On Friday May 22nd, Leonardtown Band Held its annual Band Banquet. Although we could not gather together to celebrate the year, Mr. Martin notified the awards via this video.

The students who were recognized are but a small fraction of the entire LHS Band Program who have gone above and beyond to help themselves and their peers attain their maximum potential. Below are the list of award recipients.

The Pit Band Award is presented to those students who participated as part of this year’s Spring musical; recipients include:

Julia Marino	Alexandra Kelly
Zachary Cerenzia	Katherine Cox
Alexis Paul	Annilee Hampton
Jessica Flores	Brandon Little
Tommy Coleman	Gracelyn Moore
Hannah Bowers	Israel Cheatham
Kamea Somerville	Kenny Shelley
Sydney Bokenhagen	Tianna Fallon
Jannik Unger	Selene Shaffer
Jessica Reider	Isabel Shim
Maria Webster	Biz Lynch
Alani Pranzo	Ben Alvey
Ben Hertzbach

The Outstanding Marching Award is presented to those students who in addition to excellent marching technique, are positive and act responsibly, respectfully, and professionally as members of the Leonardtown High School Marching Band; recipients include:

Julia Marino	Alexandra Kelly
Zachary Cerenzia	Katherine Cox
Alexis Paul	Annilee Hampton
Jessica Flores	Brandon Little
Tommy Coleman	Gracelyn Moore
Hannah Bowers	Israel Cheatham
Kamea Somerville	Kenny Shelley
Sydney Bokenhagen	Tianna Fallon
Jannik Unger	Selene Shaffer
Jessica Reider	Isabel Shim
Maria Webster	Biz Lynch
Alani Pranzo	Ben Alvey
Ben Hertzbach	Blank

The Most Improved Marching Award is presented to one wind or percussion student and one color guard student who have demonstrated significant growth since the start of the 2019 competitive Marching Band season; recipients include:
Kaliyah Hebb & Israel Cheatham

The Most Outstanding Marching Award is presented to one wind or percussion student and one color guard student who have met and exceeded expectations as members of the 2019 Leonardtown High School Marching Band; recipients include:
Michaela Riedel & Alexandra Kelly

The Most Improved Band Award is presented to one female student and one male student in grades 9-11 who have demonstrated significant growth since the start of the 2019-2020 school year; recipients include:
Freshmen Nicole Capece & Will Cassetta
Sophomores Lexi Kanakis & Mac Bailey
Juniors Kamea Somerville & Ayden Magda

The Most Outstanding Band Award is presented to one female student and one male student in grades 9-11 who have met and exceeded expectations as members of the 2019-2020 Leonardtown High School Band Program; recipients include:
Freshmen Addie McKay & Jeremiah Smith
Sophomores Elleigh Heck & Brandon Little
Juniors Fiona Tuemler & Rowan McConvey

The Most Improved Senior Band Award is presented to a student who has demonstrated significant growth since the start of the 2019-2020 school year. This year, the Most Improved Senior Band Award goes to a student who not only encourages my excessive dabbing but also pushes herself to be the best musician and young adult that she can be. Congratulations to Ms. Annilee Hampton.

The Most Outstanding Senior Band Award is presented to a student who has met and exceeded expectations as a member of the 2019-2020 Leonardtown High School Band Program. This year, the Most Outstanding Senior Band Award goes to a student whose quirkiness and positive attitude matches that of her confidence as an instrumentalist in at least three of my ensembles. Congratulations to Ms. Sarah Pierce.

The Outstanding Musicianship Award is presented to a student who day-in and day-out is committed to bettering him/herself as an artist, often going above and beyond to ensure that his/her music is exactly as we’ve rehearsed it. Congratulations to Ms. Julia Marino.

