Levy, the band’s director since 1986 and the school’s music department chairman, said that the school’s past success is not lost on the students. “It’s 20 years of tradition now with this parade,” he said. “It’s realizing that they could be excellent.”

The band has grown so popular at school that only students in 10th through 12th grades can participate. Student musicians begin practicing for the parade when school reopens in September, during band period.

Marching in the parade, Levy said, instills valuable life lessons in the students. “It teaches about teamwork and discipline,” he said. “It’s quite rewarding.”

He added that while the Columbus Day Parade is the biggest event in which the marching band regularly performs, it has also taken part in the Orange Bowl Parade in Miami and the SpectroMagic Parade in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, the latter every three years, including next February,

It wasn’t until the day after the parade, Oct. 15, that school officials learned of the first-place finish, and relayed the news to students. “I’m very proud of East Meadow being able to maintain [success] for so many years,” Behr said. “That’s a long time … being able to win as many times as we have.”

A fast-growing program

When Kevin Scully became director of Clarke’s marching band nine years ago, he recalled, it had 65 members. This year it boasts 107. “The enthusiasm has evolved,” said Scully, who is the music department chairman for both Clarke High School and Middle School. “The fact that the marching band has improved has motivated more students to continue from middle school to high school.”

The school’s best previous finish in the Columbus Day Parade was fourth. But Scully said that the moment band members completed this year’s march, he knew they had topped that. “During the 45 minutes, they never let up on the music,” he said. “They really had a powerful sound throughout. I told them that on the bus. I was very proud of them.”