Home Entertainment West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky schools are gearing up for the Metallica marching band competition

West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky schools are gearing up for the Metallica marching band competition

Entertainment — 11/19/2023

West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky schools are gearing up for the Metallica marching band competition, a unique challenge where schools across the nation showcase their marching bands’ performances of Metallica’s music.


The competition, titled “For Whom the Band Tolls!” invites the public to vote for their favorite performances from nominated marching bands at both the high school and collegiate levels. The winning bands will be rewarded with musical equipment for their school programs.

The competitors are organized into five distinct categories, each offering different prizes:

  • Collegiate: Division 1 ($75,000 in prizing)
  • Collegiate: Division 2 and 3 ($40,000 in prizing)
  • High School: ($15,000 in prizing per sub-division)
  • Small (less than 75 band members)
  • Medium (between 75-124 band members)
  • Large (greater than 125 band members)
  • Fan Favorite: Collegiate across all divisions ($10,000 in prizing)
  • Fan Favorite: High school ($10,000 in prizing)

The selection process involves a panel of judges choosing five finalists from the high school and collegiate winners. Metallica themselves will then select the final prize winners for each category. The fan favorite categories are determined through fan votes.

Nominated schools from Ohio include Allen East Local Schools, Boardman High School, Buckeye Valley High School, Dover High School, Hubbard High School, Jackson Center Local Schools, Loudonville-Perrysville High School, McComb Local School, Normandy High School, North Ridgeville High School, Shaker Heights High School, South Range High School, Sylvania Northview High School, Upper Arlington High School, Wadsworth High School, and West Branch High School.

West Virginia is represented by Jefferson High School, Point Pleasant Junior/Senior High School, University High School, Marshall University, and West Virginia University.

Kentucky schools in the competition include Boone County High School, Corbin High School, and the University of Kentucky.

To cast your vote, visit the competition website and text the hashtag attached to the related school’s video to 833-609-0330. Each person is allowed one vote per category.