The Hamilton West marching band members are considered performers moreso than competitors.
But when it’s performing in competitive situations, the Hornet band is pretty darn good.
Using a New York City/George Gershwin theme this year to perform at halftime of football games and also in their competitions, the Hornets won three events, took second in two others and finished third in the state championships.
“At competitions it changes,” senior drum major Anoop Singh said. “We definitely get into a very competitive mindset, as do other bands. It’s just the nature of it. At games we definitely have more fun with it.”
Singh, who is ranked No. 1 academically in Hamilton’s class of 2025, explained the difference.
“There definitely is a different vibe when you perform at a football game instead of a competition,” he said. “At competitions, everyone is there to see you perform, they generally respond better to certain things you put into the show. So that’s really nice to see that immediate feedback, people cheering or something like that.
“But with football games it’s really nice because you can just relax and enjoy it. You don’t have to stress as much about getting this one section right or getting this dance move right or anything like that.”
When they were being judged, the Hornets came through. Performing Rhapsody in Blue, a collection of popular and recognizable Gershwin songs, the band’s routine takes it from prop to prop that highlights Central Park, Times Square, Rockefeller Center and Central station.
“You’re trying to tell a story of New York City through the show,” director Peter Certo said.
The Hornets told it impressively enough to take first place in competitions at Shawnee, Hightstown and Robbinsville, second place at Steinert and Absegami, and third in the state championships at South Brunswick High School with a score of 89.9.
“That’s the second highest score ever achieved in West’s competition history,” proclaimed Georgia Reed, one of four directors that work with the band.
Certo, who was assistant director from 2009-17, has been band director since 2018 and oversees everything but the color guard. Virginia Diaz handles color guard “and does a wonderful job with that,” according to Certo. Davon Wheeler also oversees a lot, and handles the music inside while Certo is in charge of outdoor rehearsals. And Reed is in charge of the percussionists and all their routines.
They are responsible for not only teaching the music, but also making sure the band is in sync; especially at competitions.
“Marching bands are military-style bands,” Certo noted. “The military is all about perfection and precision and that’s where the marching band style comes from. When we go to competitions they’re judging on the way you play the music, but also things like your formations.
“They look at how accurate the formations are – are the kids on the right foot, everybody is supposed to be on the same foot. They look at the horn angles – are they up at the pressbox or are they towards the ground? And with facing, are your shoulders facing toward the pressbox, or are they facing down toward the endzone. They also judge the overall sense of the show. Does it make sense, can they understand what the show is about?”
The drum majors are charged with making sure everything is precise as they are the on-field directors. Singh, who will major in Music Education in college, is joined in that role by junior Ava Iorio, who also has a piccolo solo in the show.
“You work with the different sections, you make sure everyone is working together well and there are no conflicts,” said Singh, who also plays alto saxophone and sings during the performance. “If there are conflicts you have to resolve them, as well as teach the band to work through sections collectively.”
Certo pointed out that the drum majors “are critical in both teaching and drill, making sure everyone is in the right position. It can’t be done by just the staff. It takes student buy-in and it takes drum majors and captains. It really is a team effort to make sure newcomers step up.”
The band’s instrumentalists feature flutists Lindsay Baker and Ayanis Lopez; clarinetists Diana Gonzalez Lopez, Penelope Hrabar and Zakaria Khan; saxophonists George Agyrilrah, Victoria Baj, Gavin Linkowski, Jordan Moss, Jacynda Postell, Chloe Salles Acevedo, Riley Toth and Anthony Zuccarello; trumpet players Eddie Gonzalez Lopez, Christian Santiago Ordonez and Patton White; mellophonists Cooper Balog and Katie Coughi; trombonists Bailey Bonfanti Manion, Karen Contreras Vasquez, Brayden Hawk and Matthew Robbins; and tuba player Jackson Balog.
The percussionists are Raybel Angeles, Jonah Dixon, Justin Elias, Aiden Griep, Daveron Jallah, Erica Kovach, Molly Schick and Iremide Talabi.
Color guard members are Avanna Brown, Carter Cadlett, Daniella Debonis, Erin Furman, Adrian Lopez, Eleanor Povia, Benjamin Schafer and Kinsley Tylukti.
Preparation for the fall season began with six three-hour summer rehearsals, followed by two weeks of band camp that runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. five days per week. “That’s where the bulk of the learning happens,” Certo said. From there, practices are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 to 6 “kind of re-enforcing things and getting better. As the season progresses it becomes a more solid presentation and different physical effects can be added.”
In reflecting on the competition season, Singh was proudest of Hamilton’s effort at states, as fierce winds were blowing down props and making it tough for the color guard members to hold their flags. And yet the Hornets still forged their second best score of all time.
“That performance encapsulated our season,” Singh said. “The entire season we faced setbacks but we overcame them and worked toward facing adversity. People were having a hard time but we still focused and had a great show.”
Certo was particularly proud of the way his band met challenges.
“They found ways to do it,” he said. “That’s part of what I enjoyed about the season. It wasn’t one particular event or incident. But we’re at a competition and a kid doesn’t have a bass drum. Instead of falling apart, we made it happen. We don’t complain about the wind or whatever. We deal with it.”
Singh said he took on a new attitude this year. Rather than looking at a halftime show in one way and a competition as another, he takes the same approach to every show.
“My freshman year I treated it as different performances and that really got in my head,” he said. “But I learned that if I think of it all as one big performance it helps me focus a little more. So generally the championship competition is the same as a regular Friday night football game.”
And make no mistake, when the band is in attendance at West games, it is appreciated.
“It’s always nice in big parts of games to hear our band up there,” football coach Mike “The Meatball Master” Papero said. “They do a great job and have more of an effect than they relize. It’s always nice after a big play to hear them doing their thing.”
And they enjoy doing it.
“The kids love to perform,” Certo said. “They really get pumped up to do those football games.”
Singh added that, “Most of the time the players are locked into the game but every once in a while they’ll go ‘That was really great, we loved seeing you perform.’ There’s definitely a good camaraderie between the team and the band.”
Hamilton began entering band competitions in 2007. Like most schools, West’s numbers cratered after the Covid pandemic. But this year membership sprung from 27 to 42, and they were all serious about being there.
“I think the biggest thing that helped us progress this year was everyone’s dedication,” Singh said. “In years past Covid put a hindrance on the program and prevented a lot of growth. A lot of people had negative mindsets.
“But now I think we’re getting back to a more normal routine and a normal approach for the marching band. I think people are more dedicated. Even at rehearsal we put in the work and if we were tired it was like ‘Let’s keep pushing through, we’re almost done,’ and it would pay off. We also knew when to have fun and when to be serious. It was a good balance.”
They were serious enough to excel in competitions, which made it fun for everyone.
Hamilton High West band members with their trophy after winning the competition at Shawnee High School on Sept. 28, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Georgia Reed.),
