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Photo by Sam Yu
The Frederick High School Marching Band was one of nine bands to perform Monday night during the Frederick County Public Schools Marching Band Festival at Middletown High School. |
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Middletown -- High school students marched up and down the football field Monday night, but the points they scored weren't touchdowns. Nine high school bands in Frederick County participated in the annual Marching Band Festival, hosted by Middletown High School and held at its field for the first time, said Cyndy Zolfo, Middletown High School Band Booster public relations coordinator. Zolfo said the festival is more than a decade old. Every band on the field would receive recognition awards by the end of the evening along with a rating by a panel of judges, said Celeste Denier, Middletown High School Band Booster treasurer. The bands were rated for visual performance and effect, music performance and effect, drum lines and color guards, said Matt Shearer, Middletown High School's band director. The first band to perform was Tuscarora High School, opening with an arrangement by Johann Sebastian Bach. Purple flags whirled in the air toward the end of the first piece. David Franceschina, Tuscarora High School's band director, clapped from his seat in the bleachers. The band swung into another set with a new ensemble of color. Tuscarora senior Alana Gondeck directed the band from a podium near the sidelines. "She does the coordination for the show," Franceschina said. "One of the band's strengths is taking classical music and making it enjoyable in a halftime football setting." He clapped again at the end of the band's performance. Tuscarora High School parent Rebecca Marrone said she played saxophone for the high school band back in the '80s. "I enjoy watching my son," she said. Next up was Gov. Thomas Johnson High School. The band focused on the 1980 Winter Olympics, said Sharon Zearfoss, the band's pit instructor. The second part included pop songs from the '80s. The last band took the field around 8 p.m., said Pam Harris, Middletown High School band booster president. Shepherd University's RAM Band would play next, and then the participation trophies would be given out, she said.
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