For the third year in a row, the SPF Moonglowers took home first at the NJAJE State Championship.
This is the 12th state title in the band’s storied history. Vincent Turturiello, Music Supervisor and director of the Moonglowers, does not remember a time when the band did not finish in the top three. According to Turturiello, the consistent results were built on a solid foundation.
“Staffing is extremely important in this development, so when I became supervisor I was able to hire teachers that would all work for a common goal,” said Turturiello. “I guess it worked because our program ranks right up there with the top 5 in the state.”
The Moonglower’s success comes from the hard work of many Moonglower Bands in the past.
“To have a program develop like ours, takes time, maybe even years,” said Turturiello. “I can recall the program really starting to develop around 1988. The level of play improved and the students understood what it would take to have a championship program.”
In order to qualify, the band had to score in the top nine in the state in the preliminary competition, during which three judges scored the band. The criteria were band precision, intonation, technique, soloists, blend and balance, and repertoire.
The band grew very tight-knit during its competition season. Turturiello will be retiring after 37 years, he would like to leave the band with a few words.
“As I tell all my teams,we will start this year as a team, and if we are lucky enough we will become a family,” said Turturiello.
Watch the performance here.
