A day when high school marching bands are performing to earn awards, get critiques and march on the same field as the Warhawk Marching Band. 

Excitement spreads before they take the field at Perkins Stadium and perform the drill that they have been learning for months to perfect. Leaving the field with a sense of accomplishment no matter how they have performed. 

Head Chair of the Center of the Arts Glenn Hayes has been helping set up this event with the Wisconsin School Music Association for as long as he can remember. 

“Whitewater hosts this event and it’s massive, we have 35 bands participating this year,” Hayes explained. “This event is huge for the campus and the community. Many of the marchers in the Warhawk Marching Band have participated in the state competition.”

This competition has schools coming from all over Wisconsin. The event has been around since 1985 and is still a popular event among the band community in Wisconsin. It’s hosted in Whitewater since it is the birthplace of Drum Core.

Hayes’s favorite part of the event is seeing the Warhawk Marching Band perform, having the band be a part of this event since the marching band has a front ensemble and an active colorguard. 

The high schoolers who get to watch in the stands of Perkins Stadium get excited when the Warhawk Marching Band performs in front of them.

Toby Wilkinson is the percussion professor in the Center of the Arts, and he describes this event as, “A state championship that has a winner in every class. It shows the peak performances of many high schools as they compete against themselves. They have a drill, set, and dance routine that tells a story. Overall, it is a field musical that doesn’t involve singing.” 

Wilkinson explained the logistical preparations for the competition. 

“Parking is challenging since we have to make sure the schools coming have enough room for their buses, trailers and semis. We have volunteers help the bands get to where they need to be, field and yard-line markers and make sure WSMA has everything they need for the event,” Wilkinson said. “We have some minor issues happen, but we hope that the weather works well with the event.” 

A lot of preparation is put into this event both by Hayes and Wilkinson, as well as the Warhawk Marching Band through volunteers as they all work hard to make sure the day goes smoothly.

Eli Abraham is a freshman in the Warhawk Marching Band and has expressed his excitement to see his school again, as well as being able to watch them perform. 

Abraham says how this event is so important for young people to see their potential and be able to watch a collegiate-level marching band perform in front of them. 

Abraham explains this event as “an intense, yet light-hearted friendly competition where everyone performing is supporting one another. The connection of the community through the marching band is huge in this event, and you get to see band directors positively as they support their marching band. The high school students gain inspiration, and they compare their set to others.” 

Abraham hopes that through this experience, he can inspire others as a musician and as a marcher.

Cal Tamblyn is another freshman in the Warhawk Marching Band. Tamblyn was also excited about the event and getting to see his high school perform. He hopes to gain a better understanding of marching and to inspire others through this event. 

Tamblyn describes this event as “show choir, but for band kids.” 

Tamblyn added, “the state competition exposes young players to Whitewater and they get to watch other performances. They get to show off their marching set, and the university gives them a platform to do it. The high schoolers get to perform on a Division III football field, and it is a great field to march on.” 

Tamblyn hopes to inspire the young marchers to play at a collegiate level once they graduate high school and hopes that gives them the inspiration to do so.

Ian Curless is a junior in the Warhawk Marching Band and describes this competition as “a large showcase of the best marching high school bands from all across Wisconsin.” 

Since this is Curless’s second time marching in the Warhawk Marching band, he describes his experience with the band as “the performances as very different crowds, and so it’s always fun to see how they react to the show.” 

Curless’s favorite tradition the Warhawk Marching Band does for the state is to do the Warhawk Strut. If anyone outside of the marching band community saw them dancing and singing, they would think they would be a part of the Warhawk Marching Band too. 

The State Marching Competition was held Oct. 19 at the Perkins Stadium in Whitewater. The event isn’t free, but it is worth the cost to see amazing performances all around Wisconsin. 

The event is filled with people who have a great knowledge of marching and who encourage others to improve and succeed. To find more information check out the WSMA Website or ask Hayes or Wilkinson.