On Saturday, November 4th, the Middletown South Screaming Eagle Marching Band took part in a new and exciting event: A state marching band competition. Never before has Middletown South hosted a marching band competition, so the news that our school would be hosting States took most members by surprise. States is a competition in which different bands from all around the state compete in finals for their divisions. This competition is very important for bands and each strive to place and ideally win.

Although the Screaming Eagles Marching Band did not place for their division, the band and its Color Guard had an overall successful season. The band even placed first with all captions in one of their competitions.

One marching band member, Emily Buonocore, describes the opportunity to have States at South as great, saying, “It was surreal seeing all the bands practicing at our school and on our turf.” The senior, who was co-captain of the clarinet section this year, is hopeful that if more competitions are held at South, it will spark interest for new members to join the band. Similarly, sophomore Courtney Dunsmuir, who plays on drumline, feels that it was “…a really cool experience to be able to compete on our own field and have a lot of pride in what we put out.”

Buonocore, along with her fellow instrumentalists, feels a deep connection to the marching band and concert band as a whole. She states that, “I will forever be grateful to Mr. Raguseo [the band director] and the other band students. They have helped shape me as a musician and as a person. If I didn’t have them, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. The band room is my home and I look at the people in it as my family.” It is fair to say that hosting States at South was a perfect way for the senior band members to end their final season. Hopefully, Middletown South’s marching band will have the opportunity to continue hosting more competitions in the future.