NHS Marching Band And Color Guard End Season On A High Note

It was a dream season for the Newtown High School Marching Band and Color Guard that ended on a high note on Saturday, November 12, with a championship trophy.

The marching band season began with band camp in August and progressed into a busy schedule with competitions taking place every Saturday until championships. Going into the championships undefeated, Newtown won the Class IV division of the Musical Arts Conference championships at Kennedy Stadium at Central High School in Bridgeport with a score of 94.55.

As it has in several other competitions, Newtown also captured awards in its class for best marching, music, general effect, and color guard. Marching band class is determined by the size of the band. The Nighthawks have 90 musicians and 19 members of the color guard.

The Newtown score was higher than four Class V bands and only a few points lower than mega bands Trumbull, Arlington (N.Y.), and Norwalk, which have large programs and strong financial backing. The Newtown overall placement was fourth out of 20 bands.

“We own a championship and a perfect season. What more can you ask for? I can’t think of a better group of kids to share it with,” senior Greg Aiello said at the band banquet last Sunday.

While the entire band was strong, the color guard had a particularly good season receiving the highest marks in several competitions. The guard also placed first among 20 bands from throughout the East Coast that participated in the US Scholastic Band Association Yamaha Cup in Baltimore last month. The students sported their new band uniforms at the Baltimore competition.

Drum major Jeremy Hodge said he was proud of the band’s progress during the season. “This band has grown so much. We really stepped up and reached an amazing level. It has been an honor being drum major of this award-winning band,” he said.

Band director Kurt Eckhart said the band’s talent became more obvious each week. “It was really nice to see the maturation of this group,” said Mr Eckhart, who is also a music teacher at the high school. “The group was raising standards to play with more sophistication.”

In the most recent competition the band performed “Cosmic Nights,” three movements found in Key Poulan’s Color of the Sky. The middle movement is dedicated to fallen firefighters and police officers. Mr Eckhart said an omen of the band’s outstanding year came one night during practice earlier in the season when a shooting star streaked across the sky above the band. “I knew it was in the stars for us,” he said.

The band faced several obstacles this season, mostly in the form of stormy weather. Four competitions were moved indoors when heavy rain made outdoor marching impossible. Bands only play during indoor competitions and judging is graded differently than outdoor shows. Eddie Small, a senior band member, said he was impressed with how the group stayed strong despite being unable to march during competitions for nearly a month. “Even with the biblical style flooding of New England for 40 days and 40 nights our band did keep the focus. It was a great season,” Eddie said.

Mr Eckhart praised the students and noted the payoff for their hard work was a long table lined with trophies and a championship banner. “I felt really proud of our kids, our staff and our parents,” he told the crowd at the recent banquet.