The Highlander Band brought home the silver medal from the UIL 5A State Marching Band Contest yesterday at the Alamodome in San Antonio, its highest finish ever. With its 2019 marching show, entitled PLAY!, the Highlander Band completed its most accomplished competitive season to date, which includes:
- First-ever UIL Area Marching Championship (with five unanimous first-place votes)
- Grand Champion at the Mansfield Preview of Champions
- Grand Champion at the Midlothian Marching Showcase, earning caption awards Best Music, Best Percussion, Best Winds, Best Marching, Best General Effect, Best Visual Presentation, Best Color Guard and Best Soloist for Brandon Luk's flugelhorn solo.
In addition, the HPHS Drumline took home a second-place award for AA Division II and earned Best Front Ensemble and Best Tenors/Quads captions at the Plano Drumline Competition.
"It has been a phenomenal year for our band and I am so proud of what we accomplished together," Director of Bands Reagan Brumley said. "It has been fantastic to see all of the work that these students put into the show since the summer be rewarded with these accolades. This is truly a special group with outstanding student leaders and soloists."
"Our students' performance at the UIL state marching finals was awe-inspiring. The artistry, the precision and the music were all beautiful," HPHS Principal Walter Kelly said. "I am so proud of where our band is right now and their journey to excellence."
"It has been very impressive to watch the band continually strive for excellence during the last five years," HPISD Superintendent Dr. Tom Trigg said. "We are all so proud of these students and their directors, and we look forward to honoring them at a future meeting of the Board of Trustees."
The band was ranked first among the 34 5A bands who competed in Monday's prelims, then advanced to compete against 11 bands during Tuesday's finals. At 147 members, the Highlander Band was the fourth-smallest band to advance to state and the second-smallest band to advance to the finals. It was HP's second trip to state following a 10th-place finish in the 2017 state contest. Cedar Park High School won the gold medal and Frisco Wakeland earned the bronze medal.
Click here for complete results.
Congratulations, Highlander Band!