the deposit or full fee).
Where do I find the consent form?
The consent form is attached to your confirmation email, and can also be found here.
Can I still enroll in a Bands of America event after January 31?
Yes. Equal priority scheduling will be granted to complete registrations that are postmarked on or before January 31. After January 31, preliminary performance times are based on the postmark of completed applications, with the earlier postmark receiving the later performance time, if space is available. Many of our events still have available space after the January 31 deadline.
Now that I have applied for a Bands of America event, what’s next?
We will be processing all applications during the month of February. We will begin releasing schedules in March, starting with Grand National Championships in early March, followed by Super Regionals in late March or early April, and finishing with Regionals by the end of April. You will receive a separate tentative performance time email for each event.
If I choose to pay the deposit when I enroll, when is the remaining balance due?
Balances must be paid in full by May 15.
How do I know if you have received all of my materials?
Please refer to the Directors’ Checklist if you want to verify that we have received all of your required forms.
How many bands can compete at each event?
In general, Regionals have a capacity of 32, Super Regionals have a capacity of 84, and Grand National Championships has a capacity of 112. A lower capacity may be determined for particular venues.
How are schedules determined?
During the month of February, the postmark date for all applications will be evaluated. All complete registrations that are postmarked on or before January 31 will be put in the random draw to determine the prelim competition schedule. After January 31, preliminary performance times are based on the postmark of completed applications, with the earlier postmark receiving the later performance time, if space is available.
I had a complete registration by the January 31 deadline. Why has my band been waitlisted?
When an event receives an amount of complete registrations by the January 31 deadline that exceeds our capacity, the Bands of America point system is used to determine which bands are eligible for the initial draw. Points are allotted based on band participation in BOA events over the previous four years. Bands can earn a maximum of 12 points, with a maximum of three points earned per year. For each year, 1 point is awarded for total Regional and Super Regional participation, and 2 points awarded for Grand Nationals participation. The point system does not affect performance times in any other way. Beginning with 12-point bands, spots will be taken until there are more bands with a particular point value than there are spots remaining. Example: If there are five spots left in the show and seven 1-point bands have complete registrations, a draw between these seven bands will determine who receives the final five spots. The two 1-point bands that did not receive spots will start the waitlist, followed by 0-point bands with complete registrations by the January 31 deadline, and ending with bands with complete registrations after January 31.
How is the event format different for Super Regionals?
Music for All has experienced an increased demand for participation in our Super Regional Championships, particularly the San Antonio Super Regional. We have a responsibility to provide access for as many bands as possible to our Bands of America Championships.
In order to provide the opportunity for more bands to participate, the Super Regional format for 2019 allows for an increased maximum of 80 bands at the Super Regionals, utilizing two judging panels for preliminary competition. Prelims will take place over two days, with a maximum of 50 bands on Friday, 30 bands on Saturday, and Finals Saturday evening.