By Kelikoaelakauikekai Gongob

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The MHS Marching Band competed in Kamehameha School’s 39th Annual Tournament of the Bands on Oct. 31 at Kunuiakea Stadium. They performed a three-part piece titled “Pandora’s Box” that won them four first-place awards, and they eventually took first in the tournament against nine other schools from across the state.

“I’m really proud of what we accomplished here,” said Junior Madison Anzai, an alto saxophonist.

The MHS Marching Band placed first within the AAA category, the highest of the three categories in which they can place, judged by Music Execution, Visual Artistry, General Effect and Overall Performance. They received a festival rating of Excellent, which was already ensured by all of their previous awards. “It was hard, we had been preparing for this event for the past three months, but it looks like all that work paid off,” stated Junior Jessica Watarai of the color guard.

“Pandora’s Box” was a result of the hard work and talent of the MHS Marching Band and Color Guard, pushing them once more to their limits and beyond with body movement and acrobatic stunts, adding to the already difficult task of playing their instruments. “Compared to the last two performances ‘Joan of Arc’ and ‘Uprising,’ I feel that this had the most movement and technique involved,” said Anzai.

The Tournament of Bands and the marching band’s success serves as a confidence booster as they prepare to leave for Indianapolis to become the first marching band from Hawai’i to participate in the Bands of America Grand National competition. “I feel like the pressure is on us to perform well, since we’re the first. Maybe the other bands here (in Hawaii) are looking for us to set a standard,” Watarai said.

However, just as many students feel positive about how they’ll perform. “We’ve been practicing ‘Pandora’s Box’ since summer. I feel like we’re prepared and I’m confident that if we keep on going how we’ve been going, that we can do well, because after all we can only get better over time,” said Junior Caden Morishige, an alto saxophonist.

Under the guidance of Marching Band Director Derek Kaapana and with the help of the MHS Music Boosters, the MHS Marching Band and Color Guard are currently on their trip to the Bands of America competition in Indiana. They left on Nov. 9 and will return on Nov. 19, hoping to continue their success streak following the Kamehameha Tournament of Bands.