For months, band members at Bob Jones High School and Sparkman High School in Madison County have had Oct. 28 circled on their calendars.

The 56th annual Contest of Champions band competition was scheduled to take place this weekend at Middle Tennessee State University, and both schools had spent months working on their programs. The prestigious invitation-only event traditionally brings together more than 3,300 band members from Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama, all vying for the top prize.

This week, however, MTSU officials called off the the event due to concerns over a White Lives Matter protest planned by white supremacists in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where the school is located. Similar protests in other locations, most noticeably Charlottesville, Virginia, resulted in violence.

"We decided it was wise to reduce traffic to the surrounding area Saturday and these decisions will allow our police and other security personnel to be available elsewhere on campus if needed," MTSU President Dr. Sidney McPhee said in a statement explaining the cancellation.

Other events planned for this weekend at the school were also cancelled and dorms will be on lockdown, only accessible for those with a student ID, McPhee said.

The same-week cancellation left hundreds of Alabama band members - including some seniors who were readying for their final competition - without a place to play.

"Our students were disappointed," said David Raney, director of bands for Sparkman High School, which finished fifth overall and received superior ratings in last year's event.

Raney said the Murfreesboro event, which would have included bands from 28 schools, was scheduled to be the Sparkman Band's last competition of the year.

"We have enjoyed a successful season so far with a very competitive program. The students continue to improve the program daily in anticipation of our best performance at our last competition," Raney said.

Leigh Thomas, director of bands for Bob Jones High School in Madison, said the event was the third of four competitions for her students. The Contest of Champions was special, however.

"COC is one of the oldest and most competitive shows around, so naturally we are sad to see such a great event be canceled because of the circumstances," Thomas said. "I am bummed for the students because we have been preparing for that venue for that past few weeks. We have been talking about how big the stadium is at MTSU and how high the press box is. I am sure other bands are in the same boat. And I can't even imagine those who were planning on this being their last contest of the year.

Now, instead of heading to COC, Sparkman and Bob Jones will be among 10 bands taking part in the "Contest of Resilience," organized in the last day by Spring Hill High School in Columbia, Tennessee.

Thomas said she's thankful the students have been given the chance to play.

"Many of the bands in our class will be there, so we are grateful for the opportunity to share the field with them as originally planned," she said.

It's still disappointing, however.

"It is sad to see the hard work of so many students affected by this demonstration, especially when music is such an uplifting and positive experience for all," she added.