The Tyrone High School Marching Band made history this past weekend in McKeesport, winning the 2023 Pennsylvania Tournament of Bands (TOB) State Championship for their 2023 show “Inferno” with a score of 92.42.
“There are a lot of gaps in my historical records, but from the records that I have, that score is the second highest score in Tyrone Marching Band history,” said Tyrone Band Director David Hock.
The band also won high visual, high music, and high percussion trophies.
This has been a very successful season for the band.
“I think it winning states helps keep kids motivated to be the best they can be at music and it helps inspire other students to want to join marching band and our other programs,” Hock said.
The state title came just one week after the band won their first Region 11 Championship since 2013 with a score of 89 at Brockway.
The band members could not be more proud of what they have accomplished so far this season.
“We were very excited,” said senior and alto saxophone player Joey Davis. “Our school has never brought home three banners in one year before.”
Winning the Regional competition the weekend before got the band members pumped up for States.
“It made us believe for the first time in a while that we had a chance,” Davis said.
The band works very hard to prepare for their halftime shows and competitions. They can often be heard rehearsing well into the evenings in the high school parking lot.
“We usually [rehearse] eleven hours a week, three on Tuesdays and Thursdays, one on Fridays, and anywhere from 2 to 4 hours on Saturdays,” Davis said.
The band is bigger than it has been in the recent past, and the more musicians they have, the more they can do on the field.
According to Drum Major Austin White, the only thing holding the band back right now is numbers.
“We practice really hard and we enjoy what we are doing, [but] It’s always better to have better numbers,” said White.
Drum Major KK Brodzina also hopes that the band’s recent success will encourage more students to join the band and color guard.
“It’s a different kind of feeling and it may seem awkward at first, but it’s a lot of fun,” said Brodzina.
The band will take their talent and passion to the ACC Championships on Sunday, November 5 in Hershey. They are currently ranked 7th out of 31 total group 2-A bands.
“We’re hoping our ACC performance will be good enough to move up a couple of spots and maybe even finish in the top three again this year,” said Hock.
