Bands of America (BOA) is a music education advocacy organization and promoter of high school marching band competitions in the United States, such as the annual Grand National Championships. Established in 1975 as Marching Bands of America (MBA), founder Larry McCormick's goal was to provide educational opportunities for music students nationwide. McCormick organized the first annual Summer Workshop and Festival in 1976. Renamed Bands of America in 1984, the organization became an independent, tax-exempt entity in 1988. In 2006, Bands of America merged with the Music for All Foundation, a music education advocacy organization, becoming the flagship program of the combined organization. Bands of America has received numerous awards from IFEA. Since 1975, Bands of America's various programs, services and events have served approximately 1.75 million music students. Approximately 450,000 spectators attend Bands of America championships every year. From 1980 to 1989, Bands of America hosted an annual Summer National Championship. The adjudication manual and contest procedures utilized by Bands of America have been licensed to or adopted by other organizations. As a result, Bands of America sets standards for adjudication and competitive attributes of marching band competitions throughout the United States. The 2020 Grand National Championship was previously scheduled for at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. On July 21, 2020, Music for All's board of directors announced the cancellation of the 2020 competitive season in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Bands of America's schedule of championships, including Grand Nationals, continued in 2021. History Larry McCormick established Marching Bands of America in 1975 as a subsidiary of McCormick's Enterprises, a music education supplies company. The goal was to provide a unique education and performance opportunity for music students nationwide. In 1976, Marching Bands of America hosted the first annual Summer Workshop and Festival on the campus of University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. Included in the program was the first Grand National Championship, whose inaugural champions were Kosciusko (Mississippi) and Live Oak (California) high schools. From 1980 onward, Grand National Championships were hosted in November. The Summer Workshop and Festival was relaunched as the Summer National Championships, which continued until 1989. In 1983, Marching Bands of America was spun-off by McCormick's as Bands of America, Inc. L. Scott McCormick, son of founder Larry McCormick, was named CEO of the new Bands of America in 1985. In 1988, Bands of America was awarded tax-exempt status, retroactive to 1984. The Student Leadership Workshop began