After waking up at the crack of dawn, the Knightpride Marching band started their long journey to Tennessee to compete in the Bands Of America (BoA) competition on Saturday, Sept. 19.

They performed their show “The Good Wife’s Guide” at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn.

The band left at 3 a.m. to attend the competition. Competing in the preliminary performance, the band placed seventh in their class scoring a 63.20 and also placing fourteenth overall. The band’s score was based on the sum of the following categories: for music performance an average of 12.80, for visual performance an average of 13.40 and for general effect an average of 37.40.

“Yes, our score reflected our performance very well,” sophomore trumpet player Kayliani Sood said. “To be scoring a 63.20 in the middle of September, especially at a BoA competition is really good for our size band. Did we hope to get higher? Yes, but that’s on the judges. We just went out and threw down our show.”

The band’s true purpose for attending the competition was to get a national board of judges to give critiques that they can’t get at a  local competition. It was also for the change of scenery for the band, as it was a national competition that Knightpride hadn’t attended since 2007 .

“It was a big difference for what I was used to,” sophomore trumpet player Colby Winner said. “The local competitions are more laid back than a Bands of America competition. It was also a great time to hang out with my band family.”

According to band members and the staff, the Bands of America competition was a bonding and a learning experience, as they don’t have to spend two and a half days with the same competitors.

“It was an overall great trip for me and the band,” senior clarinet player Dee Cameron said. “Even though we didn’t score what we had hoped, the competition was a great learning experience and will help us become a stronger band in the future.”