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Local bands beat out regional competition

The Tarpon Springs and Seminole high bands placed first and second among the 29 bands.

Though the Tarpon Springs High School band director says competition is not the point, his band left a regional band competition Saturday with first place.

The Bands of America regional championship at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg included 29 competing bands: 16 from Florida, including five from Pinellas County, and the rest mostly from southeastern states. It was the last of 15 regional championships before the national championships that run from Thursday through Saturday in Indianapolis.

In addition to Tarpon Springs' winning performance this past Saturday, Seminole High was a close second and the relatively small East Lake High band took on the giants to place fourth. The Largo High School and Indian Rocks Christian School marching bands competed but did not place in the top 10.

The Tarpon Springs marching band has 110 members, including the color guard. Leadership and Music Conservatory Director Kevin Ford directs, with Robert Barfield assisting.

In 2000 and 2002, the band won the Bands of America national championship in their AA division, schools of 601 to 1,149 students. Last year, the marching band did not compete in Bands of America national competitions, preferring to focus on sending the wind ensemble to Carnegie Hall and the concert band to a national festival.

But the band will go to Bands of America nationals this year.

"What's exciting as an educator is to be able to give them the experience of performing in front of a large audience," said Ford. "This gives them the opportunity to learn how to succeed under pressure and do a great job."

Seminole, with 138 members, is directed by Daniel Wood. Their second-place finish will allow them to go to nationals.

"We're in the thick of things," Wood said. "We're in the hunt."

Wood said the Seminole band was impressed with East Lake's performance in a David vs. Goliath situation. He said the new band director is doing a great job with the 68-member band.

"It was a great accomplishment for East Lake," Wood said. "We were really happy for him and proud."

Jay Emmert, East Lake's new band director, was pleased with his band's effort.

"The kids had a very determined performance," he said.

But they won't be going to nationals since the trips are scheduled in advance and Emmert didn't know how the band would be.

"Had I known we would be this successful," he said, "we might have considered it."