EAST SYRACUSE -- They practice for months and it doesn't come come easy. Laurie Walter's daughter, Cassandra, plays the saxophone for Cicero-North Syracuse. She says, "Three nights a week for three hours every night, and there is a two week period in the Summer that they call band camp, that they go 'two-a-days'."

Saturday is the start of field bands competition. Some were at East Syracuse-Minoa High School in East Syracuse. With luck, Laurie will watch her daughter join hundreds of students eventually vying for a state championship. Laurie says, "It's very intense, it's very competitive, and you know it takes a lot of work, a lot of parent support."

And if you are wondering what the fuss is about, just ask one of the band members. Geoffrey Flock says, "People who aren't in a band wouldn't really get how big of a deal it is, but it if they came they would understand how the performances are.

Walter Bowler of Syracuse says "It's the experience of seeing people who are really dedicated to a craft, these are great musicians and now they are putting all that concert experience into marching, it's wonderful."

These competitions will carry on for the next few weeks, as marching bands are eliminated. It all leads up to the state championships which are November 1st at the Carrier Dome at Syracuse University.