MCC brings back marching band competition
Mesa Community College (MCC) hosted the Thunderbird Marching Classic on Oct. 18, marking the return of marching band events to the campus after more than two decades. The event, part of the Arizona Marching Band Association (AZMBA) circuit, featured 21 high school bands from across the state.
John Davenport, director of instrumental music at MCC, said the event exceeded expectations both in attendance and community support. “It was really good,” Davenport said. Davenport said final attendance was about 1,000. “That’s fantastic,” he said.
The competition raised over $12,000 in ticket sales alone, which will help fund the return of MCC’s summer music camp in 2026. “That’s going to help immensely with our labor costs for the camp and being able to pay our staff,” Davenport said. “So we’ll be able to drop the costs down significantly for the students to attend.”
Bands from across the Phoenix area and all around Arizona competed throughout the day. “Some even brought their entire bands to support soloists,” Davenport said. “Parents were sticking around just to watch more performances,” he said.
Davenport said the event not only revived a lost MCC tradition but also strengthened community ties. “It was great for MCC and the Mesa community – our students, staff, and community came together,” he said.
“The president of AZMBA, who was the head judge that night, called me and said, ‘Dude, this was great.’ They even made a Facebook post about the marching band officially returning to MCC,” Davenport said.
Parents in attendance were thrilled about the event. One parent, Angela Rivera, said she was excited to see her son perform at the event. “Seeing my freshman son out there on the field is awesome, especially since I once came to this college,” Rivera said. “You can feel the energy from the crowd when they cheer for all bands. It’s nice to see events like this happen for the kids.”
For Davenport, the success went beyond the competition itself. “The end result is the marching event to benefit the summer camp,” he said. “It’s worth the overall engagement with the students and community, we love what we do.”
As for what’s next, Davenport said planning for 2026 is already underway with AZMBA. “We’re planning a second annual event,” he said. “My goal is to hit 30 bands next year.”
