PORTALES, N.M. — Eastern New Mexico University is one of five schools in the finals for the Metallica marching band competition. Now, their video moves forward to be judged by the band members.

“The students were 100% behind this,” said Dustin Seifert, the chair for the Department of Music at ENMU. “We had a very positive, pleasant, spirited marching band season because they had so much input in the process.”

The marching bands were asked to produce an exciting and unique halftime show of Metallica’s music.

“Coming out of the pandemic, the directors of the band were really looking for ways to transform the marching band program and make it more of a student-driven ensemble where the decisions and creativity are coming from the students rather than the directors,” Seifert said. “The opening sequence that you’ll see in the show was written by student Nacho Perez, the bass solo that you hear at the beginning with the band accompaniment was all his work.”

He says this was a show that students could get behind because many were Metallica fans. Seifert says he didn’t pitch it to the students as a competition.

“We used it more as a fundraising endeavor and far less as a competition because college bands don’t typically compete with one another,” he said.

If they win, the school gets $40,000 in marching band equipment.

The public can vote on their favorites and the winners will be announced in January.