The Neshaminy High School Marching Band hosted its annual Kaleidoscope of Bands festival on October 22. Run by director Michael Lipton and the rest of the music boosters, the festival brought together the Bucks County high school music community to celebrate the performances of Neshaminy and other high schools’ marching bands.
The bands in attendance included Easton Area, Clearview Regional, Harry S. Truman, Bensalem, Pennsbury, and Montgomery High Schools.
This year, however, was different from the rest, as it was also announced that it would be Lipton’s last year as the director of the NHS Marching Band before he retires at the end of this academic school year.
As the creator of KOB, Lipton has had a profound impact on the entirety of the Neshaminy music community, and they wished to honor him for all of his achievements throughout his Neshaminy career. He was awarded the Kaleidoscope of Bands Legacy Award for all of his contributions to the music community across his 35 years within the district.
The festive night began at 7 p.m. with performances from the visiting bands. Each one had a different theme for their show and was scored by six esteemed judges from various universities.
Kaleidoscope of Bands is a major event and source of fundraising for not only the marching band but also the jazz, orchestra, and instrumental music program as a whole.
At the end of the night, each performing band marched onto the field to await the announcements of awards. Before the announcements, however, the bands came together to perform the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” under the direction of Lipton. The collaborative performance is a tradition that everyone in band, especially Lipton, looks forward to each year.
After the conclusion of the national anthem, the Drum Majors from each band approached the track for the announcements of awards. Every band was given a score in the range of excellent, outstanding, or superior. Neshaminy’s band received a rating of superior.
A selection of superlatives was also announced. Awards were given out by Superintendent Dr. Rob McGee, with some help from Neshaminy’s Drum Majors and Color Guard Captain.
When asked about his feelings on this being his last Kaleidoscope of Bands, Lipton was very sentimental.
“Well, you know, I’m a little sad. I was hoping to make 30 [years of KOB] and it’s only been 29, but that’s how the stars fly,” Lipton said. “It was a beautiful evening with some really good bands for me to enjoy my last KOB.”