Esprit de Corps advances to State Marching Contest

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Burnet wins Area D crown

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  • Over the weekend The Burnet Esprit de Corps qualified to compete at the UIL State Marching competition after taking first place at the UIL Area D competition. The state meet will be held on Monday, Dec. 14 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Burnet will perform at 4:55 p.m. Tickets are now available for purchase and are $20 each.
    Over the weekend The Burnet Esprit de Corps qualified to compete at the UIL State Marching competition after taking first place at the UIL Area D competition. The state meet will be held on Monday, Dec. 14 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Burnet will perform at 4:55 p.m. Tickets are now available for purchase and are $20 each.
  • Burnet High School drum major Adina Hernandez holds the UIL Area D Champion trophy the Esprit de Corps won Saturday, Dec. 5, at the area band contest at Hays Consolidated Independent School District Stadium in Buda. With the win, the band advances to the Class 4A State Contest in San Antonio.
    Burnet High School drum major Adina Hernandez holds the UIL Area D Champion trophy the Esprit de Corps won Saturday, Dec. 5, at the area band contest at Hays Consolidated Independent School District Stadium in Buda. With the win, the band advances to the Class 4A State Contest in San Antonio.
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The name of Burnet High School's Esprit de Corps marching band comes from the French term “spirit of the body,” describing the feeling of pride or fellowship shared among members of a particular group.

At no time has that collective feeling of pride been greater than it was this past Saturday, when the Esprit de Corps was crowned champion at the UIL Area D marching contest, which has the EDC advancing to the 2020 UIL Class 4A State Marching Band Contest, to be held at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Monday, Dec. 14.

Burnet will join a packed 4A field that includes Andrews, Big Spring, Bridge City, Canyon, Corpus Christi Calallen, Geronimo Navarro, Hondo, Kennedale, Lake Belton, Lumberton, Paris, Paris North Lamar, Springtown, Taylor and four Area B qualifiers that were to be determined Tuesday, Dec. 8.

The 4A contest starts at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 14 with the preliminaries and the finals will follow. Tickets are $20 per person per session and went on sale starting Monday, Dec. 7, through Ticketmaster (a service charge will apply). No admission charge for children under 3 to attend.

Spectators are encouraged to arrive early to avoid congestion at the doors. The box office will open 75 minutes prior to first performance of the day and doors will open 45 minutes prior to the first performance in each session.

Access to a live video feed will be provided through Box5TV for $12 for a single session pass.

Nationally recognized judges who have distinguished themselves as band directors and music educators will serve as adjudicators.

The Esprit de Corps has a lengthy history of competing at the state contest in marching band. In 2018, Burnet advanced to the Class 4A state contest, but finished 18th in the preliminaries and did not advance to the finals. In 2014, Burnet also advanced to the state contest, but finished 16th in preliminaries.

In 2012, Burnet took third place at the Class 3A state contest after initially placing seventh in the preliminaries. This marks the school's best finish ever at state. In 2010, Esprit de Corps came in 14th in the preliminaries and did not advance to state in Class 3A.

In 2008, the band was in sixth place headed out of preliminaries at Class 3A and finished seventh overall in the finals. Other trips to the state contest include 2002, 2000 and 1998 (again the band did not make the finals in those years).