Prospect Marching Knights Conclude Season with 5A State Champ Title; Place Second in State Overall

     The Prospect High School Marching Knights (PMK), directed by Chris Barnum, recently concluded a very successful competition season, garnering championship or top placement spots at local, state, and regional levels.

     On Oct. 27, the PMK was named Illinois Class 5A State Champion, and won 2nd place overall out of 45 school bands competing at the 46th State of Illinois Invitational Marching Band Championships, at Illinois State University (ISU).  The 1st place spot was awarded to Marian Catholic High School of Chicago Heights. The PMK also captured the “High Achievement” award for general effect in Class 5A preliminaries.  Prospect's fellow District 214 marching band from John Hersey High School received a “High Achievement” award for music in their class preliminaries. 

     This latest win follows the Marching Knights' previous 1^st place/ championship awards of their 2012 competitive marching band season – including the 2012 Grand Champion Trophy for 4A - 6A schools at the University of Illinois Illini Marching Band Championship, and best-in-class awards for percussion, visual effect and auxiliary (color guard.). Additionally, on Sept. 8, the PMK captured 1st place and two "best" awards at the 34th Annual Lancer Joust Marching Band Competition at Lake Park H.S., Roselle, Ill. The band also was named Grand Champion among a field of 23 Midwest bands at the 45th Annual Chicagoland Marching Band Festival at Wheeling High School.

     Building on that momentum, on Oct. 19-20, the PMK travelled to St. Louis to compete at the Bands of America (BOA) Super Regional Championship. Garnering the highest score among all 15 participating Illinois school bands, the PMK finished third in its class and placed eighth overall in a field of 58 top high school bands representing 12 different states, from Texas to Minnesota.  BOA Championships are recognized as the premier high school marching band events in the United States. The Regional Championships offer world-class band performances by many of the finest high school marching bands in America.

     "I’m very proud of the way the band has worked throughout our season and we have had a number of strong performances," said Chris Barnum, Prospect High School's director of bands. "This (performance at ISU) was a really great end to a fantastic season."

     In noncompetition, the PMK will travel Nov. 8-12 to New York, to march in the cit's annual Veteran's Day Parade on Sunday, Nov. 11, as well as to participate in The Band of Pride Tribute, a performance to honor veterans in Times Square on Saturday, Nov. 10. 

     The PMK is a nationally recognized, award-winning marching band of about 160. The Marching Knights are lead by Drum Majors Destiny Duraj, Ted Marzolf, and Alex Yoo.  In 2012, the PHS music department was designated one of the top six music programs in the nation by the GRAMMY® Foundation.  Prospect received the 2012 Grammy® Signature Schools Gold award, in recognition of its demonstrated excellence in music education.