KMEE Semi Finals 2022
KMEE Semi Finals 2022 is a competition between four high school marching bands from Kentucky. The winner of this event will take home the title of KMEE State Champion. These bands are: Corbin High School, Grayson County High School, EHS, and Christian County’s Colonel Marching Band.
Christian County’s Colonel Marching Band
Throughout the years, the Christian County’s Colonel Marching Band has received many accolades for their musical performance. The band has marched in the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade and the Fiesta Bowl Parade. It was also selected to represent Kentucky at the KMEA State Finals in Richmond, Kentucky.
The Colonel Band is under the direction of Anthony Darnall and Andrea Gray. The band is made up of approximately 115 members. They perform at all home football games and participate in several KMEA sanctioned events. They also compete in the winter months with the Hopkinsville-Christian County Percussion Ensemble.
The Colonel Band is a co-curricular activity, and is open to all middle school students. Rehearsals are held after school until 7 PM.
The Colonel Pep Band travels to the games of the Colonels’ football and basketball teams, and also performs a competitive marching band show at halftime. The CCHS Jazz Band is also part of the program. The Hopkinsville-Christian County Percussion Group is competitive during the winter months, and is selected to perform at the Kentucky Music Education Association’s Professional Development Conference.
Corbin High School Marching Band
Earlier this month, the Corbin High School Marching Band took home fourth place in the KMEA state finals held at Eastern Kentucky University. The band also finished in the top ten in several events. The program, under the direction of Director Jeff Cloyd, has made significant strides this year.
The competition season gets underway in earnest in early September and runs through October. The competitions are held at a number of different locations throughout Central Kentucky. The KMEA state semifinals are held at several different venues including Glasgow High School, Lexington’s Bryan Station High School, and the University of Kentucky’s Bryant Arena.
The top performing bands are selected from a field of about thirty. Each band is judged based on a variety of criteria, including the aforementioned musical and graphical performance. The top four bands in each class move on to the aforementioned state finals. The most impressive accomplishments occurred in the Class 2A Division. The Blackcat Scholastic Bowl won the coveted championship in the 2008-2009 school year.
Grayson County High School Marching Band
Located in Leitchfield, Kentucky, Grayson County High School is a major high school with approximately 1300 students. The school is home to several sports teams, track teams, and academic teams. The school usually graduates its senior class in June. GCHS has an academic program that offers dual credit courses, board-based curriculum, and Advanced Placement classes. It is also the home of the DECA club.
The school’s marching band has 74 musicians and 19 color guard members. The music performed by the band is often challenging. The band is led by band director Eric Hale, who is a member of the Adair County band. During the 2015-2016 school year, the band placed second in the east division of the KMEA state marching band championship.
The band also won the west division of the competition. The program also includes a giant laptop computer prop that resembles a cord or plug. The band’s program also depicts a video game-like section based on the battle game Halo.
EHS Marching Band
Taking place in Indianapolis, Indiana on Saturday, February 2nd, the Bands of America Grand National Championship is a premier marching band event in the country. Hundreds of bands from all over the United States will perform. Up to 36 bands will advance to the semi-finals. These performances will take place in Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis. There are over 50 booths where spectators can view a variety of special performances and demonstrations.
In addition to the marching band, a number of special exhibition groups will participate. These include the University of Northern Alabama Marching Pride of North Alabama, the Western Carolina University Pride of the Mountains Marching Band and Ohio University Marching 110. Other highlights include a Student Leadership Workshop with Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser and performances by the Music City Drum and Bugle Corps, a World Class Drum Corps International participant.
The Edgewood High School Marching Mustangs will also be competing in the state finals. This team of 110 students won the Class 1A Music for All Super Regional competition at Lucas Oil Stadium. They won or tied for first in every category, and they took home the Best Musical Performance, Best Visual and Best Overall Color Guard awards. They will then compete at the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) state finals.
