Making music, making memories
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9/24/2014 Making music, making memories - Westmore News - Port Chester, NY http://westmorenews.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=26395&SectionID=13&SubSectionID=43&S=1 1/2 Clockwise from left: Victoria Cruz-Griffith, Peter Pascale, Harris Jacobs and Dennis Keating play with the alumni band on the Port Chester High School field atBand Night on Saturday, June 7. JANANNE ABEL|WESTMORE NEWS Former Port Chester High School majorettes Patti Fusco Santucci (left) of Stamford, Ct. and Katie Mieczkowski Mason of Rochester practice a routine during the barbeque before Band Night. The 1972 graduates were two of the last majorettes before the high school swapped out batons for flags when they switched to the color guard. CLAIRE K. RACINE|WESTMORE NEWS Port Chester News ▼ Rye Brook News ▼ Opinion ▼ Police Briefs ▼ Sports ▼ People ▼ home : port chester news : for more port chester news September 24, 2014 6/12/2014 4:00:00 PM Making music, making memories Alumni march into 70th Band Night Claire K. Racine Reporter Throughout the school year, students look forward to Band Night, practicing their music and perfecting their cheer routines. Band Night, which was started 70 years ago, is also something alumni look back on fondly. "The music, the band and whatnot-it's good to be back," said Perry Temchin, who graduated in 1974, "brings back some good memories." Temchin was one of many alumni who returned to Port Chester High School on Saturday, June 7 to participate in the annual end-of-year celebration. Normally Band Night is held on a weekday, but to make it easier for alumni to attend, it was switched to Saturday night. This was something Dennis Keating appreciated, although he wished it could have been on the weekend when he was in school, too. Band Night is a wonderful memory, he said. "It was just on a school night and you had to get up early the next day." Keating graduated in 1979 and enjoyed seeing the current music program in the school, which has "a lot of grade A talent," he said. After his mother and brother both moved to Las Vegas, Keating followed, not wanting to miss out on the free babysitting that family affords. (His son, Kevin, now all grown up, accompanied his father to Band Night.) Since 1985, Keating estimated this to be the fifth time he has come back to visit his hometown. An afternoon concert Coming from Nevada, Keating is among those that travelled the farthest for Band Night. The combination of events surrounding the 70thBand Night, including a dinner reunion for his class and the afternoon performance by the alumni concert band and jazz band at the middle school, inspired Keating to put in the effort to come back. More than 50 people, including alto saxophone player Nino Palotti, who at age 89 was the oldest person, gathered to perform in the Port Chester Middle Schoolauditorium. Keating found the inclusion of the jazz band to be really meaningful for him. "I was in the first jazz band at Port ChesterHigh School, which Ken Kraut was the director of his first year out of school," said Keating. Kraut, who arranged for the alumni to participate, now serves as the music department chairman for the Port Chesterschools. "It was quite surreal. It was quite awesome." At the afternoon concert, Kraut, along with John Colangelo, recognized Harris and Susan Jacobs in memory of their father, Archie Jacobs, for whom the PCMS auditorium is named. Instruments, new and old For the jazz band and also the alumni marching band itself, Keating played the trumpet, just as he used to in school. For the concert band, however, he brought with him his French horn, which he only started learning about 18 months ago. "We are so lucky to have so many talented people who come from our town and came back. We've been having so much fun last night and today," Kraut said. For Temchin, dusting off his clarinet actually took some doing. After graduating in 1974, Temchin continued playing clarinet in college and then sporadically after that. He, too, participated in the concert band performance. "It gave me an excuse to pick up my instrument. I haven't played clarinet in 10 years," he said. Temchin, who moved back to Port Chester about two years ago, managed to follow along with the band but, "being out of practice-it shows," he said. Still, Band Night may be just the impetus he needed to start back up with the clarinet. "It's also nice seeing people I haven't seen in years," he added. Temchin attended the party at Oakland Beach in Rye Town Park on Friday evening and ran into several old classmates, starting his reminiscing
Transcript of Making music, making memories
9/24/2014 Making music, making memories - Westmore News - Port Chester, NY
http://westmorenews.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=26395&SectionID=13&SubSectionID=43&S=1 1/2
Clockwise from left: Victoria Cruz-Griffith, Peter Pascale, Harris Jacobs andDennis Keating play with the alumni band on the Port Chester High School field
atBand Night on Saturday, June 7.
JANANNE ABEL|WESTMORE NEWS
Former Port Chester High School majorettes Patti Fusco Santucci (left) ofStamford, Ct. and Katie Mieczkowski Mason of Rochester practice a routine
during the barbeque before Band Night. The 1972 graduates were two of the lastmajorettes before the high school swapped out batons for flags when they
switched to the color guard.
CLAIRE K. RACINE|WESTMORE NEWS
Port Chester News ▼ Rye Brook News ▼ Opinion ▼ Police Briefs ▼ Sports ▼ People ▼
home : port chester news : for more port chester news September 24, 2014
6/12/2014 4:00:00 PM
Making music, making memoriesAlumni march into 70th Band NightClaire K. RacineReporter
Throughout the school year, students look forward to Band Night, practicing their music and perfectingtheir cheer routines. Band Night, which was started 70 years ago, is also something alumni look back onfondly.
"The music, the band and whatnot-it's good to be back," said Perry Temchin, who graduated in 1974,"brings back some good memories."
Temchin was one of many alumni who returned to Port Chester High School on Saturday, June 7 toparticipate in the annual end-of-year celebration.
Normally Band Night is held on a weekday, but to make it easier for alumni to attend, it was switched toSaturday night. This was something Dennis Keating appreciated, although he wished it could have beenon the weekend when he was in school, too.
