"Inside the Box"
Featuring: - Main Titles from "Signs" by James Newton Howard
- Der Traum des Oenghus by Rolf Rudin
There are two performing ensembles that make up the instrumental day program of the high school: Concert Band and Wind Ensemble. Both classes meet for 40 minutes per day throughout the school year and perform a variety of repertoire. The Concert Band tends to be the larger of the two and is open to anyone who would like to be in the band program. The Wind Ensemble is a select group with participation based upon the recommendation of the band director. There is a pull-out lesson component associated with each ensemble, and all students receive one lesson per week on their particular instrument. Each group performs three to four times per year.
The Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School Jazz Band meets once a week between November and June. It is an extra-curricular ensemble, and performs a variety of repertoire ranging from Blues, Big Band, Funk, Fusion, and everything in between. Instrumentation is limited to that of a traditional jazz ensemble. This group performs four to five times per year.
The Marching Band is the most public performing instrumental group from Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School, often performing between fifteen and twenty times per school year. The marching band is made up of students primarily in grades 9-12, with a few middle school students participating each year. Any student interested in performing in the marching band is welcomed, and there are no cuts. Students may participate in the woodwind section, brass section, pit percussion section, drumline, and colorguard. This is the most rigorous instrumental activity at the high school, with nearly 50 rehearsals between July and October. The band is a member of the New York State Field Band Conference, and competes yearly at the NYSFBC Championship Show at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, NY.
Beginning in February, the marching band percussion staff works with students from the high school and middle school to develop the necessary skills needed for the marching season. This group meets once a week between February and May.
The colorguard is an integral component to the marching band program. While the musicians are able to portray the show through their instruments, the colorguard tells a story through dance and movement. The members of the colorguard work with various equipment, including flags, sabres, and rifles.
Much like the drumline, the winterguard uses the winter months to continue developing and learning skills necessary for the marching band season. Each year, there are competitive winterguard circuits that host competitions between February and April. Each winterguard learns a show, along the same lines of a marching band, but with a recording rather than live instruments, and performs in school gymnasiums. The winterguard meets during the winter, and follows a similar rehearsal schedule to that of the marching band.