The Round Rock High School Dragon Marching Band made Central Texas proud after ranking in the top 10 at the Bands of America Grand National competition held in Indianapolis earlier this month.
“We felt our season was really successful overall!” said senior Lauren Quarmby. “There was a lot of momentum after our results from last season, and we continued to seize our opportunities by advancing to finals at every competition.”
Leading up to this contest, the band had taken home 13th out of 43 6A bands at the UIL State Marching Band Contest in late October, and 11th out of 64 bands at the Bands of America San Antonio Super Regional earlier this month.
Lauren said the band’s goal going into Indianapolis this year was to make it through all three rounds of the competition, and that’s exactly what they did. The Dragons placed eighth overall, against more than 90 bands from across the nation.
“The Dragon Band has never accomplished making finals in all three of these benchmark events in the same year, but this group of students pulled together, gave their all, and quite simply poured their hearts out in each performance,” said Round Rock ISD Band Director David Mobley. “They were stunning! It was a joy to watch them grow throughout the season. It’s an experience the students can learn from, grow from, and build upon, before pursuing any endeavor they wish.”
As a senior, Lauren said making finals was super emotional for her. “We placed 16th last year, and missed finals… I think this experience has taught me hard work really does pay off. That’s something I’ll take away from this program as I move on to my next chapter of life.”
