Nazareth Blue Eagle Marching Band Nabs 2012 Pa. State Championship

The award-winning Nazareth Blue Eagle Marching Band continued its stellar fall competition season by capturing the 2012 USBands Pennsylvania State Championship at West Chester University.

After the band's Nov. 3 win, it marched on to a third-place finish -- among 13 bands -- at the national competition at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

The band's 2012 show is titled "Fabric of Time" and competes in the Group 4 Open category.

More than 700 bands nationwide, including the Nazareth Blue Eagle Marching Band, belong to the United States Band Association. Bands compete at two levels: A and Open. The open level is for highly experienced marching bands that perform complex shows, and are therefore judged more critically than bands in level A. Bands are also grouped by size from one to six.

At the USBands Pennsylvania State Championship on Nov. 3, Nazareth finished with an overall score of 94.45. The band also received awards for Best Music, Best Visual, Best Effect and Best Percussion.

At the USBands National Championship Group 4 Open on Nov. 11, Nazareth received an overall score of 96.263 for an honorable third place. The Blue Eagles were about .22 points behind second place.

Here's a snapshot of the award-winning Nazareth Blue Eagle Marching Band's history:

• Named the USSBA (now known as USBA) Grand National Champion in 2007 and 2008. The band's overall score in 2008 was 98.575 -- the highest score received by any band in any category or level at the USBA National Championship competition.

• The band went on to earn the Group 4 Open USSBA National Championship in 2010, as well as the National Marine Corps Esprit de Corps Award in 2011.

The band marched in 10 competitions during the fall 2012 season, racking up multiple first-place finishes and awards for best guard, percussion, effect, music and visual.

The Blue Eagles also held their own exhibition, "Soundfest."

Editor's Note: This press release -- provided by Kristine Porter, former Patch freelance writer, and Tricia Ferreira, band historian -- was edited for clarity and brevity.