Kentucky State Marching Band Championships
The Kentucky State Marching Band Championships are an annual contest held by the Kentucky Music Educators Association that takes place each fall over the course of several weeks to determine the Kentucky high school marching band champion in five respective classes.
Origins
The Kentucky State Marching Band Championships first began as we know them today in 1986 when the Kentucky Music Educators Association (KMEA) first sponsored the event, with the Finals held at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington. Before 1986 several other contests claimed to be the Kentucky state championship such as Murray State’s Festival of Champions and Middle Tennessee State University’s Contest of Champions. The first state champions were George Rodgers Clark High School (AAAA), Glasgow High School (AAA), Bremen High School (AA), and Adair County High School(A). Also, there was an overall championship list composed, with AAAA champion George Rogers Clark winning the Overall Grand Champion title. However, this format was discarded after the first year, and state champions were completely divided by their classes.
Since then the KMEA championships have been held each year in late October and occasionally early November, with one exception. In 1993, incliment weather forced the cancellation of the final round, and class championships were determined by bands' placements in the semifinals earlier in the day.
Format
Prior to the start of each marching season all Kentucky marching bands are grouped into 5 different classes (A, AA, AAA, AAAA, AAAAA) based on the size of the bands respective high schools (before 2005 bands were grouped into 4 classes based on band size instead of school size). Starting in September all bands have the opportunity to participate in contests throughout the state that have been sanctioned by KMEA, those bands that earn a proficient rating (any score above 60) are then allowed to continue to regional competitions within their classes that take place in mid-to late October. During regional competition 16 bands from each class (the top 8 scoring bands from the east and west region) advance to the state semifinals which take place the following week. After Semifinals the top 4 scoring bands from each class advance to the state finals held later that evening. The 20 remaining bands (4 from each class) then perform one last time. After all performances have concluded the top scoring bands from each class are then named State Champions.
Winners
Since 1986, the most state titles won by a school (regardless of class) has been by Adair County, which has won 16 titles (the most recent coming in 2005), including a string of ten straight from 1986 to 1995. The longest winning streak, however, belongs to the second-place finisher in the titles category. Lafayette High School won all 13 of its titles to date in a span from 1990 to 2002.
AAAA/AAAAA Championship History
Early North Hardin Success
After George Rodgers Clark won the first state title in 4A, a period elapsed in which North Hardin High School won each year from 1987-1989, with Lafayette High School finishing closely behind in second or third. However in 1990 North Hardin’s director Craig Cornish left for a newly constructed high school in Lexington named Paul Laurence Dunbar. With the momentary setback to their program, North Hardin fell out of the championship race as Lafayette won their first state title during the 1990 season.
Lafayette Dominance
What followed is considered by many as the greatest period of dominance in Kentucky state marching band history in which Lafayette won class 4A for each of the next 13 years (although many others would claim that Adair County’s 17 state titles in the smaller classes are far more impressive). During this run Lafayette would record some of the highest scores in finals history.
Paul Laurence Dunbar's entrance into 4A and the Reemergence of North Hardin
Beginning in 1992 Paul Laurence Dunbar High School moved from class 3A to class 4A and proved a worthy adversary to Lafayette, finishing second or third every year through the rest of the decade. Also in 1993 North Hardin rebounded from several disappointing years with a second place finish in finals. However despite North and Dunbar’s success, Lafayette still remained seemingly untouchable. As the 1990’s drew to a close the period from 1996-2000 cemented what is widely considered one of, if not the greatest rivalry in Kentucky marching history in which North Hardin placed 2nd behind Lafayette 5 consecutive years in a row, 3 of which the difference between the two was less than 1 point.
North’s departure and the end of the Lafayette Era
Following several years of close rivalry for various reasons in 2001 North Hardin stopped competing in the state championships, which opened the door for Paul Laurence Dunbar to become the sole challenger to Lafayette. After a close finish in 2002 Dunbar finally defeated Lafayette in the 2003 state finals and ended the 13 year Lafayette run. The school would go on to also win the next 2 championships in ’04 and ’05, tying North’s mark of 3 titles in a row from the late 1980’s.
