Taking the field – High school bands from Illinois and Missouri, including the Carbondale Community High School Marching Terriers, will compete Saturday at Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Saluki Stadium in the annual “Music & Motion” marching band competition. (photo provided)
October 03, 2019
SIU hosts annual high school band competition Saturday
CARBONDALE, Ill. — George Brozak doesn’t coach a sport at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, but his takeover of Saluki Stadium on Saturday will mark a big recruiting weekend.
SIU’s director of athletic bands is in charge of his 10th “Music & Motion” high school marching band competition. The showcase will feature 14 visiting schools — split among Missouri and Illinois, and nearly 1,000 participants. The competition will also provide an opportunity for these competitors to spend a lot of time around SIU’s own Marching Salukis.
Marching Salukis will also perform
Gates open and ticket sales begin at 9:30 a.m. The Marching Salukis will perform a non-competitive exhibition at 1:30 p.m., right before the awards program. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for youth and senior citizens. Children under 4 years old are admitted free.
Media Advisory
Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to cover the Music & Motion band competition Saturday at Saluki Stadium. For more information, contact George Brozak, director of athletic bands and assistant director of bands at SIU Carbondale at 618/453-2776 or gbrozak@siu.edu.
Marching Salukis attract members from numerous majors
“We have 173 in our own band this year, and only 17 are actually music majors,” Brozak said. “I want all of those kids that are thinking about being equine science or zoology majors, or any other major, to know that they can still play here, too. We always say that the big thing is, ‘Get them on our campus.’ Once high school students get here, they really like the campus and they really like the people and what’s being offered here.”
Competition begins at 10 a.m.
Sparta High School kicks off the festivities at 10 a.m. with the opening 15-minute window. A different band will perform every 15 minutes.
Brozak has the bands divided into four classifications — based on band size, not overall school size. He’s brought in seven judges from Missouri and Illinois, two of which are emeritus faculty. In addition to an overall grand champion, there will be overall awards for percussion, drum majors and color guard.
“There’s a lot of pageantry,” Brozak said.
He’s especially proud of Anna-Jonesboro Community High School, which competes later in the day in the Class C division. The high school football team will be on hand to support the band after its own practice.
“That’s a wonderful thing,” Brozak said. “It’s very cool, and it’s a rarity.”
Brozak said he’s excited to have his own band serve as chaperones for the high school competitors. There, high school students will have an opportunity to talk about the fun and excitement of playing in a college stadium and Banterra Center, he said.
The university’s admission’s office will also be on hand to give high school students information about scholarships and early-admission possibilities.
Band competition divisions and schedules
The schedule for Saturday’s competition is:
Class C Division
- 10 a.m. – Sparta High School.
- 10:15 a.m. – St. Charles High School.
- 10:30 a.m. – Kelly High School.
- 10:45 a.m. – Freeburg High School.
Class B Division
- 11 a.m. – Northwest High School.
- 11:15 a.m. – Carterville High School.
- 11:30 a.m. – Puxico High School.
- 11:45 a.m. – Carbondale Community High School.
Class C Division
- Noon – Anna-Jonesboro Community High School.
Class A Division
- 12:15 p.m. – New Madrid High School.
- 12:30 p.m. – Massac County High School.
- 12:45 p.m. – Fort Zumwalt High School.
Class AA Division
- 1 p.m. – Hillsboro High School.
- 1:15 p.m. – Marion High School.
Exhibition
- 1:30 p.m. – Marching Salukis.