The band’s fifth competition is this Friday, Nov. 3. The band will travel to San Antonio to compete in Bands of America at the Alamodome and will return Friday evening to play at Gupton Stadium for the match up against Cedar Park.

If the band advances, they will make a return trip to San Antonio Saturday.

“We are really pulling out all the stops, and we’re giving it 200 percent,” sophomore Ethan Copeland, who plays clarinet, said. “We’re having a really good year, the people are more dedicated. The flutes have been working extra hard this year, too.”

Kevin Quibodeaux, a tenor saxaphone player, said B.O.A. is their biggest competition yet.

“We finished sixth in finals in the Westlake competition,” Quibodeaux said. “There are roughly 170-190 people in band, the saxophone, flute and percussion [sections] are doing really well.”

The band practices every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday after school until almost 7 p.m.
The Starline, the band’s dance team, rehearses three days a week as well and will compete this weekend, too.

“I wouldn’t say it’s hard but, fun and challenging, maybe,” Quibodeaux said. “We’ve been more consistent in how hard we work.”

Quibodeaux said at B.O.A, most bands are pretty good, but there’s always a bad band too.

“Some bands are trouble but we definitely have the potential to win,” Copeland said.

Update 11/5/12: Although band did not make finals (and less than 20% of schools do) director Bryan Christian said it was a phenomenal performance.