Big in heart, effort, Waialua captures band festival spirit
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
Kris Wilia knows what it's like to be the underdog. His Waialua High and Intermediate Bulldogs teams perennially struggle on the athletic fields against schools with bigger enrollments, budgets and booster clubs.
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But last night, Wilia and his fellow band members took the field at Aloha Stadium and held their own alongside the elite of the island's marching bands. Waialua was one of 10 schools to take part in the 28th Oahu Marching Band Festival.
Kalani High School's marching band entertained the audience with numbers from "Grease" during the 28th Oahu Marching Band Festival at Aloha Stadium last night. Nine other bands also performed.
With fewer than 50 participants, Waialua has one of the smallest marching bands on the island. By comparison, the legendary 250-member Pearl City High marching band has a 50-member clarinet section.
But that doesn't mean the performers at the tiny North Shore school don't put as much time and effort into preparing for a show. Twice a week, the band members rehearse from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m., and the practices start in the summer.
Wilia, a freshman and leader of the percussion section, said he's proud of the effort put in by his classmates.
"Our band is better than all of our other sports," Wilia said. "But we do have to fight for respect because the last couple of years we had trouble getting participation."
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Assistant band director Armando Langaman, a 2000 Waialua graduate, said this year's band has just one senior and most of its other members are sophomores or younger. The band is so small that there are four "fillers" who march and carry an instrument, but don't play.
Waialua High School has one of the smallest bands on the island but students put as much effort as bigger bands into preparing for a show.
Still, Langaman said he likes this year's marching band.
"When we have holes, you can have a formation, but you can't really tell what it is," Langaman said. "But they're dedicated. Everybody on this band comes to practice every day."
He gave last night's performance a 2.5 on a scale of 1 to 5. "We have a lot of work to do," Langaman said.
While most bands are led by seniors, Waialua's drum major is sophomore Don Ibarra. He said his job is stressful, but he enjoys the work.
"Since we're a small band, we're just one big family," Ibarra said.
Tommy Kamisato, one of three Pearl City band directors, believes it would be just as difficult to put together a show for a small band such as Waialua's as it is for his band. The Chargers' shows are so complex that the school brings in an expert consultant from the Mainland each year.
"There are difficulties both ways. You have a small band, you have to make sure everybody plays," Kamisato said. "We have a larger band and we can get away with one or two holes. You don't have luxuries just because you have a big band. Everything multiplies."
Also participating in the festival were Farrington, 'Aiea, Castle, Kahuku, Kalani, Mililani, Moanalua and Roosevelt.
Reach Curtis Lum at 525-8025 or culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.
