11 elite bands to ignite LMAJ’s Marching Band Explosion in MoBay

WESTERN BUREAU:

Eleven of Jamaicas top marching bands are slated to square off in a vibrant display of rhythm and discipline at the fifth staging of the St James chapter of the Lay Magistrates Association of Jamaica’s (LMAJ) Marching Band Explosion, which will take place on Sunday, July 6 at the Montego Bay Sports Complex,

The event, which has the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) as its title sponsor, is expected to attract 600 of the finest young musicians from St James, Trelawny, Kingston, and St Catherine vying for top honours in performance, discipline, and presentation.

“The 11 bands that are coming are the best from across Jamaica,” said Claudette Bryan, regional vice-president of the LMAJ, while speaking at the event launch. “So, you can just imagine what will happen on the field of the Montego Bay Sports Complex.”

The participating bands will be vying for over $4 million in prizes. Each band will receive a $150,000 grant, with an additional $100,000 for transportation. They will compete for several awards, including $150,000 for the best rendition of the Olympic Anthem, $100,000 for the Best Dressed Band, $100,000 for the Most Disciplined Band, and $100,000 for the Best Bandmaster.

“We are talking about almost $4 million that the LMAJ St James chapter is raising to pour back into these bands,” said Bryan, who noted that the Marching Band Explosion is not only a music competition, but also a social transformation initiative targeting vulnerable youth.

“Most of these youths are unattached, they are at risk, they are in volatile communities, and the men and women who order these marching bands struggle to maintain them financially,” Bryan said.

The event was originally launched in 2018 as a parish competition in St James, with over 10 bands participating. They were placed in two categories – advancing and upcoming. The programme returned in 2019 but went dormant during the pandemic years.

“We restarted in 2023 as a festival, because we realised that a lot of the bands had dissipated,” said Bryan. “There were issues with finances and maintenance of the bands. And so, we decided we’re going to continue the marching band programme, this time pouring more money into the bands so that they can be sustained.”

JOA President Christopher Samuda, whose organisation is now fully on board, underscored the national and cultural significance of the initiative.

“We are here because we are not only sports enthusiasts and sports administrators, but we are also individuals who understand that the next generation has to have a platform (Marching Band Explosion) for them to self-actualise, and we are solidly behind them,” said Samuda.

“Sports and entertainment, and sports and music will always have a nexus, and therefore, we feel that apart from sporing individuals that we support, we must support those who are in entertainment and the music industry.”

In speaking to the requirement for each band to perform the Olympic anthem, Samuda was intentionally included.

“It allows them to learn the National Anthem, the Olympic Anthem, and this is something we want our young people to understand. In the Olympic Anthem, there are values which we defend assiduously, and we want to telegraph that to our young people,” Samuda said.