The HONDA Battle Of The Bands

There are plenty of cultural practices that are part of the vast landscape that compose the Black College experience. The camaraderie, the sense of family and togetherness, the activist nature of the mission behind most HBCU's, etc. You get the general picture. The spectacle that surrounds Black College football on Saturday afternoons is truly one of America's unique treasures. We can talk about the football rivalries all day, but there's a culture within a culture here that gives the Black College football experience a flavor all its own.

The competitive landscape of black college marching bands has done more to shape the public perception of the black college experience more than any one single factor in the past couple of decades. From big-screen movies to music videos and television shows, depictions of what it takes to come of age in one of HBCU's most visible manifestations of the black college experience are all over the place in the media. Flattery is great and all, but nothing really can take the place of the real thing. There's not better representation of that actual culture than the spectacle that occurs in the ATL once a year:

The Honda Battle Of The Bands.

The competitive landscape of black college marching bands has shaped the public perception of the black college experience as much as any one single factor in the past couple of decades. From big-screen movies to music videos and television shows, depictions of what it takes to come of age in one of HBCU's most visible manifestations of the black college experience are all over the place in the media. Flattery is great and all, but nothing really can take the place of the real thing. There's not better representation of that actual culture than the spectacle that occurs in Atlanta, Georgia once a year:

The Honda Battle Of The Bands.

The "Honda" (as it's affectionately called by casual fans and hardened band-heads alike) was born in 2003 as a showcase of what our little corner of HBCU culture is all about. Since then, it's grown into an annual celebration of what the Black College experience represents to those of us that were blessed enough to make the choice to matriculate at one.

Fellowship...Esprit De Corps...Family...Pride...Love...All of those adjectives are a good start in describing what the gathering is for folks that are immersed in the culture. For the folks that are regular fans? Well, it's just one great time in general. It's also (dare I say) one of the more inclusive experiences you could have as a fan, if you're not familiar with the culture. The selection for the yearly event is mostly fan-driven. That doesn't take away from the overall competitive nature of the event though, nor does it dampen the enjoyment of the event for folks fortunate enough to attend every year.

As a former bandsmen that plied his trade before the era of Honda, it's really amazing to actually see how the popularity of our craft has grown to audiences outside of the traditional HBCU circle. Presidential inaugurations, collaborations with icons of mainstream music, network televisions shows showcasing aspects of what it takes to be a member of a black college band program, etc. Those are milestones that kinda set the groundwork for an event like the Honda to really flourish. The Honda battle of the bands isn't just an event where folks just come to kick it; It's an affirmation of some of the things that make the HBCU Experience great.

In a day and age where the value and relevance of Historically Black Colleges & Universities are constantly under assault, events like the Honda do a lot more than just entertain. It's a yearly, visible reminder of the historic potential and excellence that these schools represent. It's a representation of the talent that commonly matriculates at our institutions on a regular basis.Perhaps most importantly, it's an invitation to a new generation of potential young minds to experience the warmth of attending an HBCU for themselves.

Herbert L. Seward III - Alumni, Trumpet player, Alabama State University "Mighty Marching Hornets" - 1993 to 1996.

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