Eight HBCUs Participate in the Honda Battle of the Bands in Atlanta
Filed in HBCUs on February 7, 2020
The 17th Honda Battle of the Bands was held recently in Atlanta. Marching bands from eight historically Black colleges and universities participated in the showcase before a crowd of nearly 60,000 fans.
This year’s Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase participants included:
- Benedict College, The Marching Tiger Band of Distinction
- Florida A&M University, Marching 100
- Grambling State University, Tiger Marching Band
- Hampton University, The Marching Force
- Jackson State University, Sonic Boom of the South Marching Band
- North Carolina A&T State University, Blue & Gold Marching Machine
- Prairie View A&M University, Marching Storm
- Tennessee State University, Aristocrat of Bands
The show opened with a soulful performance by all eight bands, as more than 2,400 musicians and dancers joined together on the field. This year’s event marked the first time that a woman band director – Dr. Nikole Roebuck of Grambling State University – participated in the Honda Battle of the Bands. Dr. Roebuck is a graduate of Grambling State University where she majored in music education. She holds a master of music degree from the University of Louisiana-Monroe and a Ph.D. in music education from the University of Memphis.
Honda awarded $200,000 in grants to this year’s participating bands to help support their music education programs, and covered the bands’ travel and accommodation expenses for the event.
