The Hawthorne High School marching band won first place in Class 2A on Saturday, September 20, 2014, at the Tournament of Bands, with a score of 74.07. The band, directed by Keith Williams, also won Best Visuals and Best Music. The competition was hosted by Jefferson Township High School and was held at Skylands Stadium in Augusta, NJ.  This was a competition in which a circuit of bands from all over the country compete by region.

HHS band member and senior, Julia Zuckerberg, exclaimed, “We looked just as amazing as we sounded! Nothing felt better than having the whole stadium cheer after nailing a visual.” Senior Drum Major, Bridget Grenier, stated, “The first competition was both scary and exciting. We did great but we now know what we need to improve upon. It was an amazing experience and a nice warm-up for our other four competitions yet to come.”

The HHS competition program was entitled War and Peace. It featured songs from Game of Thrones, Pompeii, and Les Misérables.

Band Director Williams commented, “The marching band is having a great season.  The students have been working hard, and we are all excited about the show concept and the upcoming competitions.” The marching band certainly is off to an awesome start for this 2014-2015 year, and hopefully their victories will continue at the upcoming competitions at Ramsey High School on October 4, Governor Livingston on October 12, and North Caldwell State Championships on October 19. The band is also performing at the Wayne Hills High School festival on October 18.

In addition to Williams, the HHS band staff includes Assistant Band Director, Joseph Smolinski; Color Guard Instructor, Melissa Ferrigno; and Percussion Instructor John Piepoli.