The tradition of excellence continues for the Hamilton High School Band. For the ninth consecutive year, the Hawkeye Marching Band earned All 1’s and All A’s from every judge at the MSBOA Marching Band Festival at West Ottawa High School on Tuesday night.
Senior drum major Alyssa Bittner and junior drum major Ben Bosscher led the group through what they describe as one of their most challenging and rewarding performances yet.
“Last night at festival, we got all A’s on our marching. I believe that was one of our best performances yet,” Bosscher said proudly.
This year’s show pushed the band to new heights in both musical difficulty and marching precision. Bosscher explained that the program featured their hardest music yet while also incorporating complex formations — all while integrating a large freshman class into the mix.
“One of the big challenges this year is that this is our hardest marching show ever, both musically and technically,” Bittner said. “We have a fairly young band with a huge freshman class, and it’s been amazing to see how much progress we’ve made. Watching the freshmen step up, memorize the music, and master the marching has been incredible.”
For both drum majors, this year’s success is a reflection of the high standards that have long defined the Hamilton band program.
“When I came in as a freshman, I was shocked to see how high the standards were — getting ones at festival for both marching and concert band,” Bittner shared. “Now, as a drum major, it’s been an honor to lead this group and continue that tradition.”
She added that representing Hamilton on and off the field brings a deep sense of pride and purpose. “Our main goal this fall was to get all A’s at marching festival, which we just accomplished,” Bittner said. “Now, we’re turning our focus to concert band season, where we hope to earn the same success in the spring.”
With nine consecutive years of top honors, the Hamilton band program behind Mr. joe Herrick continues to set the bar high — not just for performance, but for teamwork, leadership, and excellence.
