Premiere & States Events Evolve in 2024
For an increasing number of USBands schools, the State Championships represent the ultimate goal for their season. In order to accommodate the growing number of groups and provide a remarkable experience for students, staff and parents, USBands has slightly redesigned the State Championships in several states beginning with the 2024 season.
Pennsylvania
Due to a remarkable number of new programs joining USBands in the Keystone State, the Pennsylvania State Championships will be held over two weekends, October 19 and 26 at Downingtown West High School and Upper Moreland High School.
In an effort to create more long-term strategic planning for directors, multi-year agreements are in place for these two hosts to serve as the PA State Championship locations in order for bands to have confidence when making their plans over the next few seasons.
Groups and Classes will be split to provide the most equitable number of bands over the two locations and elevate experiences for participants, spectators and hosts alike. Tentatively, the Groups IA, I Open, II Open, IVA and V Open will be competing at Downingtown West on Oct. 19 and Groups IIA, IIIA, III Open, IV Open and VA will be performing at Upper Moreland on Oct. 26. These Group assignments may flex based on the number of registrations as of May 1.
New Jersey
The 2024 State Championships in New Jersey will be held on Saturday, October 26 at multiple locations. As of this time, the final locations are yet to be determined, but USBands will strive to provide geographically centralized locations wherever possible to ensure equity in the distance traveled by the more than 70 bands who participate each year. Additional groups registering for the 2024 States may allow for expansion of the event to a third location. The final decision on a third location will be made in May after the initial round of registrations are complete.
Connecticut & Massachusetts
As USBands continues to expand in the New England region and receive multiple requests for individual State Championships for both Connecticut and Massachusetts, USBands will be hosting the 2024 Connecticut State Championships at the Veteran’s Memorial Stadium in New Britain on October 26.
Meanwhile, current and future growth in Massachusetts has allowed for the creation of the first-ever USBands Massachusetts State Championship to be held on Saturday, October 26 at an Eastern Mass location to be determined. Rhode Island and New Hampshire schools will be welcome to participate at the Massachusetts location for their own State Championship titles.
Maryland-Virginia
For the second year in a row, Stevenson University in Owings Mills, MD will be the site for the Maryland-Virginia State Championship on Saturday, October 26. 2023 marked the first time registration was full for this event with an even balance of bands representing both states and different group and class sizes. With an expansion of the timeline for the event, the maximum number of performing ensembles for the 2024 Maryland-Virginia State Championships will be limited to 25.
October Premiere Events
As bands hit full stride in early October of the 2024 season, top venues along the East coast will welcome bands from across the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions to bring their productions to life in amazing settings before excellent adjudication panels and appreciative friends and families.
Marine Corps Invitational
The Navy & Marine Corps Memorial Stadium will once again host the Marine Corps Invitational on Saturday, October 5 as the beautiful surroundings of Annapolis, MD and the Washington DC area plays host to students from several states in this finals-only performance format.
Ludwig Musser Classic
The following Saturday, October 12, MetLife Stadium hosts the Ludwig Musser Classic with over 50 performance opportunities for bands of all sizes and levels of achievement bringing their talents to this spectacular world-class venue.
Registration for all events will begin on March 1 for Member Schools, with open registration beginning on March 4. A reminder that performance times are determined by the time/date stamp of each band’s registrations for the Marine Corps Invitational and Ludwig Musser Classic. Seeding for the State Championships will be determined based on the policies included in the 2024 USBands Participation Guide.