Marching Arts Festival Comes to Lindenhurst

Competition can teach a plethora of lessons, and the proved that when the school's marching band hosted several others from Long Island.

“Competitive marching band,” said Kevin Pike, “teaches young people about individual responsibility and teamwork. These are important life lessons.”

Not just important, but fun, according to Pike - who's in his tenth year as director of the LHS marching band - because they’re lessons learned in an activity that, when produced and directed with taste and sophistication, could result in a highly disciplined, aesthetically complex and emotionally rich experience.

Anyone missing that point didn’t see how amply it was demonstrated by the seven marching bands that recently took the field at the .

Participating on October 2 against Lindenhurst were bands from Division Avenue High School (Levittown); Sachem High School; Garden City High School; Copiague High School; Brentwood High School; and Arlington High School (upstate).

“Each band has it's own musical style; some play jazz, some classical, some broadway, some popular,” noted Sanford Sardo, assistant director of the Lindenhurst band and the announcer for the afternoon.

Lindenhurst Marching Band offered a Transcendent Journey, weaving movement, music and visual design into a tightly structured whole.

And the tone of the rest of the bands ranged from dreamy soundscapes, courtesy of Copiague’s rendition of An Enchanted Night to the fractious Conflict and No Resolution of Brentwood’s Green Machine Marching Band.

Garden City took its audience on an ascent to mountain height while Division mixed childhood dreams with reality. And Arlington offered up a program examining the complex issues of the post- generation.

Sardo likened the competition to the movie Bring It On, which was about a cheerleading squad that not only supports the school football team, but is also involved in a competitive circuit of its own.

“There are a number of marching bands in New York that, during September and October, compete against each other,“ he noted. “The championships are held in Syracuse at the end of October.

But while there was official judging going on and score sheets in every program, it was clear from the enthusiasm of the kids on the field and the people in the stands alike that they shared a common passion.

Puncutating that point was a spontaneous and joyful sports arena-style wave that swept through audience and band alike, as students awaited results of the competition (see below).

In fact, if you ever wondered the extent to which participation in a marching band could become a lifelong passion, you didn't have to look any farther than the program handed out at the competition.

From school staff to parents’ association members, welcoming comments in the program noted with pride the marching band credentials of their authors.

LHS Principal Dan Giordano pointed out that he was a former band director at Huntington and Division. Fine and Performing Arts coordinator Rose Marvel attested to the time and energy she put into the activity as a former marching band student.

And the last words on the note from Lindenhurst Band Parent Association President Marianne Meloro?

“Proud Lindenhurst Marching Band Alumnus.”

The Results 

Small School, Three
Division, First

Large School, Three
Sachem, First
Garden City, Second
Lindenhurst, Third

Large School, Two
Brentwood, First
Copiague, Second

National
Arlington, First

Editor’s Note: Share your photos and videos of the event to this article, or in this Lindy Lens gallery, or by e-mailing barbara.loehr@patch.com, and by logging onto Lindenhurst Patch's Facebook and Twitter pages. Not sure how to upload photos to Patch? Click for a quick visual tutorial.