The 2006 finals and beyond
The 2006 finals marked the 20 year anniversary of the KMEA state marching band championships. Going into the competition most people believed that 5A was solely a two band race between Dunbar and Lafayette, and that, although very good, Lafayette’s time had ended and given way to Dunbar’s new era. Both notions however were proven false when Lafayette defeated Paul Laurence Dunbar to win their 14th title, and the 3rd place finisher, North Hardin, placed only 3 tenths of a point behind Dunbar, proving that neither of the top bands were unbeatable. With the 2007 marching season about to begin Dunbar and Lafayette remain the heavy favorites, but any number of bands such as Louisville Male, Tates Creek, George Rodgers Clark, North Hardin, and relative newcomer John Hardin all stand ready to make their own runs at the title this year, and for years to come.
List Of Champions
1986: Adair County(A) Bremen(AA) Glasgow (AAA) George Rodgers Clark(AAAA)
1987: Campbellsville(A) Adair County(AA) Meade County (AAA) North Hardin(AAAA)
1988: Bremen(A) Madison Central (AA) Adair County(AAA) North Hardin(AAAA)
1989: Hazard(A) Madison Central (AA) Adair County(AAA) North Hardin(AAAA)
1990: Beechwood(A) Adair County(AA) Dixie Heights(AAA) Lafayette(AAAA)
1991: Madison Southern(A) Adair County(AA) Paul Laurence Dunbar(AAA) Lafayette(AAAA)
1992: Madison Southern(A) Adair County(AA) Central Hardin(AAA) Lafayette(AAAA)
1993: Pleasure Ridge Park(A) Adair County(AA) Elizabethtown(AAA) Lafayette(AAAA)
1994: Hazard(A) Adair County(AA) Elizabethtown(AAA) Lafayette(AAAA)
1995: Grant County(A) Adair County(AA) Elizabethtown(AAA) Lafayette(AAAA)
1996: Nicholas County(A) Mercer County(AA) Harrison County(AAA) Lafayette(AAAA)
1997: Nicholas County(A) Adair County(AA) Elizabethtown(AAA) Lafayette(AAAA)
1998: Hazard(A) Grant County(AA) Elizabethtown(AAA) Lafayette(AAAA)
1999: Marion(A) Adair County(AA) Harrison County(AAA) Lafayette(AAAA)
2000: Nicholas County(A) Adair County(AA) Harrison County(AAA) Lafayette(AAAA)
2001: Boyle County(A) Adair County(AA) Daviess County(AAA) Lafayette(AAAA)
2002: Boyle County(A) Harrison County(AA) George Rodgers Clark(AAA) Lafayette(AAAA)
2003: Boyle County(A) Harrison County(AA) Russell County(AAA) Paul Laurence Dunbar(AAAA)
2004: Williamstown(A) Adair County(AA) Madison Central(AAA) Paul Laurence Dunbar(AAAA)
2005: Williamstown(A) Mercer County(AA) Adair County(AAA) Madisonville-North Hopkins(AAAA Paul Laurence Dunbar(AAAAA)
2006: Beechwood(A) Mercer County(AA) Adair County(AAA) Madisonville-North Hopkins (AAAA) Lafayette(AAAAA)
Facts/Trivia
There have been 342 performances in state finals.
There have been 86 state championship winners.
68 schools have performed in finals competition.
55 schools have been in finals more than once.
10 schools have been in finals 10 or more times.
2 schools have been in finals every year.
28 schools have won a state championship.
4 schools have won 4 or more state championships.
2 schools have won more than 10 state championships.
Adair County has the most state championships with 17.
Lafayette and Adair are tied for most finals appearances with 21.
North Hardin is the only 5A school from the West region to win a championship