MCS Band set for Tumon Bay Music Festival

Mount Carmel School’s Band, led by music teacher Julian Greening, is all set to attend and compete in the Tumon Bay Music Festival that will be held in Guam from Feb. 28 to March 9.

This will be Guam’s 14th annual Tumon Bay Band Music Festival, founded by Maximo Ronquillo Jr., the eighth music director of the Guam Territorial Band. 

Roquillo has collaborated with MCS many times before, with musicals like Anastasia, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and White Christmas, but this will be the first time the school will be performing and competing at the festival founded by Ronquillo.

Many parents of band members are excited about the upcoming trip.

“I love it that my son, Toby, participates in band,” said parent and teacher Filmah Buenaflor. “I see that he loves what he’s learning. I’ve also read that students who participate in a band are more likely to have higher reading, reading comprehension, and math scores.”

Larissa Steele, parent of Lyssa Steele, sees her daughter improving in her instrument and loves watching her perform on stage. 

Greening’s purpose for establishing the band program at Mount Carmel school was to inspire young students develop their musical skills and gain more passionate experiences in the art of music. By introducing the music program, Greening believes in the insightful lessons and influential experiences students learn from music.

Practices include music lessons and preparation for upcoming school and islandwide performances. Aside from the music festival, the band is preparing for the Spring Band Concert that will be held in May. From these practices, Greening hopes that they will be well-prepared in performing in front of a crowd, especially off-island. He believes that this traveling experience to compete and perform will get them more exposed and committed to the art of music.

Greening hopes to give the students an exciting experience that incorporates learning the skills to develop as talented musicians. “I believe that bringing students to Guam for this music festival will be a great way to interact with musicians [in] Guam. It will also be a great opportunity for the students to play in front of a big crowd away from home.”

While the band has secured some federal funding for the trip, the band is open to donations. Any donations made will be used for band activities and performances. For additional information, email Greening at julian.greening86@gmail.com. (Quincy Chinen, Reica Ramirez)