Maui High Band Hopes to Continue State Success

The drum section of the Maui High School marching band during a halftime exhibition in a second-round game against Baldwin High School. Photo by Rodney Yap.

By Rodney S. Yap

The Maui High School marching band and color guard returned to Oahu to defend the awards it swept last year at a festival of bands event in Mililani.

The Sabers were one of two schools to earn a superior rating and a AAA ranking at last year’s Kamehameha/Mililani Festival of Bands 2011.

Under the direction of band director Kerry Wasano, Maui High will test its skills against 13 other marching bands from across the state in Saturday’s 2012 Trojan Bandfest at Mililani’s John Kauinana Stadium. The event, hosted and organized by the Mililani High School Music Department, starts at 5 p.m and will be broadcast live on OC16.

Dave Vinton, Denby Dung and Fred Murphy from OC16 will provide insight to what goes into creating memorable performances on the field. If you miss the live broadcast, it will repeat at 11 p.m. and  replay Sunday at 11 a.m.

The Maui High marching band in front of of Dave & Buster in Honolulu on Thursday. Photo from Maui High School Facebook Page.

In 2011, Maui High was the only Maui County high school to participate in the competition last year this year. In 2010 and in 2007, Maui High also took top honors in their respective division in the Kamehameha Schools Tournament of Bands. Last year the two schools combined to host one festival.

Earning bragging rights as the best marching band and color guard in the state, among bands in the 73- to 120-student range. There also will be a smaller and a larger division in Saturday’s competition.

Students received the music for their performance in June and have been practicing their marching skills for the performance since July.

The students also met several times a week, including Saturdays, to practice.

At the Maui Interscholastic League Cheerleading Competition last Saturday in the Sabers’ gym, new Maui High principal Bruce Anderson was gleaming with pride when discussing the collective effort and hard work it takes to to get all the parts practicing and and sounding perfect. Anderson said the student’s commitment is reflected in the success of the band, which is attempting a three-peat.

The team left for Oahu on Thursday and was rewarded with a trip to Dave & Busters, where Wasano took a group picture of the 2012 team and later posted it on the Maui High School Band Facebook page.

Saturday’s 2012 Trojan Bandfest can be seen live on OC16 television Saturday, starting at 5 p.m. Photo by Rodney S. Yap.

Wasano describes the Maui High band on its Facebook page as: “All members of the Maui High School Band program play a vital role in maintaining our school pride and spirit, and also strive for excellence in musical performance through perseverance and dedication. Sacrifice-Reliance-Remember.”

The bands are evaluated in seven categories, the Sabers’ result from last year follows:

General effect, 1st Place

Visual performance (marching and maneuvering), 1st Place

Color guard, 1st Place

Music performance, 2nd Place

Drum major, 3rd Place

Percussion, 3rd Place