HOWELL – Despite the rainy weather, the Marching Rebels of Howell High School won 1st Place in Music Ensemble at a competition in MetLife Stadium.
Bands from all over the tri-state area came out to compete in the Ludwig-Musser Classic hosted by USBands.
The show includes a combination of musical, visual, and theatrical elements, typically based around a specific theme.
“I look to put this on our schedule every year. I’ve been here for 22 years and we’ve done it every year I’ve been here,” Marching Rebels Band Director Anthony Limaldi said.
The competition consists of many different categories and bands are separated by group sizes. The Marching Rebels have 60 students, putting them in Group 3.
Judges determine the scores based on a rubric and list of criteria. The first five awards are participation awards, Limaldi said.
“There are also many different categories for color guard or percussion, and more,” Limaldi said. “Out of the 11 bands who performed, we scored first in Music Ensemble. The judges thought we sounded the best as an ensemble out of all the bands.”
This year, the Howell Rebels’ theme is “Jersey Boys” which features songs from New Jersey artists like Bon Jovi, Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, Bruce Springsteen, as well as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.
“I had this in my mind for years,” Limaldi said. “We have five different songs we put together this year.”
Limaldi explained how the group starts preparing for the marching band season in August and could last as far as November.
“We start preparing for the season in August. I start with a rookie camp the first couple of days, then I call it a leadership camp the last two weeks of August where we learn the drill and the music, teach the new students how to march. My color guard advisor choreographs the routine. We always look to add to it. We add visuals, music effects, and we try to make it sharp,” Limaldi said. “Once we select our theme, we perform it at every halftime. But we always add to it and make it better and cleaner.”
The Marching Rebels had their final competition on October 28. They finished their competition season winning 4th place in their division at the US Bands NJ State Championships with a score of 85.8.
“I never lose sight of the fact that these students give up their summer early to be a part of this,” Limaldi said. “The kids that do this are the kids that really want to do this and you got to love having that, where kids are enthusiastic about wanting to improve and wanting to be a part of something.”
