Marching Band

Congratulations to the MHS Marching Band - 16th straight State of Illinois Class 2A Championship, Finalists of the 2018 Bands of America St. Louis Super Regional, Semifinalists of 2021 Grand National Championships, 4th in the Nation Class AA, and the 2017 Sudler Shield Award!

 

Marching Band at MHS meets during the school day and also rehearses outside of school.  Brass and woodwind students in this ensemble must be enrolled in the 5th hour marching band class. Percussion and color guard members must be enrolled in Marching Band Percussion and Guard. Auditions for the ensemble are held in the spring. Weekly full and sectional rehearsals begin in July, with a pre-band camp and a week of camp at MHS occurring at the end of July.  

For the duration of the season after camp, the band meets for full rehearsals on Tuesday nights, with Thursday full ensemble and sectionals on Mondays after school.  The band performs at all home football games and travels to marching band competitions on Saturdays throughout the fall, generally ending its season with a trip to a Bands of America competition in Indianapolis or another location.  The competitive field show that the band rehearses and performs is a unique artistic endeavor for our students: a fusion of music, visual arts, and movement.  Students enrolled in the Marching Band and Marching Tech classes are exempt from Physical Education classes for the first semester.

The MHS Marching Band has been the Class 2A Illinois State Champion for 16 years in a row, has been a finalist at numerous Bands of America Regionals and Super Regionals, and has advanced to the Bands of America Grand Championship Semifinals multiple times, placing 4th in the nation for Class AA in 2018.  In 2012, the band won the Bands of America St. Louis Super Regional Class AA Championship.  The group also performed in the 56th Presidential Inaugural Parade in Washington D.C. and in 2017 was awarded the Sudler Shield (the highest international award for a marching band). The group is under the direction of Craig Hatter and Katrina Fitzpatrick. Marching staff includes John Gonzalez (Assistant Director); Katrina Fitzpatrick (woodwinds); Craig Fitzpatrick (brass); Bob Hornsby (drums): Brian Spicklemire (front ensemble); and Sara Gray (color guard).