score the 14 bands seeking awards. They also record what they like and how students can improve in tapes of their comments for each band.

That’s “very valuable, constructive” feedback before the Prospect band goes on to march in a series of contests around the state and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, Barnum said.

“What it’s really about is pursuing excellence,” Barnum said.

Proceeds from admission to the Joust support the program at Lake Park. It’s the first Joust for Mike Lehman, the host school’s new director of bands. But he knows it’s a “mainstay” for marching bands around the Midwest.

Lake Park isn’t competing but will stage an exhibition show called “Cosmic Reflections” at 5:15 p.m. Students will play contemporary works that capture the beauty, the solemnity, “the intensity at times” of outer space, Lehman said.

“That’s an exciting time for everybody,” Lehman said. “Both the students and the audience get to see our progress.”

The audience also gets to see a wide variety of music, drill formations and pageantry. Barnum says his students won’t be paying much attention to the trophies at stake.

What matters is transforming into a unified ensemble when they step into this arena.

“It’s about your putting in that effort,” Barnum said.