The Florida A&M Marching 100 has accepted an invitation to The Eighth Annual Honda Battle of the Bands held on Jan. 30, 2010 in Atlanta.
The “100” will compete at the Georgia Dome against seven other historically black college bands for the title of the “best band in the land.” Clark Atlanta, Albany State, North Carolina Central, Prairie View A&M, Southern, Tuskegee and Virginia State Universities will be in attendance.
Representatives at Honda presented band director Julian White with a plaque inviting the band to the invitational in FAMU’s band rehearsal room.
“It’s most certainly an honor as well as a privilege to accept this plaque to participate,” White said.
Honda has a main goal for the annual battle of the bands event.
“Honda’s commitment is to create scholarship opportunities for the band members and to focus on highlighting what historically black college marching bands have done over the years,” said Derrick Webber, president of Webber Marketing and Consulting LLC and presenter of the Honda’s battle of the band invite. “This is just a small token of thank you for what the bands do 365, creating educational opportunities for students.”
According to Honda Battle of the Bands’ Web site, during the weekend, Honda also hosts a career fair, where 35 historically black colleges “provide valuable information regarding admission requirements for attending an HBCU and joining an HBCU marching band. HBCUs offer a variety of scholastic majors and opportunities in various fields, providing the ultimate academic and cultural college experience.”
The career fair will be held before the band competition from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Georgia World Congress Center.
“We have sold out the dome in past battle of the bands,” said Ericka Braxton- White, who represents Honda’s Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate Affairs & Communication division. ” We just want to highlight these bands.”
Kevin Hill, a second-year architecture design student from Detroit, is excited to return to the dome.
“I’m really proud that we’re able to perform a second year in a row to provide a steady performance,” said the 19-year-old saxophonist. “We’re well known for our cadence and marching style.”
Marching 100-band member Brandi Dishmon is also anticipating her second performance at the invitational.
“It’s a great experience without conflict from other bands, regardless of the music,” said the 19-year-old saxophonist from Chicago, Ill. ” We are a great example for future musicians to come, bringing a lot of pride, excellence and leadership in what we do.”
Tickets are on sale, $12 for lower seating and $10 for upper seating, and can be purchased on the official battle of the bands Web site, www.hondabattleofthebands.com. The official hotel for the battle of the band weekend is the Renaissance Atlanta Hotel Downtown.