Media

An enthusiastic crowd of some 60,000 fans, students and alumni packed the Georgia Dome on Saturday to be part of the one-of-a-kind spectacle that is the Honda Battle of the Bands (HBOB) Invitational Showcase.  The crowd was treated to a series of spectacular performances by eight of the nation's top marching bands from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), as well as an electrifying halftime performance by Grammy Award-winning R&B songstress Monica, as the Honda Battle of the Bands marked the 10th anniversary of its Invitational Showcase event.

The unparalleled pageantry, musicianship and camaraderie of the HBCU marching band experience and tradition was on full display, as the dynamic performances by: Albany State University, Bethune Cookman University, Jackson State University, Prairie View A&M University, South Carolina State University, Tennessee State University, Virginia State University and Winston-Salem State University brought to life the "Homecoming" theme of the 2012 Honda Battle of the Bands program.

The 10th anniversary Honda Battle of the Bands called for all HBCU marching band alumni, current students and fans to attend this special anniversary event. Just as "The Yard" on HBCU campuses serves as the community gathering place for all homecoming activities, the Georgia Dome was transformed into "The Honda Battle of the Bands Yard" and re-created the HBCU homecoming experience with everything from a pee-wee football scrimmage to a short step-show.

The Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase is the nation's largest and most highly anticipated HBCU music event. Widely known as "the Super Bowl for Black college bands," the program was started 10 years ago to highlight and celebrate the heritage and showmanship of HBCU marching bands. Dedicated solely to supporting HBCU music education programs, the program also stands as the only national music scholarship program of its kind. Each of the eight schools that participated in this year's Invitational Showcase earned $20,000 in grant money for their school's music scholarship program. In all, more than $200,000 in music scholarship grants were awarded to the 41 schools participating in the 2012 Honda Battle of the Bands program.

Honda Battle of the Bands Fan Wins New 2012 CR-V
Elijah Hayes of Fort Valley State University was the winner of a new 2012 Honda CR-V. "Band Chatter," introduced for the 10th anniversary of the Honda Battle of the Bands program, was an online social media challenge that gave HBCU students the opportunity to flex their Facebook and Twitter skills for a chance to win a trip for two to the Invitational Showcase and a new Honda CR-V.  Hayes, this year's winner, accumulated points through daily Facebook postings, comments and photo uploading and sharing earning him a chance to win.

Recruitment Fair Encourages High School Seniors to Think About College
In addition to the marching band performances at the Invitational Showcase, HBOB includes an HBCU Recruitment Fair engaging high school students with representatives of HBCU schools. Conceived to go one step beyond just exposing young people to the opportunities offered by historically black colleges and universities, the HBOB HBCU Recruitment Fair is unique in enabling prospective college students to meet with marching band and admissions recruiters to discuss admissions requirements and scholarship opportunities. More than 35 institutions exhibited, and more than 3,000 young people attended this year's Recruitment Fair event.

For more information on the Honda Battle of the Bands program and the Invitational Showcase visit www.HondaBattleoftheBands.com, the official online destination and clearinghouse for all HBOB information.

For downloadable, broadcast quality, video and high-resolution photos please go to epklink.com/hondabattleofthebands.

Honda Battle of the Bands on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HondaBattleoftheBands
Honda Battle of the Bands on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/the_honda
Honda Battle of the Bands on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/hondabotb
(For Media Only) Honda Multimedia Newsroom:  http://www.hondanews.com

About Honda
American Honda Motor Co., Inc., was founded in 1959 as the U.S. sales and marketing subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd.  Honda currently produces automobiles, all-terrain vehicles, power equipment products and engines at its nine major U.S. manufacturing operations, using domestic and globally sourced parts. Honda's long-standing commitment to the support and success of the nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities began more than 20 years ago with the establishment of the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge, a program designed to showcase the academic gifts and prowess of HBCU students. American Honda established Honda Battle of the Bands ten years ago as an effort to support HBCU music programs. For more information, visit www.honda.corporate.com.

About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 107 million total connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500. A Dow 30 company with $106.6 billion in 2010 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 195,000. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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