The Banning High School Mighty Marching Pilots from Wilmington, California are one of the top show bands on the West Coast. The group has won numerous awards, appeared in television commercials and movies in its 31 years under the direction of James Woodson. Cindy Findley is the Auxiliary Instructor and assists as necessary. The Drum Majors for the 2007 Mighty Marching Pilots are Alyssa Munoz, Rogelio Cerda and Karla Gonzalez.

In 34 years of performing, the Cypress High School Centurion Imperial Brigade has performed throughout North America, including the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, the Hawaii Invitational in Honolulu and the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco. The Centurions have been recognized consistently for excellence, including Sweepstakes awards and cash prizes. In 2007, Cypress High School was named a California Distinguished School. The Centurion Imperial Brigade is under the direction of James Quirion.

The Esperanza Entertainment Unit from Esperanza High School in Anaheim, California has marched in many parades and field tournaments. For their efforts, the group has been invited to participate in the London New Year’s Day Parade. Recent awards include Sweepstakes at the Sierra Vista High School Tournament and 3rd Place at the Reno International Jazz Festival. Bincins C. Garcia directs the Esperanza Entertainment Unit.

Hailing from Hollywood, California, the Hollywood High Marching Band consists of all the beginning, intermediate and advanced band classes. In addition to numerous commercials, the group has played for many stars and performed on television shows, including “Malcolm in the Middle”. Every year, the Hollywood High Marching Band performs at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Marston Riley directs the band.

In only eight years of existence, the Kaiser Catamount Pride Band & Pageantry has been extremely successful and is building quite a name for itself. The group has received many awards of distinction for outstanding performances at Southern California Band Reviews and parades, including Sweepstakes at the Riverside King Band Review. Under the direction of Anthony J. Allmond, the Kaiser Band comes from Fontana, California.

Palmdale, California is the home of the Knight High School Destiny Alliance Regiment. The band was established in 2003 and for the past three years has served as a stand-in for the USC Trojan Band at select events. Under the direction of Sean Hamberlin, the Regiment has received Sweepstakes awards at the Riverside Orange Blossom Parade and the Pasadena Black History Parade as well at the Kingdom Day Parade (past two years). The band has been featured on ABC 7 and KTLA 5 News on tailgating in Southern California.

The Long Beach Junior Concert Band hails from Long Beach, California and is under the direction of its founder Marvin Marker. The band has the honorable distinction of ushering in the final float carrying the most famous celebrity -- Santa Claus. When not parading through the streets of Southern California, the Long Beach Junior Concert Band has found time to perform in four major motion pictures and sixteen television commercials.

The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Band from Twentynine Palms, California was formed in the late 1950’s. These fully combat trained Marines are the Musical Ambassadors of America’s Finest Fighting Force. The band is lead by Drum Major Staff Sergeant Joseph Streeter.

Under the direction of Thomas W. Philips, the Mayfair High School Monsoon Marching Corps represents the cities of Lakewood, Bellflower and Cerritos, California. The group has been performing and competing in parades, band reviews and field tournaments in California, Nevada and Hawaii and have been earning Sweepstakes awards and Superior ratings for the last eight years. The band itself has been around since the school’s inception in 1959.

The Monache High School Marauder Band is from Porterville, California and performs extensively in Central California. Although the band regularly travels throughout the state to perform at festivals and music celebrations. The band has represented California in Edinburgh, Scotland as well as New York, Flordia, Hawaii and Washington, D.C. Justin Adams, a 1992 graduate of Monache High School, has directed the Marauder Band since 2001.

Throughout its history, the Montebello High School “Mighty Oiler Band & Pageantry Unit” has impressed audiences with its precise marching, spirited music and colorful showmanship. The Mighty Oiler Band, is one of the oldest consistently competing parade bands in the United States. The group has traveled extensively throughout the world including performances in London, Paris, Boston, New York City, Washington D.C. and locally at the Tournament of Roses Parade. Reggie Cordero directs the group from Montebello, California.

The Porterville High School Panther Band from Porterville, California has traveled to Southern California before. In fact, the group was the first band chosen for the this year’s Tournament of Roses Parade, which totals six trips to Pasadena for the Panthers. The group is the oldest high school band in the state. Among its 51 Superior ratings over the years, the band has received the National Hall of Fame Band of the Year honor. In addition, its director Jim Kusserow has been inducted into the National High School Band Directors Hall of Fame.

Buddy Heise directs the Reedley High School “Pirate” Dancing/Marching Band from Reedley, California. Over its 35 years of dancing in the streets, the band has become one of the most popular and entertaining bands in the San Joaquin Valley. In the last few years, the band received many first place and Sweepstakes awards at competitions throughout the state including winning the 2006 Battle of the Bands in San Jose. They have received many top honors at the Selma Band Review and have consistently been in the Top 3 Bands.

Victor de los Santos directs the Santa Ana High School Marching Saints from Santa Ana, California. The band is celebrating their 81st year of performance, support and building character through music. They have earned Excellent ratings at music festivals throughout California and was recently invited to participate in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. Joining the Marching Saints is the Santa Ana High School NJROTC. The 50 member State Flag Squad is part of the NJROTC program which comprises over 200 cadets and is the #1 unit in California.

The Santa Ana Winds Youth Band was founded and is still directed by Robert L. Ward. The band’s home is Santa Ana, California but its members come from all over Southern California. The Winds appear in numerous local community parades throughout their ten month season. The Winds receive logistical support from the City of Santa Ana, the Santa Ana Unified School District and the Parent Booster Organization. They are the official “Ambassadors of Music” for Orange County.

The Vista Murrieta Golden Alliance is under the direction of Donald Wade and Ralph Ewell. Vista Murrieta High School opened in the fall of 2003 and the Golden Alliance has been performing since its inception. In its short time, the band from Murrieta, California has received top awards including the Temecula Valley Field Tournament Grand Champions in 2006. The band has also been in the Top 5 of the BOA Regional Championships and was a Finalist in the 2005 SCSBOA Field Championships.

Under the direction of Dr. Buddy Clements, the Walnut High School Blue Thunder Band consistently receives first place and Sweepstakes awards year after year. The band has not only performed throughout the state but at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and Disney World in Florida. This band from Walnut, California has also traveled to Nevada for some performances. A special honor for the Blue Thunder Band is that they are one of the very first music programs in the nation to be recognized as a Grammy Signature School.