A crowd of about 170 young musicians filled Huntington High School on a recent Saturday for the district’s Band Fest 2022.
Student-musicians spread across grades 4-12 descended on the high school for a day of fun. Huntington UFSD band teachers led participants in rehearsals throughout the day. Teachers brought students through sectionals, going over various parts of music prior to the big finale concert that traditionally caps off the day.
“I cannot believe we were able to play an entire concert of challenging music in less than five hours,” Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School sixth grader Bella Bernzweig said.
Musical selections included “Pirates of the Caribbean,” conducted by Frank Battista; “Crooked-Toe Walks the Deck,” conducted by Jason Giachetti and “Let’s Go Band,” conducted by Katherine Adams.
“It was so much fun to be able to hang-out with my friends and the high school kids during lunchtime and the food was amazing,” Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School sixth grader Julianna Miranda said.
The Huntington High School wind ensemble also performed for the younger student musicians.
“I loved practicing with the older kids because it helped us learn more,” Woodhull fifth grader Olivia Guerrero said.
The sprawling event was co-chaired by Huntington music teachers Chelsea Jablon and Tara Adams
Mr. Stellato led Band Fest 2022 participants through a “march-off” with Xavion Greene, Brady Duke, Spencer Sturges, Jaipreet Singh and Sam Simon winning the contest.
“It was really fun to learn the different marching band commands,” Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School sixth grader Campbell Arthur said.
About 170 students in all participated in the day, including 30 high school helpers who signed up to work with the younger students.
Everyone found something to like about the day. “I liked going into separate rooms with just my instrument and being able to hang-out with my friends while playing music together,” Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School fifth grader Lucca Fiore said.
Participants really gave the day their all. “I loved the march-off,” Woodhull fifth grader Lindsay Gamez said.
Younger students quickly settled into the high school and made it their home. “My favorite part was practicing in the high school auditorium because it was a great experience playing with that many people at once and it sounded really cool,” Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School fifth grader Lauren Lewis said.
District band directors looked on with pride as they watched the high school musicians teaching the younger students not only skills, but tricks of the trade.
“I thought it was really great how we were able to learn the marching band moves and even memorize them in such a short amount of time,” Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School sixth grader Quinn Fehrenbacher said.
A mass rehearsal of the festival band saw high school musicians sitting among those in grades four through eight as the new pieces of music that were learned earlier in the day were performed.
“It was really cool listening to the older baritone players and seeing what their music looked like,” Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School fifth grader Christopher Granito said.
Excited parents, friends and family members turned out for the culminating performance. The district music teachers who made it all possible took delight in the turnout for this year’s Band Fest and in the efforts of the participants. The faculty members are so enthusiastic about the program they devoted nine hours of their Saturday and countless prior hours to assure the affair ran without a hitch.
It seems assured that there will be a 2023 edition of Band Fest next spring since interest continues to grow. Huntington teachers are happy to spend a Saturday with students who have displayed so much enthusiasm for music and their own growth as musicians.
