A-State Open

The A-State Open is a marching competition for high school bands where bands are classified by band size, not by high school enrollment. Band size includes all musicians participating in the performance, including brass, woodwinds, drum line, and front ensemble. Bands may elect to enter a larger classification but not a smaller one.

Class A: 1-25 members
Class AA: 26-50 members
Class AAA: 51-74 members
Class AAAA: 75-105 members
Class AAAAA: 106 or more members

The 2019 non-refundable entry fee is $250.00. Registration will be open from August 1, 2019 until September 30, 2019.

To register for the A-State Open, and to pay by credit card or electronic check, please click here. This method is strongly recommended. Once you follow the link, click on "A-State Open Registration" at the bottom of the page and follow the instructions. If you are unable to pay by credit card or electronic check, please email Dr. Labovitz at slabovitz@astate.edu. She will get back to you with instructions on registering with a paper check.

The A-State Open will have eight judges (3 music, 2 visual, 1 percussion, 1 color guard, and 1 drum major). The judges for 2019 are:

Music 1: Dr. Matt Smith-Associate Director of Bands at the University of Kansas

Music 2: Dr. Gabriel Arnold-Director of Athletic Bands at Nicholls State University

Music 3: Prof. Jeff Hinton-Director of Bands at Missouri Western University

Visual 1: Dr. Steven Smyth-Associate Director of Bands at New Mexico State University

Visual 2: Dr. Kyle Glaser-Associate Director of Bands at Texas State University

Percussion: Prof. Oliver Molina-Assistant Professor of Music & Assistant Director of Bands at Northwestern State University of Louisiana

Color Guard: Mr. Del Duke-Visual Caption Head from Corydon, Indiana

Drum Major: Dr. Shayna Stahl-Associate Director of Bands at University of North Carolina-Charlotte