Band director Mr. Nicholas Pignataro, better known as Mr. P, said this was a season he didn’t want to end. With new changes implemented and goals for the future, he hopes the band will only move forward.
November 8, 2024, was the last day of the Panther marching band season, with a loss against Garnet Valley ending the football playoff run.
As the twelfth player in the team, many band students had an emotional response to this loss. But some, specifically Pignataro, saw it as a learning experience.
“I think we learned a lot from this year,” Pignataro said. “This was the loudest the band has ever seen, the most difficult drill, the most difficult routine, and I think it looked the best I’ve ever seen.”
Pignataro and other staff involved with the band, including assistant band director Mrs. Hayley Lombard, drumline instructor Mr. Gusten Rudolph, pit instructor Mr. Richard Michael, band front director and dance line instructor Mrs. Valerie Szeliga, and dance team instructors Ms. Regina Iannello and Ms. Rosemary Iannello, worked together to make some big calls for the season, including performing four shows at halftime instead of five.
Students expressed that this slight change took a weight off their shoulders and allowed them to focus on their routines.
With this change, the band could add four new stand songs, including “Hot to Go,” and play “Thriller” during the Halloween parade.
“My favorite part of the season was standing in the front during stand dances,” junior Makayla Davis said. “But I’m definitely going to miss standing with the seniors in the stands. They made this season unforgettable.”
Davis is on dance team and can’t wait to continue into her senior year. She hopes for an increase in communication next year.
The band marched in the Veterans Day and Halloween parades, participated in a breast cancer awareness organization fundraiser, and many others outside of just football games.
“BILB [boy I love band] for life,” senior Lucy Hewitt said. “The band built relationships for me, and while band camp was horrible, it seems pretty okay now.”
As the ends, the Strath Haven music department continues to flourish with multiple ensembles to join, leadership interviews, auditions, and tryouts are coming faster than it seems.
“Every week was really good,” Pignataro said. “I really liked the band this year, by that, I mean the students in this band. I just wasn’t ready for it to end.”
DISCLAIMER: Reporter is in marching band.
