The Valencia High School marching band and color guard hosted the Ragnarok 2024 Field Tournament Saturday on the school’s football field.  Seven local and regional schools worked with coaches to fine tune their marching band routines, as part of a marching band clinic from the Western Band Association of Southern California, and would later give a final performance for the competition.  Jennifer Stohl, booster president for the Valencia band and color guard, said that it was an honor for the school to host the tournament.  “Hosting is a real privilege and we’re very lucky to be able to host this at Valencia and to really show not only what our school is capable of doing and what our band is doing, but what our local bands can do,” Stohl said. “Our band director Kevin Flores and our color guard captain Lorraine Kohagen both put so much into this, and the kids worked so hard to make it all come together for today.”  Kelvin Flores, the Valencia director of instrumental music, said in a news release that the event would showcase some of the best skills the students have picked up during their practices.  “It not only highlights the incredible talent and dedication of our local and regional groups but also enhances their performance through innovative clinic sessions led by high-quality adjudicators and clinicians,” Flores said in the news release.  Attendees watched as the marching bands brought out colorful props and performed arrangements of popular songs, including “When You Wish Upon a Star,” during the all-day event.  The bands that participated, in addition to Valencia, included Golden Valley High School, Granada Hills Charter School, El Segundo High School, West Ranch High School, Grover Cleveland Charter High School and Eastside High School.   Stohl also said that their program has been slowly picking back up, following the decrease of students during the COVID-19 pandemic.  “They’re going into junior high not having an experience and then it’s harder to get them at this level,” Stohl said. “Seeing how hard the kids work and how much effort and time goes into it, the least I can do is volunteer and support them, and just let them know how proud we are of all the hard work they do.”  The proceeds from the event, including ticket sales and merchandise, went toward the Valencia High School music program. More information about the Pride of the Vikings band and the event can be found on their website at ragnarok.prideofthevikings.org.    The post Pride of the Vikings hosts marching band tournament  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.