April 12th, 2026 - And with that, the 2026 season comes to an end. The 2026 season, and Championships, was one for the record books. The championship event featured 160 performances and showcased exceptional talent across all categories. New champions were named and many records were broken as competitors brought their best to the field and podium.
J. Framan of Chino Hills High School earned the titles of Grand Champion and Principal Conducting Champion. Framan scored an 88.25 in conducting and amassed 180.45 combined points between flourishing and conducting. S. Bourland of Santiago High School earned the title of Avant Garde Champion, receiving the highest score ever awarded for Avant Garde with an outstanding 95.70. C. Discipulo of Hutchinson Middle School claimed the title of Contemporary Champion, earning the fourth-highest score ever awarded for Contemporary with a 92.10. R. Manglicmot of Bonita Vista High School won the Traditional Champion title, achieving the eighth-highest score ever recorded for Traditional with a 93.00. G. Guzman of Eastlake High School earned the Virtual Champion title, posting the fourth-highest virtual score of all time with an 84.50. J. Taiman of Magnolia High School was named T-Pattern Champion, recognized for consistently strong performances throughout the season and Championships, resulting in a final score of 90.62. Chino Hills High School earned Top School honors, amassing a total of 16 Gold Medals across the season and championships. C. Lim of Chino Hills High School earned the title of Associate Conducting Champion receiving a score of 77.50 and G. Vinson of John F. Kennedy High School earned the title of Apprentice Conducting Champion receiving a score of 67.50. S. Dong of Chino Hills High School was awarded Most Improved Conductor, increasing their score by 37.00 points over the season. I. Rosales of Montebello High School earned Most Improved Flourisher, improving by 29.35 points over the course of the season. J. Framan of Chino Hills High School was also recognized for accumulating the most points over the 2026 season, finishing with a remarkable total of 1,693.15.
Additional accomplishments to be recognized include A. Cheng of John F. Kennedy High School, who broke the record for highest accumulated scores all-time in Conducting with 1,333.15. Also recognized is B. Watson of Rim of the World High School, who broke the record for highest accumulated scores all time in Avant Garde with a total of 1,084.25. M. Jenkins of Chino High School who set a new benchmark for the highest accumulation of scores in a single season in Avant Garde, achieving 590.00. Finally, A. Rojas of the Aguiluchos Marching Band was the highest scoring International student leader earning a score of 83.30!
Watch the 2026 Championship Performances!
Conducting Champion Performance
Avant Garde Champion Performance
Contemporary Champion Performance
Traditional Champion Performance
Virtual Champion Performance
March 21st, 2026 - S. Veldman of Townsend Junior High School earns the first Principal Conducting gold medal of the 2026 season receiving an 82.50!
March 7th, 2026 - J. Framan earns 3 medals at the Mayfair contest, including 2 silvers and a bronze in Avant Garde, Contemporary Open and Associate Conducting.
February 28th, 2026 - H. Jennings of Martin Luther King High School earned his second Traditional Open Gold of the Season scoring a 90.00 at the Rancho Verde Contest.
February 14th, 2026 - F. Osornio-Llerenas of Magnolia High School earned 2 gold medals in traditional and contemporary at the Oaks Middle School Contest..
February 7th, 2026 - B. Diaz of Rancho Verde High School earned 2 gold medals in Traditional and Avant Garde at the Garey High School Contest.
PROMOTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENT LEADERS
TO INSPIRE CHANGE IN THE MARCHING & MUSIC COMMUNITY
What We Do…
We provide student leaders in the 5th -12th grades involved in the marching and music performing arts a platform to challenge their creativity, advance their skills and leadership through modern competitive events and progressive education.
Student Academy of Musical Leaders (SAML) was founded by former Drum Majors and Music Leaders dedicated to the advancement of the marching and music performing arts.
Student Academy of Musical Leaders (SAML) was founded in 2020 by a close-knit group of former Drum Majors and Music Leaders who wanted to provide student leaders a competitive circuit that pushed the limits of their creativity, offered support and guidance in their growth as young leaders, and assisted them in refining their skills as musicians and creators. This led to the creation of the “T Pattern” and other innovative performance formats and educational programs.
With passion and undeniable drive, the founding members of SAML were able to create a circuit that truly focuses on the ever-changing needs of student leaders involved in the marching and music performing arts.
SAML is based in Southern California and hopes to expand its reach in the future and is currently offering its programs to students in grades 5-12. SAML is also a 501(c)3 Non-Profit organization.