Ten HBCU Bands Will Compete at Charlotte Showcase in March

Ten marching bands from historically Black colleges will perform at the Big HBCU Southern Classic Battle of the Bands on March 15 at Bojangles Coliseum. DJ Envy and Loren LoRosa of "The Breakfast Club" will host. Platinum recording artist Sunshine Anderson will perform.

Six schools from the Carolinas will participate. Johnson C. Smith University's International Institution of Sound, North Carolina A&T State University's Blue and Gold Marching Machine, and North Carolina Central University's Sound Machine will play. Winston-Salem State University's Red Sea of Sound, Benedict College's Band of Distinction, and South Carolina State University's Marching 101 will also hit the stage.

Four programs from other states complete the lineup. Hampton University's Marching Force from Virginia, Alcorn State University's Sounds of Dyn-O-Mite from Mississippi, Mississippi Valley State University's Mean Green Marching Machine, and Talladega College's Great Tornado Band from Alabama will compete.

Alex Davis picked the programs. He serves as president of Big HBCU and graduated from JCSU. Davis based his selections on what bands accomplished during the season. He wanted to include smaller programs that don't always get attention.

"My favorite part is seeing those bands get off the buses and enter the stadium and arenas and seeing all the people just go crazy and those first notes," said Davis, according to The Charlotte Post. "It's just nothing like it."

This marks the first time North Carolina A&T State University and NCCU have competed against each other in Charlotte since 2016 at JCSU. Sunshine Anderson graduated from NCCU. She's known for her hit "Heard It All Before."

Davis created these events to support marching programs. Most receive little funding. The money raised helps with scholarships for students who might not attend college without band programs.

"The reason why we do these different events is because most colleges and HBCU marching programs don't get any funding," Davis said. "So, these events are built so we can help them with scholarships and things like that because if it wasn't for band programs a lot of students would not go to college, probably myself included."

Tomisha Brock directs bands at JCSU. She said marching programs help students express themselves creatively. HBCUs offer a unique space where students learn about their heritage while building who they are.

Tickets cost between $39 and $233.50 for VIP packages. You can buy them through ticketmaster.com. Parking and entry to the fanfare are free with ticket purchase. Children under 3 get in free.