AUBREY — Aubrey High School will compete for the Class 2A University Interscholastic League State Marching Band title Monday at San Antonio’s Alamodome.

Slated to take the field at 3:19 p.m., the 79-member band will perform Sol, a three-movement piece of space- and celestial-themed music.

DRC/Barron Ludlum

Aubrey High School Chaparral Band sousaphone players Alex Bernard, left, Zach Goen, Elias Salazar, Sam Ver Hoef and Bradley Benson practice at the school Wednesday. The band will compete for the Class 2A University Interscholastic League State Marching Band title Monday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

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The band advanced to state after finishing in third place overall at the UIL Area B Conference 1A/2A marching competition Oct. 24 in North Richland Hills. The top four bands earned the trip to San Antonio.

“It’s a great feeling knowing we beat out a lot of other bands to get there, and state level is just great,” said senior Nathan Burch. “Going into the state finals, our goal is to do our best and not specifically beat out other bands … but we want to do our best, and that’s just a great feeling.”

The Aubrey High School Band Boosters and Aubrey Main Street Committee are planning a communitywide send-off for the band Sunday. Free coffee provided by “Moms on Main” will be served beginning at 7:30 a.m., according to an announcement from the boosters. The band is scheduled to leave the high school at 8 a.m.

The competition will be a return trip for the band, which competed at the last 2A contest in 2007. At that time, the Chaparral band finished ninth overall.

Senior Patrick Wilson said he looks forward to taking the field at the Alamodome again to vie for a state title.

“The feeling you get whenever you go onto the field, it’s just amazing,” he said.

Preparation for this year’s marching season started with the first reading of music in May, and official practices followed in July. Since then, the group has practiced for competition one hour daily and during its 45-minute band classes, director Ron Chapman said.

This week before dawn, band members went to the high school football field to practice for Monday’s competition.

Several sets were rehearsed repeatedly to ensure that things would be just right for competition.

The group wrapped up practices with rehearsals on the school parking lot as directors critiqued from a tower above the lot.

Band members have a desire to do well and are dedicated to making the necessary changes and adjustments needed to reach that goal, Chapman said.

“They’re willing to go well beyond what most 2A schools are doing,” he said.  “They put in more hours, they put in more time and they’re more dedicated to making and having the best show they can have.”

This year has been a stellar one for the band, which was named the Texas Music Educators Association’s 2010 Class 2A Honor Band in July.

The honor, Chapman said, was a driving force for band members to make it to the state competition as they began this marching season.

He said he looks forward to having a good showing on  Monday.

“I think we have an excellent chance of making finals — being in the top seven,” Chapman said. “After that, who knows? It’s very, very tough.”

BRITNEY TABOR can be reached at 940-566-6876. Her e-mail address is btabor@dentonrc.com.