Collage of March Fest students  performing

Area high school marching bands showcased electrifying performances at the 31st annual SISD March Fest competition on Oct. 12 and the UIL Region 22 Marching Band Contest on Oct. 19.

Pebble Hills High School emerged as the winner, taking first place at March Fest. The Spartans, along with Americas, Eastlake, El Dorado, Montwood, and Socorro high schools, achieved Division I ratings at UIL, securing their spots at the UIL Area Marching Band Contest on Oct. 26 and Nov. 2 in Midland and Odessa, respectively.

“We feel really great about last week’s performance, and we hope we can repeat it again,” Drum Major Bailey Cole, an 11th grader at Pebble Hills High School, said before the band’s UIL performance. She said March Fest provided an opportunity for the band to refine their performance of “Here We Are” for the UIL competition.

“We need to make sure that everything is precise, everything is focused, and that we’re just ready and that we’re in the right headspace,” Cole added.

Twenty-three area high school marching bands took to the field at March Fest. They were judged based on a national competition standard with a preliminary finals format. Pebble Hills also won outstanding awards for percussion, visuals and music.

Fine Arts Director Armando Martinez said events like March Fest and UIL are excellent opportunities to shine the spotlight on the dedication and hard work that marching bands invest in their performances throughout the year.

“The more opportunities the better because these days are just about them,” Martinez said. “They perform at Friday night football games, but tonight is just about them. The attention is just on them, the audience is here just to see them, and everybody is here just to cheer them on.”

Anabelle Navarro, the Drum Major at Eastlake High School, began playing the flute in seventh grade. Now a sophomore, Navarro performed solos of the songs "Alone" by Heart and "Paint it Black" by the Rolling Stones during the band's performance of "A Dark Heart" at both contests.

“It feels great,” Navarro said about performing the solos. “It makes me proud of myself because I've always brought in so much work towards getting better on my instrument because I want to be really good. I want to be a musician when I'm older, so it makes me feel like all my work is actually starting to pay off.”

This is the final year Montwood High School senior Iram Fernandez will compete with the school’s marching band. Fernandez learned to play the baritone when he was in middle school. He said playing March Fest one last time was a bittersweet moment.

“We did the best we could,” Fernandez said. “We put our hearts out there.”

2023 March Fest event photos