Abington Dominates Music In Motion Competition

The 44th Annual "Music In Motion" marching band competition was held on Saturday night at Upper Moreland High School, featuring a trio of local marching bands in addition to a pair of out-of-state competitors.

"The judges score them on musical talent, color guard, movement, and several other catagories," said Tom Winterberg, president of the .  "Those scores go into a regional database, and if the bands were to apply for a regional competition, the scores would help place them as to when they would be performing."

Competing at the event were marching bands from Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School, Abington High School, Elkton Park High School from Maryland, and Mount Pleasant High School from Delaware.

The Upper Moreland Middle School and participated, but only in an exhibition capacity.

Elkton High School began the competition with a swing-influenced set, wrapping up their performance with "Zoot Suit Riot" by the Cherry Poppin' Daddies.  Plymouth-Whitemarsh followed with a more modern set, featuring the musical stylings of Lady Gaga, Bob Dylan and Kesha.

Up third was Mount Pleasant, with a Oz-inspired set that included songs from "The Wizard of Oz," "The Wiz," and "Wicked," and Abington followed fourth with an incredible set filled with attitude and energy.

Upper Moreland finished off the show with an admirable performance that entertained and engaged the home-town crowd, but since its show was an exhibition, their scores were not announced nor were they considered in determining the recipients of any award.

Plymouth-Whitemarsh took home the Cunningham Memorial Trophy for "Best Overall Color Guard", but Abington High School was the biggest winner, taking home trophies for "Best Overall Music" "Best Overall Percussion" and "Highest Overall Score".

Winterberg said he was impressed by Abington's performance, though he added that Plymouth-Whitemarsh had also performed extremely well.

Overall, the event was deemed a success for both the students and the parents.

"We've got 101 volunteers out here tonight," said Winterberg.  "It goes to show you the level of dedication that not only the students have, but the parents as well."