DAPHNE — Today’s marching bands are not what they used to be — that became evident at Tuesday’s Baldwin County Band Jamboree.

Students from seven Baldwin high schools performed instruments that weren’t always considered part of the marching band. For instance, Baldwin County High School and Fairhope High School had electric guitars as part of their ensemble.

The event — held at Daphne High School — allowed students to showcase their talents in a non-competitive environment.

“It gives everyone an appreciation of what others are doing,” Will Duncan, Fairhope’s marching band director, said.

“The kids never get to support each other,” Rick Faison, Daphne’s marching band director, said. “They never see what the other bands are really doing unless they’re in the same competition — and even then you’re usually doing something.”

School officials said the concert also allows the public to see the efforts of band students.

“You can see the amount of work they put into the music, the dedication they have,” Vicky Cook, Baldwin County Schools’ fine arts and library media supervisor, said.

While the Jamboree strictly is a presentation of talent, it allows bands to be critiqued prior to competitions, Duncan said. Each band received a critique tape from outside adjudicators.

Tuesday’s performances featured a number of genres.

Daphne’s band, known as “The Sound of the Eastern Shore,” performed songs by jazz musician Pat Metheny. Selections included “Third Wind,” “Letter From Home” and “First Circle.”

Fairhope’s program, “Time Machine,” included the songs “1812 Overture,” “Dream On” by Aerosmith and music from Bjork, Duncan said.

“We tried to do a loose interpretation of how a marching band has changed over time,” he said.

Daphne’s band will participate in four competitions this season; Fairhope’s band will participate in two.

Gulf Shores High School’s marching band, the first to perform Tuesday, appeared small but produced a big sound.

Baldwin County High School covered songs from the Rolling Stones, such as “Can’t Get No Satisfaction.”

Spanish Fort High School played songs performed by Santana.

Robertsdale High School added rock ’n’ roll by covering songs like “We Will Rock You.”

Foley added more of that genre by covering songs by Queen, Aerosmith and Diana Ross.

The Jamboree has been an annual event for about 15 years, according to Faison.