April 13th, 2025 - SAML's 5th Annual Championships took place at Garey High School in Pomona, California, featuring 126 outstanding performances. The event featured impressive displays of talent, culminating with a 3-peat, back-to-back titles, new champions, new records and personal accomplishments across the board.
John F. Kennedy High School secured their 3rd consecutive Top School award, accumulating an impressive 20 gold medals throughout the season. G. Ibarra of Magnolia High School, recipient of the prestigious H. John P. Horrilleno Memorial and Bernard Haverly Trophies, proudly earned back-to-back championships not only for Principal Conducting, but also for the title of Grand Champion.
New champions were celebrated in the categories of Traditional, Contemporary, Avant Garde, T-Pattern, and Virtual. A. Martin from John F. Kennedy High School proudly earned the title of 2025 Traditional Champion and was named the recipient of the Maryann Conner Memorial Trophy. M. Jenkins of Chino High School proudly earned the title of 2025 Contemporary Champion and was named the recipient of the John Doan Memorial Amaryllis Bowl. A. Hernandez of Santiago High School proudly earned the title of 2025 Avant Garde Champion and was named the recipient of the Aurora Memorial Trophy. S. Bourland, also from Santiago High School, proudly earned the title of 2025 T-Pattern Champion and was named the recipient of the Margarett Paulin Memorial Trophy. J. Dirzo of the Aguiluchos Marching Band proudly earned the title of 2025 Virtual Champion and was named the recipient of the Virtual Trophy.
D. Bobadilla of Magnolia High School, was recognized as the most improved Student Leader of 2025, achieving an impressive increase of 36.40 points over the course of the competitive season. A. Martin of John F. Kennedy High School earned the distinction of accumulating the most points throughout the season, amassing a total of 1,677.53 points.
April 12th, 2025 - A. Martin has historic day. In addition to her titles, Martin ties the record for most appearances in Open Traditional, brakes the record for most points earned in a single season as well as most points earned all-time.
April 5th, 2025 - The final contest of the season leading to the championship event featured 125 performances, included 15 Highland performances. E. Jaimes of Glendora HS earned gold in SAML’s first ever Highland contest!
March 30th, 2025 - A record-breaking weekend at Downey High School showcased 152 performances! M. Jenkins of Chino High School claimed gold in Contemporary Open with a solid score of 87.60!
March 22, 2025 - SAML hosted our inaugural Cultural Exchange in the vibrant city of Puebla, Mexico! The two-day event featured 150 student leaders from the Aguiluchos, Leones, Pegasos, and Aguilas Doradas Marching Bands!
2025 Champions
Traditional
Contemporary
Avant Garde
Conducting
Virtual
Top School
Grand Champion
T-Pattern
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.