Oct. 31, 2023—The A&M Consolidated and College Station high school marching bands will represent CSISD at the UIL State Marching Contest after being the top two ensembles selected to advance from the UIL Area I Marching Band Contest, held Oct. 28 at Channelview ISD’s Ray Maddry Stadium.
A&M Consolidated will make its second trip to the UIL State Marching Contest after being named the Area I Marching Contest grand champion.
“We are so excited for the students and parents for this exciting opportunity,” said Steve Fry, A&M Consolidated head band director. “The support that we have received from the school and community just confirms how special of a place we have here at Consol. We always talk to our students about striving for excellence and we could not be prouder of their effort all season long and especially Saturday night. To be able to share this honor with College Station High School makes this honor more special. We look forward to being back in the Alamodome once again.”
For College Station, the 2023 contest will mark the band’s second trip overall to San Antonio.
“We are so proud of these amazing young musicians and performers,” said Jon Seale, College Station head band director. The Mighty Cougar Band and Guard never ceases to amaze with their great attitude, work ethic, and incredible performance energy. I can not wait to see the pride in their eyes as they get a chance to see all of their hard work culminate in the best performance of their season on the largest stage possible in Texas. Being able to share the experience with our good friends and colleagues at Consol makes it even more special. I want to make sure to give credit and my sincere thanks to my colleagues, Michael Dixon here at CSHS, Kristen Seale at WMS, Zane Taylor at CSMS and Lora Nolen our Color Guard Director.”
Both CSISD bands were among the 7 out of the 10 total ensembles chosen to advance to the area finals on Saturday night. The other finalists were Porter, Magnolia, Magnolia West, Port Neches - Grove and Galena Park.
“I am extremely thrilled for these students and directors,” said Eric Eaks, director of fine arts. “The district as a whole and us in the fine arts department are grateful for all the hard work, dedication, and passion from the students, directors, and parents. I also want to thank the voters of College Station - most of the equipment upgrades the students are currently using were funded by the 2021 Bond. These upgrades have had such a positive impact on the instruction, performance and forward motion of both programs. Lastly, I’d like to thank all the middle school and intermediate school directors that have established the musical foundations for these students. CSISD is extremely proud of you all!
The state competition for Class 5A is scheduled for Nov. 6-7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The preliminary round will be Nov. 6, with College Station scheduled to perform at 9:45 a.m. and A&M Consolidated slated for 2:45 p.m.
The top 12 performing marching bands will return Nov. 7 for the state finals.
For more information about the state contest, including tickets and live streaming information, visit the UIL website.