“Roman Festivals”
What
an inspirational year... a year of extreme dedication, passion, and
outstanding talent, resulting in major awards!
This
all started back in spring for the King Philip Marching Band, as the new
2006 competitive field show; “Roman Festivals” was announced and the
enthusiastic students saw the music for the first time. The show, “Roman
Festivals”, featured music composed by
Ottorino Respighi,
and arranged by KP Music Director Peter Tileston and Program Coordinator,
Neil Larrivee. Set in Ancient Rome, it incorporated four dramatic and
exciting movements.
Weekly
rehearsals throughout the summer gave the 88-member marching band a taste
of what was to come, but practice began in earnest in August, with
“pre-band camp”, a week of daily six hour rehearsals, where students
are introduced to new music and drill (the marching choreography), which
they then polish during the following week of band camp. Towards the end
of August, a caravan of three buses and numerous cars made the 4-hour trip
to Camp Mataponi, on Lake Sebago, Maine.
It’s a beautiful setting, where the students and 15 staff members
spend the week together, rehearsing for 9 hours a day and concentrating on
learning a new exciting show without the usual distractions found at home.
After
band camp week, rehearsals continued back at King Philip High school, and once
again this year rehearsal space was at a premium due to construction of the new
school. Often you would find musicians in the dust and dirt, or tucked in a
tight corner of the temporary parking lot, or competing for space with the
sports teams on the football field. But, against adversity and oblivious to the
difficult surroundings, these committed students all gave 100%.
Their
dedication transpired into a winning season within the competitive circuit.
Traveling to 4 different states for competitions throughout the fall, the band
achieved top awards wherever they went. They were crowned “Grand Champion”
of sixteen bands at a United States Scholastic Band Associations (USSBA)
sanctioned competition in Cheshire, Connecticut, attaining highest scores in all
captions: Music, Visual, Percussion and Guard. In Methuen, at a Massachusetts
Instrumental Choral and Conductors Associations (MICCA) Festival, King Philip
was again awarded the highest possible marks for each caption, and was the only
band to receive 5 stars for overall performance.
At the MICCA State finals in Lowell, they were awarded a gold medal for
their twentieth consecutive year, also recording a perfect score of superior
ratings in all captions. Traveling to Baltimore for the Bands of America
Regional Championship at Towson Stadium, King Philip placed second in their
Division and was awarded Best Overall Music Performance. They had placed only
third overall in the preliminary round, however it earned them a place in the
finals; only the top ten bands make the cut to finals regardless of class. King
Philip knew that they had to step it up in order to retain their title of two
years ago (the championship was rained out last year), and in usual King Philip
style they did just that...... they gave an exhilarating performance, leaving
the audience in awe! The Pride and the Passion were awarded Best Overall Music
once again, and were crowned Regional Champions - outscoring bands that were
almost double their size and overcoming the difference in score from the
preliminary rounds. This was a stunning upset for bands which were previously
ranked as champions at the national level. It was also the fourth time in five
tries that King Philip has won a Bands of America Regional Championship; KP came
in second at their first attempt, in 1999.
For
their last competitive performance of the season, the Pride and the Passion took
a trip out to Allentown, Pennsylvania for the United States Scholastic Bands
Associations All-States Championships, competing against thirteen other bands
from up and down the East coast. On
a chilly night, in a totally charged atmosphere, King Philip performed their
show to their full potential and gave a breathtaking performance.
Performing second in the group of fourteen, the band had to leave quite
an impression on the judges in order to keep the high mark for the event.
That they did, and in the end they were crowned USSBA All-States Division
IV Open Class Champions for the fifth time in six attempts.
They also swept the caption awards by winning Best Percussion, Best Color
Guard, Best Music, Best Visual, and Best Overall Effect. This victory left the
band undefeated for the year, with three regional and state championships under
their belt...... something to be extremely proud of!
