Pennsylvania Interscholastic Marching Band Association

A: Blackhawk High School- Beaver Falls, PA
AA: Mars Area High School- Mars, PA
AAA: Gateway High School- Monroeville, PA
AAAA: Norwin Sr. High School- North Huntingdon, PA

The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Marching Band Association (P.I.M.B.A.) is a nonprofit organization that provides high school marching bands of western Pennsylvania with a chance to be adjudicated in either festival class or to compete in one of four classifications. Founded in 1996 from the P.F.C.J. marching band circuit, the organization now includes about 20 member bands (and growing) and has become a well known program in the area, drawing hundreds of people to the festivals and ever-coveted P.I.M.B.A. Championships. Local bands are hosts to these numerous adjudications throughout the season, which run from the first weekend in September to the first weekend in November. These events not only provide healthy competition for those involved, but also include feedback for performing bands in order to help them improve and succeed later on in the season. The final competition to take place is P.I.M.B.A. Championships, which is often held at a neutral location with expansive seating. In the past 19 years, it has been most commonly held at Elizabeth Forward High School (2003, 2005, and 2007), Gateway High School (2008, 2009, 2013, and 2015), North Allegheny High School (1996), Norwin High School (2000, 2002, 2006, and 2011), Penn-Trafford High School (1999, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2012, and 2014), and South Park High School (1998). At these Championships, bands are judged in their respective classes, including A (Includes: Blackhawk, Leechburg, Rochester, and Springdale), AA (Includes: Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Mars Area, Southmoreland, and Trinity), AAA (Includes: Gateway and McGuffey), and AAAA (Includes: Hampton, Kiski Area, Moon Area, and Norwin). Other bands are given the opportunity to perform as Guest Bands (any band not participating in at least two PIMBA competitions; Includes: Apollo-Ridge, Belle Vernon Area, Cochranton, Freeport, Greater Latrobe, Penn-Trafford, Plum, Ritchie County(WV), and West Greene) for the season. The scores for the competitive classes are based upon a system that is broken up into the Outstanding Musical Performance Category (worth 20 points), the Outstanding Visual Performance Category (worth 20 points), and the Outstanding General Effect Category (worth 60 points). This raw total, which is the same as a Bands of America score, is then divided by two and combined with an addition 50 points to get the final score.

2015 Class Members and Show Titles

P.I.M.B.A. Championship Results

In all, there are several bands who have distinguished themselves as the most winning class champions since P.I.M.B.A.'s inception 19 years ago. These bands are: Gateway High School- Eleven Time Class Champion, Mars Area High School- Eleven Time Class Champion, Norwin Senior High School- Ten Time Class Champion, Trinity High School- Ten Time Class Champion, and Kiski Area High School- Eight Time Class Champion.

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External links