Professor W Dale Warren, chairman of the John Philip Souza Foundation Sudler Shield Jury, handed the award to SMJK Keat Hwa principal Yeoh Chui Seang at the school hall here yesterday.

The school was selected after winning several categories and emerging overall champion, beating bands from eight countries at WCMSB at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium from Aug 3 to Aug 6, 2016.

Tang Chia Hoe, who is SMJK Keat Hwa school band coach, said the jury were won over by the band’s performance which was adapted from a Bruce Lee film.

Tang was also the coach of the school marching band from SM Sultanah Asma, also from Alor Setar, which was the first school in Malaysia to win the competition in 2011.

Second spot went to Chien Kuo High School of Taiwan, third was Bahana Sparadha of Indonesia and the fourth, Victoria Institution, Kuala Lumpur.