Meet Some Of Participants In METALLICA’s Marching Band Competition

In April, METALLICA launched its inaugural “For Whom The Band Tolls” marching band competition. METALLICA challenged marching bands at all levels to craft the most exciting, unique, and impressive performances of the legendary heavy metal act’s music. METALLICA partnered with sponsors to provide winning high school and collegiate bands funds for new equipment for their music programs. As part of the competition, METALLICA allowed bands to use their music for free.

Bands who enter the competition will have access to a library of marching band charts for METALLICA songs, provided by Hal Leonard via sheetmusicdirect.com. The bands with the best performances will win musical equipment for their school program, furnished by METALLICA and its sponsors.

High School and Collegiate winners will be narrowed down to five finalists by professional judges, furnished by Conn-Selmer. METALLICA will select the final prize winners in each category. Fan Favorite winners will be the result of fan voting. Bands may sign up to participate in the Showcase category if they do not wish to compete for the prizes. Those videos will be featured on the contest page but will not be voted on by judges or fans.

Says METALLICA: “Earlier this summer, we visited the marching band practices of San Bernadino High School, Rancho Mirage High School, and Ramona High School to hear from students on how they’re preparing for the inaugural METALLICA Marching Band Competition, and what it means to each student. Plus, we sat down with the schools’ band directors as they shared what this opportunity has brought to their programs.

“Huge thanks to band directors Dana Campfield (San Bernadino),Brian McDaniel (Rancho Mirage),and Brian Gallagher (Ramona) for welcoming us and letting us crash your practices! We can’t wait to see your final submissions.”

Check out METALLICA‘s video report below.

See all the competing schools and vote for your favorites at MetallicaMarchingBand.com.

Votes are limited to one per person, and the voting will end December 31 or thereabouts with winners to be announced in early January, according to Johnson City Press.

The more than 100 high school bands who entered the competition were not constrained by rules on video length, with some running just more than a minute to others going to more than eight minutes.