As precision and talent filled the air, the Socorro Independent School District's Student Activities Complex (SAC) played host to a spectacle of musical mastery during the 32nd Annual March Fest competition, where twenty-three marching bands from across the El Paso region showed up and showed out with their dynamic performances on Oct. 11, according to Socorro ISD.
For the second consecutive year, Pebble Hills High School snagged the coveted Grand Champions title with their program "My Beautiful Anna," not only dazzling the crowd but also sweeping awards in percussion, visuals, and music categories, displaying an effort that transcended regular band shenanigans; Drum Major Abel Griego, in his fourth year at the competition, expressed his anticipation for future contests and the band's endeavor to advance to the state marching contest again, a hope bolstered by their qualifications in the past two years, as he told Socorro ISD.
All six SISD high school marching bands, after grinding all summer perfecting their routines, earned Division I ratings at the UIL Region Marching Band Contest on Oct. 18, securing their spots at the UIL Area Marching Band Contest for 5A and 6A bands in late October and early November, which Dr. Armando Martinez, the SISD Fine Arts Director, underscored as a testament to their relentless commitment, as reported by Socorro ISD.
March Fest, which thrusts enthused students into the limelight with Class A, B, and C bands performing for judges from all over the state, utilizes a national competition standard and preliminary finals format to assess the future of Texas marching bands; Cecilia Olivas, an experienced March Fest mom whose youngest, Kevin Olivas, jammed out a soprano saxophone solo with Eastlake High School's "Solaris," has watched the fest evolve with her children's participation, and despite the pride she felt, both she and Kevin maintain a mindset geared towards constant improvement, as the sophomore instrumentalist shared with Socorro ISD.
