The road to Republic Day 2026 is getting musical. Zonal rounds of the National School Band Competition have concluded, selecting 16 elite teams—one set from each of the East, West, North, and South zones—for the ultimate showdown on January 24 at Delhi’s National Bal Bhavan.
Competing in Brass Boys, Brass Girls, Pipe Boys, and Pipe Girls, these young musicians embody the spirit of unity and patriotism the celebrations aim to promote.
Brass Band Boys: East – St. Xavier’s High School, West Singhbhum, Jharkhand; West – Sanjivani Sainik School, Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra; North – City Montessori School, Lucknow; South – PM Shri Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Kasaragod, Kerala.
Brass Band Girls: East – Holy Cross High School, Gomati, Tripura; West – Don Bosco High School, Mumbai; North – St. Joseph’s College, Lucknow; South – Providence Girls Higher Secondary School.
Pipe Band Boys: East – Karali School, Ranchi; West – Shri Swami Narayan Gurukul, Gir Somnath, Gujarat; North – Govt Boys Sr Sec School, Badli, Delhi; South – The Great India Sainik School, Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
Pipe Band Girls: East – Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Ranchi; West – PM Shri JNVS, Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan; North – Govt Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Palam Colony, Delhi; South – PM Shri KV, Bengaluru.
Awards include Rs 51K/31K/21K for top three per category, with Rs 11K for others, alongside trophies and certificates. A prestigious jury from Army, Navy, and Air Force will evaluate.
Organized jointly by Defence and Education Ministries, the contest kicked off at state/UT levels with 763 teams from CBSE, ICSE, etc. 94 qualified for zonals, where 80 teams and 2,217 kids from 30 regions shone.
This year’s heightened excitement promises a parade performance that will resonate with national fervor.