10 Finalist Marching Ensembles Announced for 2008 Honda Battle Of the Bands

10 Finalist Marching Ensembles Announced for 2008 Honda Battle Of the Bands

Nation's best Black college musicians to 'represent,' as stellar sixth annual showcase returns to Atlanta

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The curtain is all set to be raised once again for ten of America's top Historically Black College and University (HBCU) marching bands, as the sixth annual Honda Battle of the Bands gets ready to roll into Atlanta's Georgia Dome on January 26, 2008.

At center stage will be each band, their superstar drum majors, sultry dance teams and, of course, synchronized drumlines. All will be moving together in unison as Honda's sixth annual showcase prepares to bring down the house.

The Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase continues to stand alone as "the Super Bowl for Black College Bands," a singular showcase of ten Black college marching bands in one place, at one time. Now in its sixth year, the producers continue to keep it fresh by honoring a variety of music, marching and playing styles from various Historically Black College and University marching bands and incorporating themes that are relevant to the African American community.

The 2008 Invitational Showcase has a bevy of surprises in store for fans of all ages. The 10 bands, nominated from a field of 42 participating HBCUs during the fall Celebration Tour, will tear the roof off of the Dome with all new routines, scintillating choreography and contemporary R&B, funk, Hip-Hop, classical and jazz music stylings.

The lineup of colleges set to march at the Dome, in the largest and only national scholarship program showcasing the pageantry, heritage and showmanship of Black college bands for 2008 is:

-- Virginia State University and Shaw University, representing the Central
Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA);
-- Bethune-Cookman College and Norfolk State University, representing the
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC);
-- Tuskegee University and Albany State University, representing the
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC);
-- Texas Southern University and the University of Arkansas At Pine Bluff,
representing the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC); and
-- North Carolina Central University and Winston-Salem State University,
both independents.

Estimates are that more than 2,000 HBCU student-musicians will be spotlighted in this unique show. Four first-time bands are on tap to appear in the 2008 Invitational Showcase, they include: Shaw University Texas Southern, University of Arkansas At Pine Bluff and Winston-Salem State University.

"Bringing the Honda Battle of the Bands to the big stage for the past five years has been our privilege," said Marc Burt, Sr. manager, Office of Inclusion and Diversity for American Honda. "We're proud to be associated with these students, with HBCUs, and with their music and academic programs."

HBCU commissioners, presidents, band directors and fans judged the 42 participating bands on showmanship, musicianship and fan interaction during the Celebration Tour, which took place during this fall's college football season. School officials were not permitted to vote for their own school.

As sponsor of the Honda Battle of the Bands, American Honda Motor Co. will award $142,000 in grants to the HBCU bands. All 42 institutions received a $1,000 grant for their performances during the Celebration Tour, while each of the 10 participating Invitational Showcase schools additionally will receive a $10,000 grant for their music programs' scholarship funds.

Fans, current HBCU students, alumni and administrators are rapidly reserving tickets to witness the unique facet of American culture found only in Black college music programs, and on display here like nowhere else. Tickets to the Honda Battle of the Bands are $10 for reserved seating, and can be purchased at Ticketmaster or via the Georgia Dome box-office.

To learn more about the nation's Black colleges, their music programs, scholarships and admissions requirements, interested high school students and their parents are invited to visit the Honda Battle Of the Bands recruitment fair. The recruitment fair will take place from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., the day of the event, at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Honda's long-term commitment to the HBCUs was first made more than 18 years ago when it established the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge, a program designed to showcase the academic gifts and prowess of HBCU students. For more information on the Honda Battle Of the Bands visit http://www.hondabattleofthebands.com/.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: American Honda Motor Co.

CONTACT: Ronald E. Childs of Flowers Communications, +1-312-986-1260, or
Erika Braxton-White of American Honda, +1-310-783-3549

Web site: http://www.hondabattleofthebands.com/

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