An enthusiastic crowd of some 60,000 fans, students and alumni packed the Georgia Dome on Saturday to be part of the one-of-a-kind spectacle that is the Honda Battle of the Bands (HBOB) Invitational Showcase. The crowd was treated to a series of spectacular performances by eight of the nation's top marching bands from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), as well as an electrifying halftime performance by Grammy Award-winning R&B songstress Monica, as the Honda Battle of the Bands marked the 10th anniversary of its Invitational Showcase event.
The unparalleled pageantry, musicianship and camaraderie of the HBCU marching band experience and tradition was on full display, as the dynamic performances by: Albany State University, Bethune Cookman University, Jackson State University, Prairie View A&M University, South Carolina State University, Tennessee State University, Virginia State University and Winston-Salem State University brought to life the "Homecoming" theme of the 2012 Honda Battle of the Bands program.
The 10th anniversary Honda Battle of the Bands called for all HBCU marching band alumni, current students and fans to attend this special anniversary event. Just as "The Yard" on HBCU campuses serves as the community gathering place for all homecoming activities, the Georgia Dome was transformed into "The Honda Battle of the Bands Yard" and re-created the HBCU homecoming experience with everything from a pee-wee football scrimmage to a short step-show.
The Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase is the nation's largest and most highly anticipated HBCU music event. Widely known as "the Super Bowl for Black college bands," the program was started 10 years ago to highlight and celebrate the heritage and showmanship of HBCU marching bands. Dedicated solely to supporting HBCU music education programs, the program also stands as the only national music scholarship program of its kind. Each of the eight schools that participated in this year's Invitational Showcase earned $20,000 in grant money for their school's music scholarship program. In all, more than $200,000 in music scholarship grants were awarded to the 41 schools participating in the 2012 Honda Battle of the Bands program.
Honda Battle of the Bands Fan Wins New 2012 CR-V
Elijah Hayes of Fort Valley State University was the winner of a new 2012 Honda CR-V. "Band Chatter," introduced for the 10th anniversary of the Honda Battle of the Bands program, was an online social media challenge that gave HBCU students the opportunity to flex their Facebook and Twitter skills for a chance to win a trip for two to the Invitational Showcase and a new Honda CR-V. Hayes, this year's winner, accumulated points through daily Facebook postings, comments and photo uploading and sharing earning him a chance to win.
Recruitment Fair Encourages High School Seniors to Think About College
In addition to the marching band performances at the Invitational Showcase, HBOB includes an HBCU Recruitment Fair engaging high school students with representatives of HBCU schools. Conceived to go one step beyond just exposing young people to the opportunities offered by historically black colleges and universities, the HBOB HBCU Recruitment Fair is unique in enabling prospective college students to meet with marching band and admissions recruiters to discuss admissions requirements and scholarship opportunities. More than 35 institutions exhibited, and more than 3,000 young people attended this year's Recruitment Fair event.
Courtesy of Honda
No comments:
Post a Comment