Eight HBCU Marching Bands Receive $20,000 Grant from Honda

Honda is giving back to HBCU’s and offering everyone a chance to be your “Best You” and win a 2014 Honda! The votes are in and eight of the top Historically Black College and University (HBCU) marching bands have been selected to perform at the 12th Annual Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase. Widely known within the marching band community as “The Honda,” the Invitational Showcase is the culmination of the Honda Battle of the Bands, providing a national stage to highlight the distinct showmanship of HBCU marching bands. The Invitational Showcase will take place on January 25, 2014, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, where tens of thousands of HBCU marching band fans will converge for one of the nation’s most distinguished marching band events. Individual and group tickets are available by clicking here. The eight bands selected to perform are:

Alabama A&M University, Marching Maroon & White (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
Alabama State University, Mighty Marching Hornets (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
Bethune-Cookman University, Marching Wildcats (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
Morehouse College, Marching Maroon Tigers (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference)
North Carolina A&T University, Blue and Gold Marching Machine (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
South Carolina State University, Marching 101 (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, UAPB Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
Winston-Salem State University, The Red Sea of Sound (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association)

All of the selected HBCUs will receive a $20,000 grant from Honda for their music education programs, plus an all-expenses paid trip to Atlanta for the Invitational Showcase. The final eight bands were chosen through a voting process that incorporates feedback from online fan votes, band directors, HBCU school presidents and representatives from American Honda.

“The Honda Battle of the Bands is a celebration of the unique HBCU marching band experience and culture,” said Gina Jorge, head of Multicultural Marketing for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “The Invitational Showcase is a spectacular display of the results of months of dedication and preparation, and Honda is proud to continue to support our nation’s HBCU music education programs.”

Make a Video – Win a 2014 Honda Civic

Honda is offering three talented fans an opportunity to win a free trip for two to “The Honda,” and one of them will win a new 2014 Honda Civic. Fans are encouraged to submit a 15-second Instagram video that best embodies this year’s show theme, “Best Yourself.”  For contest details, please visitwww.hondabattleofthebands.com/contest.

Check out the 2014 HBOB intro video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxdbcwmaQk0