This coming Saturday, November 10, Riverview High School will play host to its fourth Florida Marching Band Championships regional competition. First hosted in 2013, Riverview’s regional used to be called the Tampa Bay Fall Music Games; this event was repeated again in 2015. For their 2017 event, the date given to Riverview fell on Veterans Day, November 11, so the competition was re-themed to honor the men and women who have served in our nation’s armed forces—and that tradition continues this year.

For this year’s regional, Riverview will play host to nine visiting bands from throughout the state of Florida—and beyond! In a first for the FMBC, two bands will be competing in the brand new International Class: the Guardia Fantasma Music School Ghost Guard Band and the Colegio Universidad Libre Colombia Ambassadors. After these special international guests comes Class 1A with Hardee Senior High School and Calvary Christian High School, followed by Class 2A and 3A before Robinson High School rounds out the competition in Class 4A.

The night will end with Riverview’s own Blue Coat Regiment in an exhibition performance, their final before State Championships next weekend at Plant High School.

This past Saturday the Blue Coat Regiment made its final appearance of the 2018 season at Plant High School for the Florida Marching Band Championships Class 3A State Championships. One of 21 registered bands for the day, the band entered the field a little after 10:00am. By 10:20am the band had finished their run and exited the field.

Earning a score of 79.95 the band placed 14th overall, with the color guard earning 11th and percussion coming in 12th in their respective captions. This finish caps off a record-making season where the Blue Coat Regiment:

• took home Riverview High School’s first FMBC regional grand championship at the Lecanto High School Panther Pride Invitational Marching Band Festival; 
• earned a Straight Superior rating for the eighth time in school history at the Florida Bandmasters Association District 7 Marching Music Performance Assessment;
• and placed first in Class 3A and won Best Visual, General Effect and Color Guard and runner-up grand champion at the FMBC Newsome Music Festival.

The Blue Coats would like to thank all of their spectators and fans for cheering them on all season long and the program staff, Booster Board and family volunteers who supported them!

With the end of the historic 2018 marching season for the Blue Coat Regiment comes the beginning of the 2019 concert and indoor seasons for the Band Programs winter and springtime ensembles.

The instrumentalists of the Band Program will have several concert appearances as part of either the Concert Band (for all students) or Wind Ensemble (for advance students):

• Saturday, March 9, Concert MPA, Blake High School (Wind Ensemble)
• Thursday, April 18, 2019, Riverview Alliance Band Concert, Riverview High School (student leaders and students from Rodgers MS and Barrington MS)
• Tuesday, April 23, 2019, Jazz Band Concert, Riverview High School
• Wednesday, May 1, 2019, Spring Concert, Riverview High School (Concert Band)

Our Blue Radiance Winter Guard will begin their fifth year with the Florida Federation of Colorguards Circuit and will make their 2019 debut at the FFCC’s Premiere West event at Gaither High School on January 19. The team is comprised of 22 students and is led by Color Guard Program Director Herman Rios and assisted by Program Sponsor and Technician Suzanne Mason and Instructor Jimmy Schlenkert. The team will compete across the state of Florida before ending with the FFCC Championships in Daytona Beach at the end of March:

• Saturday, January 19, FFCC Premiere West, Gaither High School
• Saturday, February 2, FFCC Regional, Braden River High School
• Saturday, February 9, FFCC Regional, Plant City High School
• Saturday, February 23, FFCC Regional, Riverview High School
• Saturday, March 9, FFCC Regional, Freedom High School
• Thursday, March 29 – Sunday, March 31, FFCC Championships, Daytona Beach Ocean Center

Finally, the Band Program will continue to make history by fielding the first indoor percussion team hosted at Riverview High School. The team will compete as a member of the FFCC and will be under the direction of Blue Coat Regiment Music and Visual Supervisor Alex Crenshaw, joined by the Blue Coat Regiment’s 2018 Percussion Writer and Instructor Daniel Melendez, with administrative support being led by Band Program Manager Cameron Solomon. Starting their season a week after the winter guard’s season opener, the percussion students will take the floor on January 26 at the FFCC’s percussion Premiere North at Winter Springs High School. The team’s season will also end in March in Daytona Beach:

• Saturday, January 26, FFCC Premiere North, Winter Springs High School
• Saturday, February 23, FFCC Regional, Riverview High School
• Saturday, March 2, FFCC Percussion Focus North, Oviedo High School
• Thursday, March 29 – Sunday, March 31, FFCC Championships, Daytona Beach Ocean Center

Be sure to follow along on our various social media platforms and on this website for updates as the Band Program continues its tradition of excellence!

The last two weekends have seen both of the Band Program’s indoor competition ensembles—the Blue Radiance Winter Guard and the Percussion Ensemble—begin their seasons at their respective Florida Federation of Colorguards Circuit Premiere competitions.

The 16-member winter guard competed at Color Guard Premiere West, held at Gaither High School on January 19, in the Scholastic AA Class. One of eight teams in their class, the team earned sixth place with a score of 47.02, just .15 behind fifth place Plant City High School. 

Color Guard Program Director Herman Rios said, “I’m really confident about where this team is going. The feedback from the judges tells us that we are doing the right things in terms of show design and choreography and work given to the girls. Now it’s just a matter of executing it.”

The winter guard will compete again this upcoming Saturday, February 2 at the FFCC Braden River High School Regional. The team is scheduled to take the floor at 6:01pm. Like the Color Guard Program Facebook page here or follow the Band Program on Instagram here to stay up-to-date with the team’s progress!

One week later, Riverview’s inaugural Percussion Ensemble made their debut at Winter Springs High School for FFCC’s Percussion Premiere North in the Scholastic Marching AA Class. One of eight teams in their round—there were two rounds of AA teams, one with six and one with eight—the Percussion Ensemble earned second place with a score of 58.20.

Percussion Ensemble Director Alex Crenshaw said, “History was made today. This team is the first indoor percussion team in our school history and they placed second. I’m at a loss for words I’m so excited and pleased!”

The Percussion Ensemble will continue to finish its show and will make its next appearance at Riverview’s own FFCC regional on Saturday, February 23. Fans can follow the Percussion Ensemble’s inaugural season at the Band Program Facebook page here or on the percussion section Instagram here.

On Saturday, February 23, the Riverview Band Program welcomed more than 35 teams from throughout the state of Florida as it hosted its fifth annual Florida Federation of Colorguards Circuit regional. Inaugurated as the Blue Radiance Showcase of Champions in 2015, the name was changed this year to the Riverview Showcase of Champions to be inclusive of the Band Program’s new Indoor Percussion Ensemble, whose staff, students and family members were integral to the success of the event.

Both the Blue Radiance Winter Guard and the Percussion Ensemble competed at the Showcase. The winter guard scored a 67.03, marking an almost seven point improvement over their last performance just two weeks prior at Plant City, and earned themselves third place!

Just a couple hours later the Percussion Ensemble took the floor, for only their second appearance of the season, and scored a 66.40—which earned them the first place trophy!

The Blue Radiance Winter Guard will have their final regional appearance before the FFCC Championships next Saturday, March 9 at Freedom High School in Tampa; the Percussion Ensemble will be performing at Focus North this Saturday, March 2 at Oviedo High School in their final pre-Championships competition.

This past Saturday the inaugural Indoor Percussion Ensemble traveled to central Florida to compete in the Florida Federation of Colorguards Circuit’s Winds and Percussion Focus North competition at Oviedo High School.

Competing first out of 11 other Scholastic Marching AA Class percussion ensembles didn’t have an effect on the students’ ability to impress the judges: when it came time for the awards ceremony the team earned third place and a score of 66.30.

Focus North was the Percussion Ensemble’s final appearance before FFCC Championships March 29–31 at the Daytona Beach Ocean Center. 

This past weekend the Band Program’s two indoor ensembles, the Blue Radiance Winter Guard and the Percussion Ensemble, headed east to compete one last time in the 2019 season at the Florida Federation of Colorguards Circuits Championships, held in the Daytona Beach Ocean Center. 

The winter guard’s trip to the beach began on Thursday with a departure from the school in a caravan of two vans and the equipment truck (which was also loaded with the percussion’s equipment). Shortly after their arrival the team settled in for their traditional end-of-season family dinner.

Friday was the team’s performance day, where they would perform their show “Love Changes You” one last time. After a long wait for the awards ceremony, the team earned a score of 73.02 and seventh place in the Kersten Division of Scholastic Class AA—quantifying a 26-point increase from the team’s first performance at Premiere West on January 19.

Meanwhile on Friday… The Percussion Ensemble was partaking in their own family dinner, hyping each other up and preparing for their own final performance of “The Sands of Time.”

Saturday saw the departure of the winter guard members as they headed back home to Riverview and the arrival of the percussion team at the Ocean Center. After a long warm-up in the lot, the team took to the floor and then anxiously awaited the awards ceremony—which began almost nine hours later.