Post
Season Events for Marching Band Click Here
Letter from
Mr. Tileston Regarding Towson Performance
2006 Photo Galleries
Preview
Day KP
Classic Methuen
Towson
Band Night
MICCA Finals
USSBA Finals Frosty
Parade
Spring marching band rehearsals have
been under way since early May, and the band is getting bigger, almost
busting over 100 members. There will be some adjustments to be made this
season. With the high school renovation project moving into phase two, all
summer rehearsals will be at the middle school, including the pre-band
camp. Also, next season the band will be learning drill via new computer
software, called Pyware. Mr. Devlin is returning, and the KPMA has
purchased this state-of-the-art software so that students can get computer
printed coordinates, and access to the drill via the web. It promises to
be a great learning experience! Next fall’s show will feature the music
of Ottorini Respighi’s “Roman Festivals.” Arranged by Mr. Tileston
and Neil Larrivee, this show promises to provide another exciting KP
season. Respighi writes music that clearly is programmatic. It is music
that one might consider a great movie score, only it was written before
movies existed. Next year’s drum majors have been announced, after
thorough interviews during previous spring rehearsals. Two students were
selected, although the field of candidates was the best ever, according to
Mr. Tileston. Chosen to conduct are seniors Ali Parramore and Christopher
Bergerson. What is even more exciting is the quality of leadership left on
the field. The younger kids will be in great hands, led by these dedicated
upperclassmen.
Marching band is a passion here at King
Philip and embarking on a new season is always exciting! Marching band
gives students the opportunity to be a central contributor to events in
our schools, our communities, and throughout the country. Each year the
King Philip Marching Band helps celebrate football games, holiday parades,
and community festivals. Our primary focus, however, is our competitive
season. The King Philip Marching Band performs with and competes against
other high school and college bands on a regional and national level,
where they routinely win top honors. Last year, the Marching band won a
19th consecutive gold medal at the state MICCA finals, and gave the
performance of the season at Giants Stadium in
New Jersey
. This was the fifth time out of six that the Pride and the Passion were
crowned USSBA Open Class Champions; they not only earned first place in
their division, but also the highest score (97.6) of all the 47 bands
competing! More importantly, King Philip has routinely impressed judges
and directors, and maintained the highest standards for excellence. They
have much to be proud of!
Marching band makes a huge difference in
the lives of those students who join. Our goal is to provide them a
positive, supportive experience as they learn to take initiative, set
goals, and work effectively with others. They work long and hard, and they
learn what it takes to be a success! But, tidbits of wisdom aside, it is
just plain fun to be that good. The crowd always gives it up for these
students, and the students say that they love what they are doing, and
enjoy being a part of the marching band family. Marching band is the place
where many students develop friends for life and pathways to success. Are
you intrigued? Excited about the possibilities for this show? Come on out
and experience it for yourself! One of the most important aspects of our
success has been and will continue to be our spring rehearsals. For
veterans it is a time to pick it up and get after it again, taking on new
and maybe even more important roles as mentors and leaders. For new
students, it’s a chance to get in on the fun of being a member of this
illustrious group. Students in all grades, this is your chance to win more
than a few gold medals! Many new students making a decision about marching
band need to experience this part of marching band to help them decide.
All musicians, including chorus members, pianists, brass and reed players,
and percussionists going into grades 8 to 12 have a future in the King
Philip Marching Band. Other interested students can take advantage of our
color guard opportunities. Don’t settle for life without marching band!
For further questions and information, please contact Peter Tileston, at
384-1023, or at tilestonp@kingphilip.org
See you at practice!
Your first opportunity to hear the King
Philip Marching Band perform will be at our annual Preview Day, on
September 24, 2006
, at KPHS. Our initial competition will be held in
Bellingham
on Saturday, September 30th. KP will host the annual Band classic on
Saturday, October 7, 2006
. Finally, the season wraps up with the USSBA Open Class Championships on
November 5 at J. Birney Crum Field, in
Allentown
,
PA.
Band Camp Thank You Letter from
Mr. Tileston
2005 King Philip High School
Marching Band
