SNA Displays, an LED display manufacturer known for its high-impact video installations, recently donated three LED videoboards to one of the country’s most accomplished high school bands. Leander High School, just 25 miles north of Austin, was a finalist in the 2024 Bands of America Grand National Championships and one of three schools in the Leander Independent School District that swept Gold, Silver, and Bronze at last year’s Texas Conference 5A State Finals.

Ryan Sirna, director of bands at Leander High, approached SNA Displays’ Jason Helton, an LHS band parent, with the concept of adding dynamic video screens to the 2025 marching band season after seeing the company’s work at Lucas Oil Stadium during last year’s Bands of America competition. The two discussed a design concept to add a strong visual and experiential element to this year’s competitive performances. Ultimately, the new video system includes three large sections with a four-screen, flying-V centerpiece that projects towards the stands, creating an immersive effect for the audience as they enjoy the music and on-screen content. There are two large flanking LED displays as well.

Additionally, Sirna worked with content creator Strinko Studios to develop an 8-minute custom video for the performance. In order to properly synchronize with the band, the creative video show is divided into more than 20 individual pieces.

The band’s piece is titled Curiouser and Curiouser and tells the story of Alice in Wonderland’s trip down the rabbit hold through coordinated music and video content.

“I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful we are to Jason Helton and the team at SNA Displays,” said Sirna. “They have gone above and beyond for our students here at Leander High School. Their unwavering support has not only been shown through their generous donations, but through the humanity of the employees that have volunteered their time to set up and maintain these displays.”

Helton donated his time to design and assemble several large, multi-screen sections that can be moved on and off the field and powered up in just minutes to meet performance guidelines. Helton built the custom corner section in his garage over the summer to begin experimenting and testing the display products prior to the band’s initial performances.

“As a parent and member of the Leander community, I am incredibly proud of the support we have been able to provide the high school band,” said Helton. “Being able to help enhance the visuals of the show this year while at the same time getting to work with my kids to help build something truly unique has been a remarkable experience. In our industry we have a unique set of skills that doesn’t often translate to school extracurricular activities but in this case it was a perfect match to be able to support Sirna’s vision.”

One challenge for competition marching bands is the extremely short time allotted to set up and break down for a performance. Starting from the end zone, all props and equipment must be assembled in under four minutes and then struck in under two minutes after the performance, or the school faces disqualification. To better mobilize the large 10 mm LED video screens, SNA Displays worked with local sign company Vital Signs to fabricate LED carts. Finding casters to take the full load of the carts while allowing them to easily be transported was a challenge within itself. But the team was able to find casters rated for 800-plus pounds per caster. The cart for the large centerpiece display weighs over 1,600 pounds while the flat carts are closer to 500 pounds each.

Another key element was powering almost 500 square feet of one-the-go display canvas, which was built with 6,000-NIT, 10 mm pixel pitch product. The team originally looked at a single 37-kilowatt generator but determined that would be too much of a challenge transporting it on and off the field in most venues. The team decided to integrate three 13kW gas generators. As with any audio-visual performance, sound was critical. The generators at 50% load create over 78 dBA. With three generators making that much noise, it was a complete distraction to the band members and received negative feedback from the judges during the initial competitions.

In order to develop a solution that was sufficiently quiet and still able to properly power all displays, SNA Displays procured nine 3,600-watt high-performance batteries. The batteries, which can handle the show’s peak surges, also help with the mobility of the carts as well as the setup and teardown efficiency, as power connections no longer need to be tended to. The batteries are charged via solar energy between the band’s preliminary performances during the day and final performances in the evening.

“I have overseen some of the largest and most intricate video installations across North America,” said Helton. “But this was one of the most challenging due to all of the complexities and moving parts.”

Helton works with the band’s pit crew to set up and take down the displays during band competitions and games. He also provides most of the onsite support for the video system, though several other SNA Displays staff have supplied technical assistance throughout the process.

“We are so excited for the continued growth of the partnership between SNA and the Leander Band,” Sirna continued. “We look forward to the future where The Leander Band and SNA Displays continue to create a spectacle that will innovate and entertain audiences all over the world.”