‘Celebrating Champions Of Tradition’ Honors Black Band Brilliance
For those who’ve ever felt the ability of a stadium-shaking drumline or watched drum majors spin and break up with peak precision, then you definately already know the electrifying power HBCU bands carry.
The documentary highlights the tenth anniversary of the PEPSI® Nationwide Battle of the Bands (NBOTB), one of the crucial dynamic shows of Black musical excellence within the nation, delivered to life partly by the imaginative and prescient and work of Reggie Scott.
Because the Vice President of Operations and Manufacturing for NBOTB, Scott works alongside Derek Webber, founding father of the NBOTB, and stewards a celebration of Black tradition, expertise, and custom. With the latest re-airing of Celebrating Champions of Tradition, he’s serving to the world give HBCU bands the respect they deserve.
“There was a time when Black bands had been dismissed as simply ‘booty shakers,’ folks didn’t see the musicianship, the self-discipline, the artistry,” Scott advised BOSSIP. “However now, increasingly bands are adopting the HBCU fashion as a result of they understand how dynamic and impactful it’s. It’s not simply music, it’s dancers, it’s pageantry, it’s storytelling.”
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Raised in Brooklyn, Scott’s faculty profession didn’t begin at an HBCU as he enrolled at Rochester Institute of Expertise. However transferring to Howard College within the early ’80s modified his life. There, he discovered not solely Black excellence in full show, however a brand new understanding of neighborhood and artistic collaboration that also fuels his work as we speak.
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“I wished to be round extra individuals who regarded like me,” Scott recalled. “Howard gave me that—and extra. That’s the place I constructed the community that also helps me now.”
Although he wasn’t in Howard’s band, Scott’s early days in a neighborhood drum corps planted seeds that bloomed right into a deep love for efficiency and manufacturing. After producing the Honda Battle of the Bands for over a decade, he introduced that keenness to NBOTB, now one of many largest levels within the recreation for HBCU bands, drawing 65,000 followers to Houston’s NRG Stadium every year.
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And it’s not nearly dimension, it’s about care. Scott ensures each band receives first-class remedy: non-public areas, full meals, lodge lodging, and the reverence they’ve lengthy deserved.
“Our mission has by no means modified, uplift college students and get scholarships into their fingers,” he advised BOSSIP.
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That power carries into Celebrating Champions of Tradition, the place Scott serves as government producer. The movie doesn’t simply give shine to the electrifying performances. It additionally lifts up the band administrators, educators, and college students who pour blood, sweat, and syncopation into each efficiency. And in a world that too typically erases the contributions of Black creatives, NBOTB’s Corridor of Fame section makes area to present them their flowers whereas they’re nonetheless right here.
Moments like Beyoncé’s Homecoming and Southern College’s Tremendous Bowl cameo are turning the tide on how HBCUs are perceived, and NBOTB and Celebrating Champions Of Tradition are driving that wave with objective.
“This documentary contributes to that momentum by placing these bands on a nationwide stage,” Scott advised BOSSIP. “Individuals are seeing them in a brand new gentle, as innovators, not imitators. And now, these tales are sparking generational conversations, grandparents and college students watching collectively, connecting by satisfaction and shared legacy.”
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And that impression continues on August 23 when the 2025 PEPSI® Nationwide Battle of the Bands returns to Houston. This yr’s present will characteristic eight bands from throughout the HBCU spectrum, starting from the extra famed bands to the mid-size and underdog packages, too.
“We don’t simply carry the most important bands,” Scott famous. “We combine it up deliberately.”
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Finally, Celebrating Champions of Tradition continues to raise, educate, and honor the cultural legacy of Black bands.
