This year marks our very own Abington ‘Champions’ marching band’s second year of competition in the Regional 1A group. The band is commonly known for their music at the home football games, various town parades, or even by their short performances around Memorial Day. However, those are not the only things they do during the height of their active season, they also compete in US Bands’ marching band competitions. Last year the ‘Champions’ became Regional 1A state champions for their work on their show ‘Outlaws’. The show followed the band as they became cowboys in the west through an amazing display of music, dance, and movement. This year in their 2025 season the ‘Champions’ compete again, this time with their new show ‘Becoming’.
As of October 9th, the ‘Champions’ have competed in three out of six competitions in their 2025 competitive season. These three competitions being Bridgewater-Raynham (as part of US Bands), UMass Amherst (as part of their New England Invitational with US Bands), and B.M.C Durfee (as part of US Bands).
Last week the ‘Champions’ came in first place with a score of 76.0 out of 100 at B.M.C Durfee. This is a strong halfway point for the band as they continue throughout the season, as they even outscored bands in higher divisions than them!
But of course this leaves us to wonder, what exactly does this all mean? What do bands do in a marching competition? Well to start off, a marching competition is when marching bands sorted into various divisions gather in an area and perform their shows to be adjudicated by a variety of judges, to then be graded.
Firstly, marching divisions have been brought up time and time again in this article. So what exactly is a division, and why are bands sorted into these? A marching division, just like sports divisions, are the groups bands are sorted into in order to compete. For instance, this year the ‘Champions’ are in Regional 1A, so they will only compete with other bands in that division. Divisions are mostly determined by either the size of the band itself, or the size of the school that the band is from. In addition to divisions, some organizations (like US Bands) sorts bands into Skill-based classes along with divisions. The ‘Champion’s partake in US Band’s competitions, so let’s talk about their four skill-based classes and division requirements.
First there’s Open Class, seasoned ensembles that show intermediate to advanced skills and expanded skill sets. Then there’s A Class, they are ensembles who have a fundamental to intermediate skill set. Next there’s Regional A Class, they are ensembles that show a basic to fundamental skill set. It is possible that bands in this class are building or rebuilding their show program. Lastly there’s performance class, they do not compete and instead are evaluated on a scale of superior to fair (with some in-betweens). It is important to note that unlike other classes, the performance class does not get numbered scores. US Bands decide their divisions by the number of performers in a band. Group I has anywhere from 1 to 39 performers, Group II is 40-59, Group III is 60-74, Group IV is 45-99, and lastly Group V is 100+ performers. Fun fact, most competing marching bands are in Group I and Group II !
As established before, in competitions bands will perform a show for the judges to rate, but what goes into a show and how do they get judged? I asked this question to the ‘Champions’ director Mr. Leonelli, who was more than happy to share his perspective as not just a director, but an adjudicator himself. “The other three main categories, there is the visual categories, which is the marching, the drill maneuvers, color guard. There is a music category, which means how players are making music with a judge on the field level. And then one upstairs in the press box and a percussion judge in the press box as well. And then the last one, which is probably the most important and the most points you can get, which are the effect categories, which is the music effect and visual effect. How does the show work? Is it exciting? Is it engaging? Is it telling a story? Is it paced well?”. But of course when it comes to judging as Mr. Leonelli notes “…really, judging is so subjective”.
What does all of this mean for the band? Why compete to be judged by someone’s subjective idea of what the band’s show should be? Well there’s the community the band has and makes while they work and practice but there’s another reason according to Mr. Leonelli, “…our [the band’s] job is to just make something that as many people as possible understand what we do and will be excited. And the score is one from zero. And our job is to get as close to as 100 as possible.”. Additionally there is an amazing sense of pride that comes with scoring well and enjoying the feeling of putting on a show. This sentiment is not only echoed by the ‘Champion’ but Mr. Leonelli as well “Last year, we were pretty close with an, I forget the score, it was an 89-something. And this year, we hope to keep getting past that!”
For this article I wanted a fun way for those who are unaware of the Abington ‘Champions’ marching band and their accomplishments to gain insight into the band. To do this, I was fortunate enough to be able to interview the band’s director Mr. Leonelli and Drum Major, Gregory Fish. For this interview, I asked questions based around the band and their progress, along with Mr. Leonelli and Fish’s thoughts on the band.
Moss Michelangelo-Umile: What is your role in the band, how does it work?
Mr. Leonelli: So I am the Director of Music here in the Abington Public Schools. I’m in charge of all things music-related K through 12. I direct the historic Abington “Champions” Marching Band, the Abington High School Concert Band, the AMS 7-8 Band, and the AMS 5-6 Band. In my role, I lead students in making music, overcoming challenges, and to work well with others! Leading the Marching Band is a team effort – and our work would not be where we are without the support of our Central Office and AHS/AMS administration teams, our Athletic Director, Pete Serino, Football coaches and Football game-day operation staff, facilities staff, our bus driver Judy Durant, our instructional staff Mr. Brian Mazzoli, our volunteer Color Guard Coach Ms. Hernandez, The Abington Music Parents, and our supportive School Committee, parents, guardians, fans and alumni. Leading the “Champions” is incredibly hard to do by yourself, and what makes it special here in Abington is the willingness and support of others to allow this ensemble to grow!