In the end, it was worth the wait! Scoring 66.65, the Percussion Ensemble took home the bronze medal in the Scholastic Marching Class AA McCormicks Division!! The Percussion Ensemble had already made history as the first of its kind at Riverview High School, but they are now only the second indoor ensemble to medal at FFCC Championships after the Blue Radiance Winter Guard’s second place finish in 2015. 

Last week, members of the Blue Radiance Color Guard Program held their annual recital, featuring solo and small ensemble performances written by the members themselves. This performance is a favorite of families as it allows each individual student to showcase themselves and their own talents and abilities. The recital also featured the inaugural Indoor Percussion Ensemble performing their bronze medal show “The Sands of Time.”

The color guard’s recital marks the end of performances for the 2018–2019 year and comes one week after the Band Program’s end-of-year celebration banquet. These two celebratory events also bring in changes of leadership for the Band Program for next year. 

For the Program Staff, two long serving members will be changing their roles, but will remain ardent supporters of our students and their families. Band Program Staff Director and Assistant Marching Band Director Travis Miller and Band Program Administrator Michelle Bradshaw will be stepping out of their “full-time” roles; Travis will continue to lend his services to the Band Program as a consultant and coordinator of advancement, still working closely with Director Mr. Davis, the Program Staff and Booster Board in guiding the direction of the Band Program while working to gain community and business support through grants, sponsorships and donations. 

“It has been the single greatest pleasure of my life to be a member of and then leader of the Riverview Band Program. These past 11 years have changed my life in more ways than our students—past and current—could ever know. Earning my Master of Education degree in May was a huge milestone in my life, albeit a bittersweet one. The time has come for me to focus on my own professional career in higher education, which unfortunately means less time with the Band Program—and this program means the world to me, so I want to give it the attention it deserves,” said Travis. He continued, “Michelle and I plan to attend football games, competitions, parades, concerts and anything else that we can. The Band Program will continue to be something we adore and we look forward to becoming its biggest cheerleaders.”

Band Program Manager Cameron Solomon will take on most of the administrative and operational duties previously held by Travis, including becoming the chief administrator for the Blue Coat Regiment Marching Band, and Band Program Administrator Phil Cruz will assist in assuming other of Travis’ responsibilities in helping to drive long-term growth of the Band Program. Cameron will continue to be the lead administrative support for the Indoor Percussion Ensemble. 

The new year also brings in a new set of officers to lead the Booster Board, the Band Program’s main and instrumental source of family and volunteer support. Jennifer Moreno will be coming on as the new president, joined by Jamey Levis as secretary and fundraising coordinator and Librina Pierre as color guard liaison. Stephanie Wainwright will remain as vice president, as will Kristina Geib as treasurer.

“Our thanks go out to Dale Pope, Cathy Massena and Lucy Santangelo for their service on the previous board, especially to Cathy for her continuous years of volunteering. And of course, we give a heartfelt welcome to Jennifer, Jamey and Librina as new officers and we are grateful that both Stephanie and Kristina have decided to stay in their roles,” said Director Mr. Davis. “Great things are ahead for the Band Program for the 2019–2020 year and beyond!”

Yesterday, Riverview High School administrators, faculty and staff were joined by thousands of cheering family and friends at the graduation ceremony for the class of 2019′s 600+ seniors. Taking place at the Florida State Fairgrounds, the Band Program had 19 members of the 2019 cohort graduating and staff members on hand to assist with the ceremony and to congratulate students personally: Director Mr. Davis, Staff Director Mr. Miller (his final event in his current position before transitioning to a more hands off role), Program Manager Cameron and a special guest, former Director Mr. B! Mr. B served as director for this graduating class’ freshman, sophomore and junior years, so we were glad he was able to join us!

To the class of 2019: we thank you for your leadership by example through a change in directors and your countless hours of service you have given to the Band Program. We wish you the best of luck and hope to see you all continue in the musical, marching and pageantry arts!

Hillsborough County Public Schools has decided to suspend, for the time being, all athletic activities. While the Band Program is not viewed explicitly as an athletic activity by the school district, members of the color guard must meet some of the athletic paperwork requirements as other student-athletes. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution in seeking to be compliant, the summer band days scheduled for this week on June 18 and 20 are cancelled.

Family members are encouraged to join our email distribution list and to continue to monitor social media for any further updates. At this time we are still planning on next week’s summer band days on June 25 and 27, 5:30–8:30 PM.

This past weekend the 2019 Blue Coat Regiment Marching Band made its Florida Marching Band Championships season debut at Largo High School for the 43rd Annual Golden Invitational. This year, the marching band is returning to Class 4A and at Largo, went up against 11 other bands total (with Clearwater High School also in Class 4A). 

