Arts & Entertainment

Poway High School Hosts Marching Band Tournament

Local high school marching bands will compete in the 18th annual Poway Invitational Field Tournament.

Hundreds of drums, tubas and flutes will invade Poway this Saturday.

Sixteen Southern California high school marching bands and color guards will perform in the 18th annual Poway Invitational Field Tournament at Poway High School. This year, the San Diego State University Marching Aztecs will make an appearance, and the tournament will be dedicated to the memory of Chelsea King.

"A lot of people just enjoy the entertainment," said Michael Yee, who co-chairs the event. "It's actually a pretty remarkable activity. I didn't appreciate the amount of effort the musicians put into actually doing the marching program until I sat down and watched."

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It will be the first public performance of the season for many of the attending marching bands, including Poway High School's Emerald Brigade. Each band performs its field show for a panel of judges and receives a ranking or placement.

Because the Emerald Brigade is the host band, the group won't compete for a public score. Still, the marching band will receive valuable feedback.

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"It gives them the ability to get the first-hand knowledge of how their practice sessions are paying off and how they can better adjust their practice sessions in the future to produce better results," Band Director Mike Cook said.

The tournament has become a Poway tradition. For almost 20 years, community members have supported the event. Usually 2,500 students and 5,000 adults attend the competition, Cook said.

"I think the community in general, not just the Poway High School community, but also the surrounding community of Poway citizens, have a sense of community pride in the band," Cook said. "We travel throughout Southern California and across the United States and the world. We've represented the community of Poway in all kinds of places. I think that they have a sense of pride in that."

The event has also become a key fundraiser for the Emerald Brigade. Money raised by tickets, programs and concession sales goes to the Poway High School Music Boosters, which helps provide for the needs of the Poway High School Instrumental Music program.

"The emphasis has been on how well you read, write and do math, but what makes the United States so strong is creativity," Yee said. "Supporting arts programs and music makes students more creative, which makes them enjoy life more. And, when they join the workforce, they are more creative because they've been through the rigor of music as well as the creativity of arts."

Both Cook and Yee encourage community members to come and support the Emerald Brigade, which includes almost 175 Poway High School students.

"We'd just love to have as many people come out and watch the pageantry as possible," Cook said. 

Event info

What: 2010 Poway Invitational Field Tournament

When: Saturday, Oct. 9 

The first band performance starts at 3 p.m. and the last band performance starts at 8:15 p.m.

Where: Poway High School Titan Stadium, 15500 Espola Road, Poway

Free parking @ Lake Poway with free shuttle

How much: Admission costs $5-$10. Children are free.

Contact: For more information, visit www.phsmb.com


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