Hillsborough County schools put marching bands to the test

On Saturday night, Hillsborough County high school students battled for bragging rights while showing the mettle behind their schools’ music programs.

At the heart of a band’s success are relentless teamwork and the discipline of coordinated movement synchronized to music selections to create stunning audio-visual performances on a football field.

This year’s event, at Gaither High School in Tampa, hosted 2,741 performers from 27 high schools who performed for parents, faculty and a panel of judges.