Gregory Fish: I am the Drum Major for the “Champions,” and I’ve been conducting for two years now with the group. My responsibilities are to keep time and conduct the band during practice and performances, along with ensuring everyone feels safe and comfortable in the marching band environment!
Michelangelo-Umile: How do you feel about the competition season so far?
Leonelli: So far, so good! This is our fourth year going to USBands’ competitions. Our first year, we only did two competitions and a 45-second show with six drill formations(!) – then, we played our fight song “Yea Green!” . Fast forward to last year, we earned 1st place in the USBands Regional A Group 1 Massachusetts State Championships! This year we are aiming to earn a two-peat! The competition so far has been great. We’ve been well-received by fans, adjudicators, celebrated by peers. We were one-tenth(.1)! shy of beating our competitor a few weeks ago, and we are aiming to outscore them by the end of the year!
Fish: I feel really proud of all the work that the band has done this year. Competitions are, as one would expect, competitive, and we practice for several hours a week to try and perfect our craft. We are aiming for higher scores and better notes from the judges this season, and I think we are doing very well with that thus far.
Michelangelo-Umile: How do you feel about this year’s show, Becoming?
Leonelli: The show “Becoming…” came to being sometime in mid-October, when we were in the middle of the competition season. It hit me, it’s like, “man…we really need to kind of do a show about what we are, and where we are in terms of progressing as a marching ensemble and not just a unit, but also as individuals and as people.” And so the show is really as simple as becoming a Marching Band. However, interpersonally and emotionally, it’s becoming our best selves. And it’s such a fun show to watch. And the performers are doing wonderful work each day, bringing it to life. And they’re going to be doing better and better until their final show on November 1st at the U.S. Band’s Massachusetts State Championships in Stoughton!
Fish: This year’s show is really special. It’s all about growth and change, and we all accomplish that by creating a marching band on the field. I think it’s really a fascinating concept, being able to encompass so many people’s individual journeys through the mode of a field show. I’m also a little bit emotional about it, since I’ve been here for
several years and have really watched the formation and growth of this marching band. It hits close to home, especially from my podium seeing all the progress that this group has made since I started in 8th grade. It’s just so special.
Michelangelo-Umile: What do you hope for the band in the future, near or far?
Leonelli: That’s a great question. I have three wonderful goals. The first one is to make this the most enjoyable experience possible for these students while they are with us in Abington. Two, I am aiming to grow the ensemble, bring as many students that want to be a part of the “Champions” as possible, and luckily the younger students are slowly getting the message that this is something that’s worthwhile in doing. And parents, as well. And selfishly, I am aiming to win a USBands National Championship in our division. The third hope is, of course, of course a selfish one, but it would be such a way to recognize the work of everyone that’s come before us and that will follow after us. Realistically – it’s the journey and how we treat each other that is truly special and memorable.
Fish: I hope that in this season we hit a big 90.0 score and just continue to rise. And as for the Champions once I graduate, I really hope that the future band kids continue to enjoy the fun of the process and the pride in the product. As I’ve been saying for a while, “It feels really good to be good at something.” They make great music, and they make such incredible memories, and I truly hope that never ends.
Michelangelo-Umile: Is there anything you’d like to share about marching that you think other people should know?
Leonelli: Oh my goodness. Yes, I think the first thing is, it is more than just marching. It is collaborating with other people. We collaborate with our athletic and football colleagues all the time to make home games truly special in the South Shore. Students collaborate in every minute of every rehearsal and performance. It’s also learning how to work in challenging environments, playing, you know, 40 yards away from a snare drummer and percussion section, learning how to deal with those challenges. You know, marching ensembles are more of like a vehicle of communities. Like, “how do we solve problems together?” And, you know, music and marching and dance is our vehicle to these lessons. But this is more than just, you know, left, right, left, right, , etc, marching up and down the street. There’s incredible pageantry, emotion, and there’s almost a journey of learning about yourself throughout the season. This type of group collaboration is something that is truly unique.
Fish: One thing everyone should know about the marching band is that when Mr. Leonelli says, “One more time!” …It’ll never actually be one more time.
Be sure to show support for the ‘Champions’ as they embark for the last half of their season this month! Next weekend, on October 18th, they ride to Cranston, Rhode Island hoping to take home first place!. At the end of the month, October 25th the band will be at Dartmouth Middle school for an estimated 3:00 PM showtime. Their state championships will be held on November 1st at Stoughton High school and are estimated to perform at 11:00 AM. Additionally, as one last hurrah before the annual football game, the ‘Champions’ will be partaking in Plymouth’s America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Parade! This event will be live on national TV, so be sure to tune in!