The inaugural Band of the Year championship is set to be held on Dec. 15 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on the eve of the 2023 Celebration Bowl. The competition is split into Division I and Division II. In Division I are North Carolina A&T State University vs. Jackson State. While Florida Memorial and Virginia State are set to face off in Division II.
The event, thrown by ESPN, is a product of the marching band rankings from the media outlet dating back to 2016.
“To have it come to fruition in 2023 is an incredible feeling,” event coordinator Don P. Roberts said. “I can tell [by] the bands that are here – we got it right. We have the right bands, no offense to any program, I am a band head. I’m a former drum major from Florida A&M University and I love my school. I love other schools, but we got it right.”
The other directors shared their gratitude as well.
“It’s an honor and a pleasure to be a part of this,” Kenneth Ruff, North Carolina A&T band director, said. “There are great bands, we get to compete against each other and get to see each other shows. We’ve been watching each others’ shows throughout the entire semester. It’s just an honor to be a part of this now.”
For the Division II schools, playing in a championship atmosphere in an NFL stadium like Mercedes-Benz is a moment they won’t take for granted.
“I’m really grateful for the opportunity right now to be a part of his manifestation,” Richard Beckford, Florida Memorial University band director, said. “I have known Don for a long time, and to see a vision that he’s had and the people that he surrounds himself with, to have this whole weekend be manifested in this moment and be a part of it, it’s a great experience for me. I’m really happy for the students. So thank you again, to everyone who’s a part of it.”
For Virginia State, band director Taylor Whitehead pointed out how his band hasn’t performed in the city of Atlanta in 11 years. The platform the national championship will give them can work wonders for the school.
“I think a good way to [ensure we benefit through this competition] is to make sure all of our opportunities to donate are broadcast through this entire production,” Whitehead said.
The Band of the Year national championship is the first competition created for Black college marching bands. Battle of the Bands are only showcases with no winner awarded.
“This is not Battle of the Bands, this is something very different,” Roberts, who worked on the film Drumline, said. “It’s also something we feel like is going to be for the financial growth of the band programs and educational growth as well. So it’s not Battle of the Bands.”
