Marching Band: We're Not Done Improving

Hopatcong High School's marching band proved itself to the Board of Education in 2010, fielding a large squad despite . The result: on the school budget in June.

But its members feel they still have something to prove

"It took a lot of hard work last year to get this funding back," senior mallots player Mike Sickles said. "Now that we have it we have to go even further to keep that. It's one thing to get it, it's a whole other thing to keep it."

Senior drum major Steven Munoz agreed.

"Our numbers are increasing," he said. "We're a growing band. We need to show them we're not the same band from five years ago when 16 people were on the field."

The marching band will field more than 40 students this fall, and its expects its numbers to stay strong. Band director Matt Testa, in his second year, said students from ninth to seventh grade make up about 60 percent of the band.

Testa, who ran the band for free last year, will have his $4,000 stipend paid by the school board. Other changes: the band will perform at two competitions and will travel to away games.

Sickles said the extra scheduling adds excitement for the band, which plans a Harry Potter theme for the fall.

"Away games allow us to share our work with a different audience," he said. "Last year when we played home games they were still just as fun. But we were playing to the same audience every week. But this time we get to not only play to a different audience, but to different bands, too. It's always cool to go to away games and see what other bands play."

Testa said the competitions and away games will help keep the marching band sharp. "This fall will be a little more immersive than something that just happens a few times and then we put it in the closet until next year," he said.

But Testa said while the band will certainly enjoy the added work, he wants its member to focus on improving.

"We're looking for all the students to put energy and effort into becoming better than they were the year before," he said. "We're getting down the fundamentals. The goals we set for them will be achievable so we have members that are going to be with us possibly for six years."

Testa also believed the band has plenty left to prove.

"As a band, we're validated in a number of ways," he said. "By the quality of our music. By the sizes of our audience. And just our acceptance here as a musical community. So this year we made a lot of commitments as to what we're going to accomplish. And those lofty goals encouraged the school board to fund us. So we want to at least meet those expectations."