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North Branford-East Haven HS Co-Op Band Wins State, New England Championships

On Saturday, Oct. 28, the East Haven High School /North Branford High School (EHHS/NBHS) Co-op Marching Band won the titles of USBands Connecticut State Champions and New England Champions, after the group traveled to Veterans Memorial Stadium in New Britain to compete in USBands New England States Championships.

The EHHS/NBHS Co-op Marching Band won first place at the competition to earn the two championship titles. The band received their highest score of the season, 91.725, and captured awards for Best Music, Best Visual, Best Percussion, and Best Color Guard, according to a press release from NBHS.

The largest sanctioning body for scholastic music competitions in the United States, USBands serves as a competitive circuit for scholastic band programs nationwide and prides itself in providing world-class performance venues and the best adjudication in the marching arts to tens of thousands of students each year, according to information from USBands. USBands is a program of Youth Education in the Arts (YEA!) a non-profit organization based in Allentown, PA. It's programs allow thousands of talented performers to participate in pageantry events nationwide, according to the YEA! website, which can be viewed here.

The EHHS/NBHS cooperative program, established in 2015, brings in a small group of NBHS musicians to compete annually as part of the EHHS/NBHS Co-Op Marching Band. NBHS Band Director Katie Trainer is the EHHS/NBHS Co-Op Marching Band Woodwinds Instructor. Band leadership also includes Band Director Matt Laudano, Pit Instructors Matt Torcellini and Sean Griffin, Color Guard Instructor Mary-Ann Bucci and Marching and Brass Instructor Tyler Miller.