Lahainaluna High School Luna Marching Band Brings Home Awards

It’s been a whirlwind of a season for the Lahainaluna High School Marching Band! On behalf of the Marching Band, I would like to extend my deepest and most heartfelt mahalo to all those who have supported our students as we took on this trip to San Diego to participate and compete in the 2017 Holiday Bowl.

Lahainaluna has never entered in the world of competitive marching band field shows and as such, many things that we typically have done in the past had to be revisited. From training, to rehearsals, to fundraising, to music selection and drill….everything we were “used to” doing had to be refocused to being judged on a competition level against schools from the mainland and in front of National Television.

We would have not been able to go without the support and permission of our principal, Mrs. Lynn Kahoohalahala; our district superintendent, Mr. Lindsay Ball; and our school administration. They have all been very supportive of the Marching Band since before my time and we thank them for allowing us the opportunity to let our students shine.

I would like to thank the parents for supporting their children in making the rehearsals, being flexible with their schedules, aid in financing the trip, and entrusting our staff to keep their children safe and on task at all times.

Thank you our school's teachers, staff, and coaches for being supportive of the students and our program and for being so accommodating to our hectic schedule all season. From using the facilities like the stadium and various parts of campus, to being accommodating to the student’s schedules, to even partaking in various music department events (be it fundraisers and concerts or parades)--the staff at Lahainaluna High School have been very encouraging of the Marching Band.

Thank you to the Lahaina community and by extension, the island of Maui and State of Hawaii and all the community groups and businesses that have supported our program. From helping with fundraising opportunities, performance options, educational opportunities, and even speaking highly of our students and program--we have been blessed that so many people appreciate our students.

A very big MAHALO to Aunty Debbie Domogma and the Friends of LHS Music Booster Club for spearheading the San Diego trip. Debbie in particular took care of a lot of the planning and logistics and was the liaison between myself, the students, the parents, and the bowl game committee.

Mahalo also to our Marching Band staff that has helped throughout the season: Mrs. Jayme Carlos, Band tech and field staff; Mr. Carlito Luben, Percussion tech and field staff; Ms. Luxmi O’Connell, Guard tech and field staff; Mr. Jalen Baraoidan, Woodwind and Brass tech; Jon Shigaki, Assistant

Thank you to these adults that took the time to be chaperones and offer assistance during our trip to San Diego:

Jalen Baraoidan
Kathy Bettencourt
Dan Brown
Juenlee Brown
Jayme Carlos
Debbie Domogma
Heather Ganis
Carlito Luben
Noe Masuda
Jon Shigaki
Sareena Syn

Lastly, mahalo to the students for all your hard work and dedication. You ARE the Luna Marching Band. Without you students, there really isn’t anything. Every task presented was met with optimism, enthusiasm, and tenacity. You all have raised the bar for future generations of the Luna Marching Band.

There are countless of individuals that I probably missed and I apologize if I inadvertently missed you. Know that as the Music Director, I humbly thank you all and appreciate all that you folks do for our students. As with anything, this season has had it’s fair shares of ups and downs but there was a lot of growth and learning happening. Not just for the students, but myself as well. A lot of fun was had and a lot of new experiences and friendships had been made.

~M. Carlos

MAHALO EVERYONE!! I MUA LAHAINALUNA!!