Dancing, flag twirling, marching and music were the order of the day as 20 high school bands with over 1,500 musicians and families from every corner of Louisiana as well as East Texas converged on Northwestern State University’s Turpin Stadium for the 2024 Classic on the Cane High School Band Competition Saturday, November 2.
The competition, a longtime tradition among band programs in Louisiana and elsewhere, is in its 35th year. The Classic on the Cane is a superb opportunity for the bands to showcase their abilities and spend a day in friendly competition with fellow musicians.
Bands from C.E. Byrd, Airline, Haughton, Benton and Parkway high schools all turned in superb performances. C. E. Byrd scored percussion 2, auxiliary 2, band 2. Airline scored percussion 1, auxiliary 1, band 1. Benton scored percussion 1, auxiliary 1, band 1. Haughton scored percussion 2, auxiliary 1, band 1. Parkway scored percussion 1, auxiliary 1, band 1.
Airline also won Most Outstanding Percussion award. Benton’s vociferous supporters garnered the Tigers the Most Spirited Supporters award. The Haughton Buccaneers brought the Most Entertaining Show. C.E. Byrd took home second place honors in the class 1-A classification. The Parkway Panthers won top honors with a first place finish overall at the competition with a score of 94.1
Each marching band gave a half-time type performance and was graded on several factors relating to marching, performing and musicality. The east side of Turpin stadium was packed end to end with the band members’ families and supporters who enthusiastically waved signs and cheered their favorite bands.
The NSU Spirit of Northwestern band gave the last performance of the evening, a high energy performance that drew repeated applause from the crowd. It is a sign of both NSU’s excellence and service to our state that many of the band directors at the competition are NSU alumni.
The Classic on the Cane has been a fixture of the high school marching band scene for the past 35 years. . We are looking forward to next year’s contest!
