Bands of America

Bands of America
	Logo (1983–present)
Abbreviation	BOA
Formation	1975
Founder	Larry McCormick
Merger of	Bands of America, Inc.; Music for All Foundation;
Purpose	To create, provide and expand positively life-changing experiences through music for all.
Location	Indianapolis, Indiana;
Region	United States
Chief Judge	Richard Saucedo, Nola Jones, John Phillips
Advisory Committee Chairman	Ken Snoeck
Parent organization	Music For All (MFA)
Website	marching.musicforall.org; bands.org (former);
Formerly called	Marching Bands of America (1975–1984); Bands of America, Inc. (1984–2006);

Bands of America (BOA) is a music education advocacy organization and promoter of high school marching band competitions in the United States, such as the annual Grand National Championships. Established in 1975 as Marching Bands of America (MBA), founder Larry McCormick's goal was to provide educational opportunities for music students nationwide. McCormick organized the first annual Summer Workshop and Festival in 1976. Renamed Bands of America in 1984, the organization became an independent, tax-exempt entity in 1988. In 2006, Bands of America merged with the Music for All Foundation, a music education advocacy organization, becoming the flagship program of the combined organization. Bands of America has received numerous awards from IFEA.

Since 1975, Bands of America's various programs, services and events have served approximately 1.75 million music students. Approximately 450,000 spectators attend Bands of America championships every year. From 1980 to 1989, Bands of America hosted an annual Summer National Championship.

The adjudication manual and contest procedures utilized by Bands of America have been licensed to or adopted by other organizations. As a result, Bands of America sets standards for adjudication and competitive attributes of marching band competitions throughout the United States.

The 2020 Grand National Championship was previously scheduled for November 12 – November 14, 2020 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. On July 21, 2020, Music for All's board of directors announced the cancellation of the 2020 competitive season in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Bands of America's schedule of championships, including Grand Nationals, continued in 2021.

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