ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 As the Florida Classic weekend rolls into Orlando, the spotlight isn\u2019t just on the football field \u2014 it\u2019s on the music.<\/p>\n
Friday, the Kia Center will fill with the thunder of drums, the blast of brass, and the energy of 10 high school and college marching bands in the Florida Blue Battle of the Bands; a sold-out showcase that\u2019s as much a celebration of culture as it is of talent.<\/p>\n
At the heart of it all is Ocoee High School\u2019s 250 student band, led by director Bernie Hendricks, preparing for a performance unlike any other.<\/p>\n
Hendricks, a proud alumnus of Florida A&M University\u2019s famed Marching 100, has spent weeks reworking his full-field show to fit the smaller arena stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve taken our 100-yard show, and figured out a way to condense it into a 50-yard show\u2026 When you have 250 kids, it is a challenge,\u201d Hendricks said.<\/p>\n
But for him, it\u2019s more than logistics. It\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n
His father marched in the FAMU band in 1958 \u2014 a clarinet player who learned tuba, served in the Army, and carried the spirit of HBCU music home. Now, Hendricks is passing that same pride to his students.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a sense of\u2026 it\u2019s a little bit of a heightened intensity, just because you want to perform well for home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The entire Florida Classic weekend, from the golf tournament to the game to the battle, pumps an estimated $30 million into Central Florida\u2019s economy, according to Florida Citrus Sports CEO Steve Hogan.<\/p>\n
\u201cHistorically, we\u2019re pumping about $100 million a year in economic impact into this community,\u201d Hogan said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just money it\u2019s family. Food. Faith. Football. Music.\u201d<\/p>\n
For students like those at Ocoee High, this isn\u2019t just a performance. It\u2019s their chance to stand in the spotlight, not as athletes, not as spectators, but as artists, leaders, and heirs to a rich tradition.<\/p>\n
And when the final note fades Friday night, the real game begins Saturday at Camping World Stadium.<\/p>\n
Tickets are still available but limited for Battle of the Bands at the Kia Center and Saturday\u2019s Florida Classic football game at Camping World Stadium.<\/p>\n
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