Marching Band Contest Results: Midweek Update, October 8, 2026

Oct 8, 2026 | News

Marching Band Contest Results: Midweek Update, October 8, 2026

This is a midweek round of marching band contest results for the bands performing my shows this fall. UIL region season has started, and Clear Lake was one of the first of my bands through it, with straight 1s on Thursday night. Two more bands sent me first-place finishes from last Saturday that hadn’t been posted when I wrote the October 3 recap.

UIL Region 17: Clear Lake earns a Division I

Region 17 ran its high school marching contest on Thursday, October 8. Clear Lake got a 1 from all three judges, which sends them to UIL Area.

  • Clear Lake HS
    Class 6A: Division I
    Judges: 1, 1, 1
    Advances to Area
    Show: Of Faun and Fable

A unanimous 1 at region in early October is exactly where you want to be. Region is the checkpoint, and Area is where the real cleaning shows up. Clear Lake also placed 3rd in Class AAA at the BOA Iowa Colony Regional last weekend, so this band has been on the field a lot. If you’re prepping for that next round, here’s my list of ways to make your show stand out at UIL Area.

More first-place finishes from October 3

These came in after my October 3 recap went up.

Decatur swept every caption in their class, which tells you the whole band is pulling in one direction, from the winds and percussion to the guard. Hondo has placed in the top two at both contests their director told me about this fall. Both bands are running a mix of selections from my catalog of adaptable marching band shows, adjusted to fit their instrumentation.

What’s next

This weekend is a big one: three Bands of America regionals in Texas, the USBands Conn-Selmer Classic: Texas and a long list of Texas invitationals, with more UIL region contests the following week. I’ll post marching band contest results for my bands as they come in.

If you’re already thinking about next fall, browse the 2026 show catalog or start sketching your own with the Build Your Show tool. When you’re ready to talk it through, reach out here and we can set up a call.

FAQ

What does a Division I mean at a UIL region marching contest? Each of three judges gives the band a rating from I to V, and the final rating is the majority. A Division I (Superior) at region qualifies the band for its UIL Area contest.

Where can I find official UIL region marching results? UIL posts region marching ratings, judge by judge, on its results site at texasmusicforms.com, and each region’s website links there.

Can an adaptable show win its class? Yes. Decatur and Hondo both won their classes on October 3 with mixes of selections from my catalog, each adjusted to the band before they started learning it. See how adaptable shows work.

About the author

I’m Evan VanDoren, a composer and arranger based in Austin. I spent nine years as band director at Cedar Park High School, where we won three UIL State Championships, and I now write for Santa Clara Vanguard. My work is published through RWS Music and Alfred Music, and I write adaptable and custom marching band shows for programs across the country.

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