Despite being composed of roughly 50% first-year members, the Blue Coats managed to not only earn best overall awards for music, visual and general effect—they also scored a 75.15 and were named the grand championship with the best overall performance. This accomplishment marks the second grand championship in the Riverview Band Program’s history and comes, almost to the day, one year after the first at the Lecanto High School FMBC regional. 

“To say I am proud is an absolute understatement. Our group may be young and not as experienced as some others, but—and I always tell them this—that does not dictate their level of talent or their drive for success,” said Director Mr. Davis. “I am extremely lucky to lead a program with such dedicated students, staff and volunteers, coupled with an incredibly supportive faculty, staff and administration at Riverview High School.”

The Blue Coat Regiment will continue its 2019 tour with two last football games: away at Ridge Community High School on October 18 and home for Senior Night on October 25. The marching band’s next competition performance is October 26 at Newsome High School’s Newsome Music Festival.

Yesterday the Blue Coat Regiment Marching Band took part in the annual Florida Bandmasters Association Marching Music Performance Assessment. This special event takes place across the entire state by district; Hillsborough County makes up the entirety of District 7 and is one of the largest in the state.

Bands receive a rating from six judges in the categories of music, which receives two ratings from two judges, visual, general effect, percussion and auxiliary (color guard). Ratings are given as either Superior, Excellent, Good, Fair or Poor. When a band receives a Superior in each caption it is called a Straight Superior; yesterday, the Blue Coat Regiment earned this highest honor. 2019 marks the Riverview High School marching band’s ninth Straight Superior rating and 17th overall Superior rating in its 21-year history.

The Blue Coat Regiment will make one final Saturday appearance for the 2019 season at their home show, the Florida Marching Band Championships regional competition, The March. As of today, The March will feature competitive performances of bands of all classes, 1A through 5A—and even four bands in the International Class from Colombia and Brazil. The Second Time Arounders Marching Band, one of the world’s largest permanent adult marching bands, will also make a special exhibition performance. Read more about The March here and follow the official event on Facebook.

This past Saturday the Riverview Band Program held The March, a sanctioned Florida Marching Band Championships regional competition. The regional, the fifth held at Riverview High School, consisted of 14 competing bands, including four bands performing as part of the special FMBC International Class from Colombia and Brazil. The night also featured a special exhibition performance from the Second Time Arounders Marching Band, one of the world’s largest permanent adult marching bands.

The night was long, the weather was cool—and the competition was hot. The night featured two returning champions, Braden River High School (Class AAA) and Newsome High School (Class AAAAA). In the end, the Braden River Marching Band of Pirates took the title of grand champion with a score of 88.75. This win was the third for Braden River at Riverview’s FMBC regional, the first in 2015 when the regional was the Tampa Bay Fall Music Games and the second just last year. 

Congratulations to all of our performing ensembles from the evening and a big thank you to all the fans who came out to cheer them on! We hope to see you next year!

Today the Riverview Band Program formally released its schedule for the 2020 indoor season, which will consist of four different ensembles: the Junior Varsity and Varsity Blue Radiance Winter Guard, Indoor Percussion Ensemble and Riverview Winds Indoor Winds Ensemble. The Junior Varsity Winter Guard and Riverview Winds are both entirely new ensembles to the Band Program, making their debut this season. Previously the Blue Radiance Color Guard Program fielded a single winter guard team and the Band Program has hosted an indoor winds team, the I-4 Winds, who competed in 2015 for the inaugural year of the winds division with Winter Guard International.

All four teams will compete as members of the Florida Federation of Colorguards Circuit: the Varsity and Junior Varsity Winter Guard in Scholastic Class AA and Class B, respectively, Indoor Percussion Ensemble in Scholastic Marching Class AA and the Riverview Winds in Independent Class A. Each team will travel across the state, starting with their respective Premiere competition, all eventually ending with the FFCC Championships in Daytona March 27–29.

Director of Instrumental Music Mr. Davis said, “I know I speak for the entire staff when I say we are very excited for this upcoming season. The addition of two new ensembles speaks to the growth of our program, as well as the dedication that our students, families and staff all have. It is going to be a lot of work, but this is certainly the beginning of a new chapter for the Band Program.”

