As many students enjoyed a relaxing fall break, band students took the field at the Bands of America (BOA) North Texas Regionals in Prosper, placing 19th overall.

Competing against more than 20 schools, students like sophomore Ava Debu found the experience to be unique from their usual competitions. 

“What sets this event apart from a UIL contest is the unique competitive structure,” Debu said. “First, the classification system is different, we’re 3A in BOA, not our usual 4A and the regional draws a concentration of incredibly tough programs from across the entire region of North Texas, not just our immediate UIL area. Competing against this diverse field forces us to work toward a higher standard of performance and makes the experience inspiring.”

Although they did not advance to finals, students view this as an important opportunity to grow and improve before the upcoming UIL Area competition. 

“Our preparation focused heavily on analyzing judge feedback,” Debu said. “We listened to previous competition tapes to identify specific issues, and we dedicated rehearsals to fixing those. We were essentially using the BOA competition to get high-quality, professional commentary to make final improvements before our push toward UIL Area.”