Top awards combine with a growing popularity
By: Jake Uitti
MONTGOMERY Everything has to be perfect for the Montgomery High School Marching Band’s possible last home performance of the season, scheduled to take place tonight during the high school’s final home football game at Cougar Stadium.
With a cold, late October wind blowing across the practice field in front of Montgomery High School during a recent practice, the 124 members of the MHS Marching Band endured the chill for the sake of the music.
The drum major, senior Angela Chuang, barks out the commands during practice, her hair blowing wildly, as she directs the sections of the massive band where and when to move.
With that, the march begins.
The cymbals crash as the snare and bass drums strike in time. Next, the flutes and woodwinds come in, bringing a jazzy feeling to the march, followed by the brass, adding exclamation to the piece, "An Outdoor Overture," by Aaron Copeland.
Assistant Band Director Kawika Kahalehoe stops the practice and shouts, "Reset the form. Cover down these echelons. Come on, let’s go!"
The band resets and Angela begins the instruction all over again.
This year marks the first year members of the band will be graduating with four years of experience behind them. This is the fourth year for the band, which had only 62 members in its start-up year. Eleven members have been with the band all four years.
One of those, Katie Fox, a senior who color guard captain, said of her experience, "This is definitely the most rewarding thing I have done in high school. The friendships you make here are so important, and the discipline the band gives you is amazing."
Band Director Adam Warshafsky, who received his master’s degree in music education from the University of Michigan and was a staff member on the University of Michigan’s marching band, said, "The first year we were new. Over the last four years, the band program has grown exponentially."
Mr. Kahalehoe also has a master’s degree in music education from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
Mr. Warshafsky said he expects to see even more students turn out for the marching band and for the high school’s concert band in the coming years.
"There are about 200 kids each in grades four through six who are in band, and about 100 kids in both seventh and eighth grades," he said. "The band program here in Montgomery as a whole is growing."
Next year, he said he expects about 140 students to be in the marching band.
The marching band participates in three festivals per season, Mr. Warshafsky said. It received one grade of superior and two grades of excellent in the three festivals it participated in this year.
In addition, the band received the spirit award at a competition at Vorhees High School for exhibiting pride and professionalism.
Angela, taking a break from her drum major responsibilities, said, "I have been doing this for four years straight. It’s a lot of fun. I’ll be very sad to see it go when I graduate."
To play in the marching band, a student must be in one of the three high school concert bands, the ninth-grade band, the symphonic band or the wind ensemble. There are currently 220 students combined in those three bands. Or a student can be a part of the color guard, which waves the colored flags proudly during the performance.
Though Friday may be the last home performance, there may be one other opportunity to catch the band this season during a potential state-assigned football game if the Cougars are assigned a home consolation game, though the band won’t know that until later in the season.
Melissa Loupos, band captain and baritone horn player, said of her experience, "I spend more time here than with my family. The band has taught me a lot of responsibility, I love it."

