Big Apple Leadership Academy for the Arts, Inc. provides traditional HBCU sytle (also called showstyle) marching band instruction to students in grades K to 12 as part of our after school program and our weekend marchng band program. Instruction is provided in 3 sections, auxiliary, horns and percussion. In auxiliary, students will learn HBCU style majorette dance and flag corps. As part of horn and perciussion instruction, students are taught to read horn or percussion music, and they learn to play a woodwind, brass or percussion instrument. All students learn marching band fundamentals such as drills, group physical training and field training, and all are afforded performance opportunities to demonstrate the growth as showstyle bandsmen.

High school students participate in recruiment fairs where they meet HBCU band directors and members, talk about the admissions and audition processes, discuss general college life, and have an opportunity to ask questions. Students also attend our audition clinics where we help them prepare for auditions for scholarships to march with HBCU bands.

The purpose of this program is to normalize HBCU style marching band culture in New York City, and create opportunities for inner city youth to pursue and acquire marching band scholarships to HBCUs. We endeavor to create a pipeline through which our youth can be channeled to HBCUs, giving them a fair chance at scholarship opportunities and the pursuit of higher education.