2017 HONDA BATTLE OF THE BANDS – Breakdown & Analysis

So here we are… 8 of the “best” black college bands from around the nation have converged on Atlanta Georgia for two big reasons: 1. A $20,000.00 check from The Honda Corporation. (Yeah, that’s important) and 2. The highly coveted “In your face!” moment that only one band will get to ascend to and experience. Yes, that coveted moment in time when every other band bows down to “The Kings of the Craft” as deemed by the Georgia Dome audience, a celebrity DJ, and a Japanese car maker… I don’t know why the band Gods made Atlanta, Georgia the epicentre of black college bands (well, yes I do, but that’s another topic…) but here we are sitting snugly in our tightly arranged seats for what is sure to be the last Honda Battle Of The Bands in the Georgia Dome…*tear*.

In this post, my goal is to help you gather some insight and clarity from each performance so that you can make your own decisions about each band, however, I will be sharing my opinion as well. My opinions are not incontestable and yours aren’t either. Through my comments, which are mostly fact based observations, it is my hope that the average fan will develop an “ear” for great musicianship and an “eye” for precision which will raise the bar across the band world. No longer will the fan be relegated to comments like “So & So University was the best cause they were cranking!” or “This College came out on top because they got the most “house” when that big girl did that skateboard trick!”. Our readers will be informed commentators, critics, and reviewers of band performances. They will come to understand fundamental music standards and how to apply them to varying styles and approaches to music. With that being said… Let’s get it!…

RANKINGS – Click links below for in depth analysis of each band’s performance!

SCORING RUBRIC: ( 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0)

MUSIC EFFECTIVENESS [tone, intonation, attacks & releases, dynamic contrast ] (4pts)

MARCHING [military bearing, intervals, horn angles, drill difficulty] (3pts)

GENERAL EFFECT – [creativity, usage of auxilaries, crowd response] (3pts)

1st – BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIV. SCORE = 9.5 (out of 10)

2nd – ALABAMA A&M UNIV. SCORE = 9.0 (out of 10)

3rd – ALCORN STATE UNIV. SCORE = 8.5 (out of 10)

4th – NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIV. SCORE = 8.0 (out of 10)

5th – TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIV. SCORE = 7.0 (out of 10)

6th – BENEDICT COLLEGE SCORE = 6.5 (out of 10)

7th – ALABAMA STATE UNIV. SCORE = 5.5 (out of 10)

8th –  WINSTON SALEM STATE UNIV. SCORE = 4.0 (out of 10)