Oakton HS Marching Cougars and Color Guard Terrance Moran/The Connection
What do you get when 17 high school marching bands from Northern Virginia compete at the 29th Annual Oakton Invitational? A lot of fun, music and good vibes.
On Saturday, Sept. 27, Oakton High School Marching Cougars in Vienna held their 29th Annual Marching Band Classic competition. Seventeen high schools from Virginia accepted Oakton’s invitation. Judges from Florida, Texas and Virginia, who also serve as band directors at high schools, colleges, and the US Air Force Band, were asked to judge each band.
Oakton High School follows the Virginia Band and Orchestra (VBODA) class size and judging guidelines. Trophies were presented to each VBODA class along with the Gold, Burgundy and Grand Champion awards. The marching bands are placed into five classes based on size: Class A, up to 50 musicians; Class 2A, 51-70 musicians; Class 3A, 71-95 musicians; Class 4A, 96-130 musicians; and Class 5A, 131 and more musicians.
The marching bands are evaluated in five different categories: Music Performance, Visual Performance, General Effect, Percussion, and Color Guards. Included in the ratings is each band’s marching execution and precision.
The results of the Oakton invitational were:
Class A, 1st Place — Spotsylvania High School Marching Knights
Class 2A, 1st Place — Mount Vernon High School Marching Majors
Class 3A, 1st Place — John Champe High School Marching Knights
Class 4A, 1st Place — James Madison High School Pride of Vienna Warhawk Band
Class 5A, 1st Place — McLean High School Highlander Marching Band
The Oakton Cougar Burgundy Award, given to overall first place in class size 1A and 2A, was awarded to Mount Vernon High School.
The Cougar Gold Award, given to overall first place in class size 3A to 5A, was awarded to James Madison High School.
The Grand Champion Oakton Cougar Award was awarded to James Madison High’s “Pride of Vienna” Warhawk Band. The Grand Champion Award was presented to Drum Majors Bea Torress-Rios and Eva Varghese.