Maryland Marching Band Association Is Bringing Bands Together—And Teaching Students Valuable Skills

The American marching band, a renown descendant of the larger world’s historic battlefield and military bands, is an iconic member of the country’s performing arts tradition. Its aesthetic appears across pop culture—from Beyonce’s “Homecoming” to Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me,” from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” to “Drumline” to “Stranger Things”—and it remains a mainstay across American high school clubs and collegiate organizations.

Maryland’s marching band network has developed profoundly within the last five years. In the past, the state’s high school marching bands participated in circuits and competition groups based in Pennsylvania and New Jersey—two states with more extensive band traditions. A group including Brian Frazier, music educator and marching band director at Westminster High School in Carroll County, wanted to change this, and in 2019—nearly 20 years since Maryland had its own marching band championship—Frazier, along with two others, co-founded the Maryland Marching Band Association (MMBA).

“The biggest thing that’s unique about Maryland is there’s such a variety of what the marching bands do,” Frazier explains. “We felt like nobody was meeting those needs.”

And, of course, a substantial amount of money was being funneled out of Maryland. “In the past, [Westminster] hosted a show through a marching band circuit based out of New Jersey. And so everything that we did, we were paying them … We got some money, but most of it went back to an outside organization,” Frazier adds.

MMBA co-founder Mike Harrison, former band director at Frederick County’s Urbana High School and current assistant director with the U.S. Naval Academy’s Drum & Bugle Corps, seconds this and adds that Maryland high schools were fragmented across multiple outside groups. “I always felt that Maryland bands ought to be connected as opposed to split. … We were 15 minutes away from schools [that] we never saw in competition all year,” he says.

Nowadays, the MMBA represents about 60 high school bands across the state, offering a performance outlet for bands of all types and competition in various divisions that allows for meaningful feedback from qualified judges, including a Maryland State Championship at Towson University at the close of each season. It reaches at least 2,500 students and 10,000 spectators each year.

“We put the bones in place,” Harrison says. “But then we put out a big survey to every band director in the state, and we said, ‘Here’s our idea, here’s where the shows are, how would you like to see it run?’ And so every decision was left up to the key stakeholders—the high school band directors—to decide. And that, I think, was the single thing that made it the most successful. … The success I’m most proud of is the bringing together of not only the bands and directors, but the families and fans and this wonderful community of people who love marching bands in the state of Maryland. And we were able to define and set it up in a way that made sense for our bands in our state.”

Frazier is most proud of the MMBA’s growth—from a meeting between 15 band directors in Maryland to an organization present throughout the state, where all bands can get involved, whether they want to directly compete or simply participate in exhibition sessions.

A typical marching band season, like sports, starts far before the first competition, with late summer band camps ahead of the school year. Football season starts in September (where bands traditionally play at home games), with marching band competitions typically starting in late September and wrapping by the first week of November with the state championship.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that band leaders are inactive during the months in between, says Erick Von Sas, who has taught music and directed bands at Old Mill and Crofton high schools in Anne Arundel County. “If you plan successfully, the fall itself moves along very smoothly. … For the fall season, planning really starts in March and April,” he says.

A music arranger, Von Sas writes shows for various bands in the area and begins designing and prepping material at this time. “June/July is really when the rubber meets the road” in terms of final decisions, he adds.

Marching band season brings with it a great influx of money into local Maryland economies and businesses, as schools and communities reap the financial benefits of hosting competitions at their facilities while distributing cash to other areas when on the road.

“When we host the show, we can bring into Westminster and our boosters group probably $10,000 just from groups coming in, buying food, etc.,” says Frazier.

Before the MMBA, there were extensive charges thrust upon Maryland bands just to participate in outside competitions. The organization has made it its mission to break down financial barriers—the staff of MMBA is all volunteers, and bands are not charged to be a member or attend regular season competitions. Plus, there is also the financial benefit to band vendors, like local music stores and printing companies.

The benefits, though, extend far beyond the tangible. Arts education is one of the most important avenues for students to develop creativity and curiosity. Marching band is special in that it is both a “creative outlet and competitive outlet [for a segment of students],”
Frazier notes.

“It’s an atmosphere that’s unique from athletics in the sense that nobody’s really fighting to get off the bench,” Von Sas adds. “It’s an activity where we all are working together to do our best to produce the best product that we can, knowing that we’re only as strong as our weakest performer. We’re working to elevate everyone.”

Marching band also serves as excellent college prep—and not just for students planning to major in music.

“Some students use the opportunity to learn a new instrument or to foster skills related to color guard or conducting,” says Susan Eckerle, director of bands at Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville. “They also learn many skills critical to their success after high school, including teamwork, perseverance, collaboration, time management, discipline and creativity.”

“We like to really build up our students as well-rounded individuals and as leaders,” explains Christina Donall Lebovitz, current vice president of MMBA and band director at Dulaney High School in Baltimore County. The organization sponsors students going to marching band camps over the summer at universities and provides different opportunities within its operations—like a student media specialist position in charge of running the MMBA Instagram—to give kids experience to put toward future careers.

What’s next for marching bands in Maryland? An emphasis on furthering inclusivity and celebrating the diversity of the art.

“For our 2025 season, we’re really hoping to start another branch of our circuit … a show band circuit,” allowing HBCU-style show bands to compete, says Lebovitz. These bands are currently able to participate in noncompetitive exhibitions, but MMBA is researching and connecting with show band communities to create a competitive system that ensures all groups in Maryland are represented by judges specific to their style.