Sabers band captures 2nd place at festival

By LEE IMADA, News Editor

KAHULUI – The Maui High School Band took the Mililani High School Trojan Bandfest by storm, rolling to a second-place finish in its division in the marching band competition.

The 81 musicians, drum majors and color guard took to the field at Mililani and performed for the judges their 10-minute show titled “Into the Storm: Music from Stephen Mellilo’s Stormworks,” arranged by Maui High Band Director Kerry Wasano.

The routine incorporated circles and “a lot of storm-type stuff,” said the band director. “It was turbulent.”

In its signature drum and bugle corps style, the band “rolled” through its performance at the Mililani competition Saturday and at the exhibition at the University of Hawaii Rainbow Invitational Marching Festival at Aloha Stadium on Thursday.

The band’s style is “real smooth; not step-step-step kind of marching,” said Wasano. “The feet roll when we march. It requires a lot of control.”

The Saber band earned a “superior” rating, scoring 164.1 out of 200 possible points. That put Maui High second in the Double A division with bands of 61 to 100 members, the middle of three divisions. The Sabers finished behind Kalani High School of Oahu. The other bands in their division were Kapolei, Iolani, Farrington and Roosevelt high schools.

In the individual judging categories, the Saber band was first in its division in marching and maneuvering, second in general effect and third in music execution or musicianship.

The concert music by Mellilo had to be arranged for marching band, so Wasano contacted the composer and got his permission. The score changes were meant to ease up on the flute lines, which were “pretty taxing,” and simplify the score to play to the band’s strengths and weaknesses, he said.

Wasano designed the field routine with percussion lines written by Ryan Howe, a 1998 alumnus and graduate assistant with the the University of Hawaii Band. Dayle Hanta was the color guard instructor.

With a nucleus of 11 hardworking and committed seniors and the addition of 30 marchers, Wasano decided it was a good time to return to competition and take his band to Oahu. The Maui High Band took competition trips to Oahu in 2001 and 2002, also finishing second at both events, he said.

“This senior group to me was one of the hardest working groups of seniors I’ve had,” said Wasano. “They are all leaders. I felt they deserved a chance to go on the trip.”

They’d been practicing three hours, three times a week on a little field on the Lono Avenue side of the campus. The show was unveiled at the school’s homecoming Oct. 27 at War Memorial Stadium.

“These kids were really dedicated,” the bandmaster said. “These kids stuck it out to the end. They really wanted to prove that Maui is not just a Neighbor Island. They were hungry to prove something.”

After those long practices, many of the marchers were probably just plain hungry.

“The conception is that nonathletes are in band, but we stretch out, run. . . . Many of them lost plenty weight,” said Wasano. “They are in shape. It is a physical activity these days.”

Lee Imada can be reached at leeimada@mauinews.com.