Band Night is a wonderful memory, he said. "It was just on a school night and you had to get up early thenext day."
Keating graduated in 1979 and enjoyed seeing the current music program in the school, which has "a lotof grade A talent," he said.
After his mother and brother both moved to Las Vegas, Keating followed, not wanting to miss out on thefree babysitting that family affords. (His son, Kevin, now all grown up, accompanied his fatherto Band Night.) Since 1985, Keating estimated this to be the fifth time he has come back to visit hishometown.
An afternoon concert
Coming from Nevada, Keating is among those that travelled the farthest for Band Night. The combinationof events surrounding the 70thBand Night, including a dinner reunion for his class and the afternoonperformance by the alumni concert band and jazz band at the middle school, inspired Keating to put inthe effort to come back. More than 50 people, including alto saxophone player Nino Palotti, who at age 89was the oldest person, gathered to perform in the Port Chester Middle Schoolauditorium.
Keating found the inclusion of the jazz band to be really meaningful for him.
"I was in the first jazz band at Port ChesterHigh School, which Ken Kraut was the director of his firstyear out of school," said Keating. Kraut, who arranged for the alumni to participate, now serves as themusic department chairman for the Port Chesterschools. "It was quite surreal. It was quite awesome."
At the afternoon concert, Kraut, along with John Colangelo, recognized Harris and Susan Jacobs inmemory of their father, Archie Jacobs, for whom the PCMS auditorium is named.
Instruments, new and old
For the jazz band and also the alumni marching band itself, Keating played the trumpet, just as he usedto in school. For the concert band, however, he brought with him his French horn, which he only startedlearning about 18 months ago.
"We are so lucky to have so many talented people who come from our town and came back. We've beenhaving so much fun last night and today," Kraut said.
For Temchin, dusting off his clarinet actually took some doing. After graduating in 1974, Temchincontinued playing clarinet in college and then sporadically after that. He, too, participated in theconcert band performance.
"It gave me an excuse to pick up my instrument. I haven't played clarinet in 10 years," he said. Temchin,who moved back to Port Chester about two years ago, managed to follow along with the band but, "beingout of practice-it shows," he said.
Still, Band Night may be just the impetus he needed to start back up with the clarinet.
"It's also nice seeing people I haven't seen in years," he added. Temchin attended the party at OaklandBeach in Rye Town Park on Friday evening and ran into several old classmates, starting his reminiscing
9/24/2014 Making music, making memories - Westmore News - Port Chester, NY
http://westmorenews.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=26395&SectionID=13&SubSectionID=43&S=1 2/2
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the day before Band Night.
Still twirling
Two 1972 graduates also teamed up before the event so they could figure out a baton twirling routine.Katie Mieczkowski Mason and Patti Fusco Santucci did not, however, have to practice twirling or relearnthe skill.
"It never really left," Mason said.
Santucci agreed, explaining that whenever she is holding a similarly-shaped object-an umbrella, ayardstick-she will start to twirl it around like a baton. "Umbrellas tend to be the ones I twirl the most," sheadded.
The two friends got together and choreographed a routine to go with the music.
"My neighbors thought it was hysterical that I was doing this," said Santucci, who lives in Stamford, Ct.Mason drove down from Rochester for the event.
Unfortunately, worried that the program was too long, Kraut decided to cut out that song at the last minute. Mason and Santucci did not let this stop them. During the barbecuethe two majorettes-the only ones to show up to Band Night-staked out a section of sidewalk in front of the high school and practiced a new arrangement.
Nowadays, baton twirling only happens at the elementary level. At Port Chester High School, it is the color guard that performs with the marching band.
"We were the last year we had majorettes," said Mason, who was the captain of the majorettes.
Santucci, the drum major, also helped end the tradition with a flash. She actually twirled flaming batons and even taught some of the other high school majorettes, includingMason, how to twirl fire. That learning process was not without its flare-ups and Mason once set a sweater she was wearing on fire. Santucci said she actually used to carry a canof gasoline on the bus when they went to perform so that she could soak the ends of her baton. Both women agree that batons on fire would never fly in school today.
Still, Santucci actually got to twirl flaming batons at a truck rally in Madison Square Garden once. Being a part of the majorettes led to some other experiences that stand out intheir high school memories. Both women accompanied theband and marched down Main Street USA at the opening of Disney World in 1972.
The duo hopes to get together again soon and also meet up with their graduating class at a 60th birthday bash for the class of '72 at Oakland Beach on July 26.
One year out
Former band member Lukas Patrizio can lay claim to the title of one of the newest alumni as he only graduated last year.
"It's only been a year and I miss it.," said Patrizio, who is studying chemical engineering at Clarkson University in Potsdam. "It's an odd feeling that I have to watch from thesidelines, but I had my time and now they have their time."
The weirdest part for Patrizio was during the concert at the middle school. After years of taking instruction from people like Madeline Rende and Juan Aguilar, both marchingtechnicians, and Ken Kraut, "now I'm next to them playing," Patrizio said.
Kraut, Ken Force, the band director 43 years ago, and Bob Vitti, the current band director, were all honored at BandNight with awards. At 22 years, Vitti is the longestserving Port Chester High School Band director.
Everyone connected with Band Night, be it band directors from almost half a decade ago or brand new alumni, they all remember the event and the Port Chester schools fondly.
"We might not be recent grads, but we still have Port Chester in our hearts," said Santucci.
Phil Gasparini, the emcee for Band Night, concluded the event with a similar message: "70 years and it never gets old."
JANANNE ABEL CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ARTICLE.