The Most Outstanding Instrumentalist Award is presented to a student who excels on his/her primary instrument. In some cases, this student may opt to learn a new instrument so as to become the epitome of a well-rounded musician. This year, the Outstanding Instrumentalist Award goes to a student who with every rehearsal and little bit of downtime she had, demonstrated significant improvement and a consistent awareness of how to play her instruments musically. Congratulations to Ms. Katie Lange.

The Patrick S. Gilmore Band Award is presented to up to two students whose achievements and commitment to the Leonardtown High School Band Program are to be commended. These students are involved, sometimes participating in up to three or four ensembles, and set high expectations for themselves and their peers. This year, the Patrick S. Gilmore Band Awards go to two students who practice day-in and day-out and seize every opportunity to play their instruments. Congratulations to Ms. Hannah Bowers and Ms. Gabby Blew.

The Director’s Award for Band is presented to up to two students for their outstanding service to the Leonardtown High School Band Program. These individuals go above and beyond their responsibilities as students in the ensemble classroom, even going so far as to volunteer their time and extend a helping hand both before and after the day is done. This year, the Director’s Award for Band goes to two students whose mutual respect for one another and everyone around them has set and continues to set the example for those who follow in their footsteps. Congratulations to Ms. Sydney Bokenhagen and Ms. Alexis Paul.

The Louis Armstrong Jazz Award is presented to a student for their achievements in the Jazz Ensemble. Individuals receiving this award are versatile in the way they play various styles of music and demonstrate a genuine interest in the genre as a whole. This year, the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award goes to a student whose ability to improvise and confidence as a well-rounded performer is a force to be reckoned with. Congratulations to Mr. Kenny Shelley.

Each year, the Semper Fidelis Award is presented to a student who displays traits that the Marine Corps considers essential to being a good leader: endurance, knowledge, unselfishness, dependability, enthusiasm and loyalty. Award recipients do not have to be the most outstanding musicians, but rather a student whose leadership qualities have contributed to the success of the band program. The Semper Fidelis Award for Musical Excellence is presented by the United States Marines Youth Foundation Inc. and the Marine Corps League in recognition of diligence, dedication and musical excellence as a performing high school bandsman and soloist. It gives me great pleasure to award this year’s Semper Fidelis Award for Musical Excellence to Ms. Maria Webster.

The John Philip Sousa Band Award is presented to a student who possesses superior musicianship and outstanding dedication. Candidates continually hold themselves accountable for the work they accomplish, involve themselves in several ensembles that comprise an entire program, and assume the role of a leader, often times setting the example for their peers in each aspect of the music-making experience. This year, the John Philip Sousa Band Award goes to a student who has grown so much since their freshman year, having learned a new instrument that same year and earning the respect of their peers as a now-leader of the Leonardtown High School Marching Band. Congratulations to Ms. Biz Lynch.

2020-2021 Marching Band Leadership Announcements

This year, a whopping 20 candidates auditioned to become a leader of the Leonardtown High School Marching Raiders, and to say that these students made the decision difficult is simply an understatement, especially since they all are equally qualified and exhibit significant potential as prospective leaders. So, without further ado, here are the results of this year’s leadership auditions.

Our Color Guard Captains for the 2020 competitive Marching Band season are/For the position of Color Guard Captain, we have Presley Robinson and Jane McKay.

The Front Ensemble Section Leader for the 2020 competitive Marching Band season is/For the position of Front Ensemble Section Leader, we have Cheyenne Battaglia.

The Drum Captain for the 2020 competitive Marching Band season is/For the position of Drum Captain, we have Alani Pranzo.

Our Brass Section Leaders for the 2020 competitive Marching Band season are/For the position of Brass Section Leader, we have Elleigh Heck and Bobby Coleman.

Our Woodwind Section Leaders for the 2020 competitive Marching Band season are/For the position of Woodwind Section Leader, we have Ayden Magda and Brandon Little.

The Drum Major for the 2020 competitive Marching Band season is/For the position of Drum Major, we have Alexandra Kelly.

Congratulations to all.

Website: http://leonardtownband.org
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