2020 Varsity Blue Radiance Winter Guard

• January 25, FFCC National Class Premiere, Cypress Creek HS
• February 8, FFCC Regional, Riverview HS
• February 15, FFCC Regional, University HS
• March 7, FFCC Regional, Braden River HS
• March 14, FFCC Regional, Durant HS
• March 27–29. FFCC Championships, Daytona Ocean Center

2020 Junior Varsity Blue Radiance Winter Guard

• January 18, FFCC Regional A/AAA Premiere West, Gaither HS
• February 8, FFCC Regional, Riverview HS
• February 15, FFCC Regional, Ponte Vedra HS
• March 7, FFCC Regional, Braden River HS
• March 14, FFCC Regional, Durant HS
• March 27–29. FFCC Championships, Daytona Ocean Center

2020 Indoor Percussion Ensemble

• February 1 FFCC Percussion Premiere Central, Winter Springs HS
• February 8, FFCC Regional, Riverview HS
• February 29, FFCC Percussion Focus Central, TBD
• March 7, FFCC Regional, Braden River HS
• March 27–29. FFCC Championships, Daytona Ocean Center

2020 Riverview Winds Indoor Winds Ensemble

• February 1, FFCC Winds Premiere Central, Winter Springs HS
• February 8, FFCC Regional, Riverview HS
• February 29, FFCC Winds Focus Central, TBD
• March 7, FFCC Regional, Braden River HS
• March 27–29. FFCC Championships, Daytona Ocean Center

Yesterday the girls of the Junior Varsity Winter Guard, one of the Band Program’s two new ensembles for the 2020 Florida Federation of Colorguards Circuit season, had its debut performance at FFCC’s Regional A/AAA Premiere West at Gaither High School. 

The girls performed their show, “Ready to Go” and placed 5th of 10 teams in their round of competition in the Scholastic B Class, beating several more experienced teams in the process. The 13 girls on the team are all brand new to the color guard activity, with some having started with the Blue Coat Regiment Marching Band as members of the Blue Radiance Color Guard in the fall, and some are completely new this season. 

We are very proud of their strong start and are looking forward to a great season with these girls! The junior varsity guard will perform again in three weeks at the Band Program’s home show, the FFCC Riverview Showcase of Champions. 

This past weekend the girls of the Varsity Blue Radiance Winter Guard made their debut of the 2020 Florida Federation of Colorguards Circuit at the National Class Premiere at Cypress Creek High School. 

The girls earned 6th place in the Scholastic Class AA with their show, “Where the Light Gets In” and earned a rating of Excellent along with their score. The team will perform again in two weeks with the Junior Varsity Winter Guard. Because of the historic number of guard teams registered—over 65, including Tampa Independent, University of South Florida and Tarpon Springs High School—the event has been changed from a mixed event with percussion ensembles and winds groups to just winter guards. 

This change means that the Indoor Percussion Ensemble and Riverview Winds Indoor Winds Ensemble will have only two performances for the month of February: Premiere on the 1st and Focus on the 29th.

The two remaining indoor ensembles of the Band Program, the Indoor Percussion Ensemble (Scholastic Marching Class AA) and Riverview Winds (Independent Class A), made their season debut at Winter Springs High School for the Florida Federation of Colorguards Circuit’s Percussion and Winds Premiere Central. Both teams medaled in their divisions, with percussion earning 2nd place and the winds taking 1st. 

The teams will have several weeks off before their next performance at FFCC Focus Central at University High School on February 29.

Yesterday the Riverview Band Program held its sixth annual Showcase of Champions, a sanctioned Florida Federation of Colorguards Circuit regional competition, with 67 teams participating and over 1,000 performers and 1,200 spectators present. Because of the sheer number of winter guards registered, already a historic amount due to the FFCC’s decision to raise the maximum number of teams at regionals from 55 to 70, this year’s event was winter guards only and did not include the usual percussion ensembles and winds groups. 

The Varsity and Junior Varsity Blue Radiance Winter Guard performed and earned 8th and 7th respectively in their classes of competition. Each team also outpaced the circuit expectation of a two-point increase every week: the varsity team marked an increase of 6.93 points over an expected four points and the junior varsity team had an increase of 7.45 points increase over an expected six points.

The day was also one of reflection and meaning—our staff and students our wore a blue ribbon and white forget-me-nots to dedicate their shows to and memorialize the life of Barbara Davis, the mother of Director of Instrumental Music Mr. Davis, who passed last week. We hope everyone always remembers where the light gets in to their lives.

The Varsity Blue Radiance Winter Guard had its third appearance of the 2020 Florida Federation of Colorguards Circuit season, taking the floor at University High School in Orlando. 

The team placed 6th in their round of Scholastic Class AA with a score of 63.90, marking a remarkable 8.29-point improvement over their score just one week ago at their home show, the Riverview Showcase of Champions. The team will take a few weeks off the performance floor for the next few weeks until their back-to-back performances at Braden River High School and Durant High School on March 7 and 14, respectively.