Every year after the marching season ends (after Grand Nationals), our panel gets together and decides which bands to name “Bands of the Year”. Results may or may not be scientific or even accurate. Special emphasis is given to the Illinois State, University of Illinois, and BOA Competitions in creating this list. Schools are divided into Divisions by school size.
We had 6 judges in each Division, made of band directors and IL Marching Staff. They each picked five bands from the ballot (or write-ins), and those bands were scored as follows:
First in Division – 5 points
Second in Division – 4 points
Third in Division – 3 points
Second in Diviison – 2 points
First in Division – 1 point
Honorable Mention bands are listed alphabetically, rather than in score order. We recognized at most 2 Honorable Mention bands in each division, and did not recognize bands in a division who were not sufficiently close point-wise to making the list.
Here are your 2006 Bands of the Year:
Division I (1601+ Students)
Marian Catholic (29 points, 5 first-place votes)
Lake Park (19 points)
Lincoln-Way East (16 points, 1 first-place vote)
Prospect (12 points)
John Hersey (6 points)
Honorable Mention: Victor J. Andrew
Division II (851 to 1600 Students)
Morton (26 points, 2 first-place votes)
Lemont (17 points, 2 first-place votes)
Normal West (12 points, 1 first-place vote)
Mahomet-Seymour (9 points, 1 first-place vote)
Pontiac (7 points)
Division III (501 to 850 Students)
Macomb (21 points, 2 first-place votes)
Illinois Valley Central (16 points)
Eureka (13 points, 2 first-place votes)
Murphysboro (13 points, 2 first-place votes)
Newton (9 points)
Honorable Mention: Dunlap, Robinson
Division IV (1 to 500 Students)
Mater Dei (25 points, 3 first-place votes)*
Watseka (25 points, 3 first-place votes)
Atwood-Hammond (17 points)
Tri-Valley (12 points)
Paxton-Buckley-Loda (5 points)
*Mater Dei and Watseka were tied in overall points and in number of first place votes. Mater Dei recieved more second place votes, and thus wins a tiebreaker for overall winner.
2005 Bands of the Year
2004 Bands of the Year
2003 Bands of the Year
2002 Bands of the Year