Montville High School’s marching band has officially broken in the school’s new athletic field, hosting nine area high school bands at the 17th annual Marching Madness Band Festival.
The competition on Saturday night, Nov. 1, drew schools from as far away as Cranston, R.I., to neighboring rivals Fitch High of Groton and New London High School.
The schools vied to for top honors in their class, based on school size, and Montville School District schools got to strut their stuff as hosts.
The show began with a performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by members of the MHS Marching Band, Concert Band, and Tyl Middle School Concert Band.
Montville High also got to close out the night with its 2008 field show, set to music from the Batman series, plus original music by the band’s percussion instructor, Ned Smith, and a ninja fight between members of the color guard and percussion sections.
The field show has been a hit with audiences, said MHS Music Director Ashley Crawford. She rated the band’s performance Saturday night as the best of the season. The large and enthusiastic group of band alumni who led the band onto the field may have been a factor, she said.
Behind every successful high school marching band is the Booster Club of parents, family members, and fans, who do a lot of the behind-the-scenes grunt work as well as figure out ways to raise money for band trips and performances.
Crawford credited the MHS Music Boosters for putting in countless hours preparing for and running the show. Selina Moriarty is Booster president this year.
The Marching Madness marked the end of the bands’ competition season. Top honors went to Putnam in Class 1, Fitch in Class 2, and Rockville and Cranston East in Class 3, according to Crawford.
Fans can catch the next Montville High Marching Band performance at the Senior Night Football game on Nov. 14 and the Thanksgiving game on Nov. 26. The band also will march in the Montville Holiday Parade on Sunday, Dec. 7.
By Suzanne Thompson
Special to the Times