Billerica Memorial High School Marching Band

The Billerica Memorial High School Marching Band is the marching band of Billerica Memorial High School, which performs together with its color guard, the Silver Jade Color Guard (also written Silver Jade Colorguard). The band plays at football games, pep rallies, town meetings and parades, and since the 1970s it has competed in field show circuits in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states, winning championships in the Eastern Marching Band Association (EMBA), the Musical Arts Conference (MAC) and the New England Scholastic Band Association (NESBA). Its winter guard competes nationally in Winter Guard International (WGI).

Billerica's schools had an orchestra long before they had a band. In 1935, suggesting that the old windmill tower be kept as an orchestra and band stand for summer concerts by the many graduates of the school orchestra, the town report added that "later the school may have a band to lead athletic contests on our home grounds." The beginnings of a school band came in 1951 at Howe High School, the year football moved to the new Memorial Field, with the Billerica Business Men's Club as its sponsor. The School Committee appointed Samuel Quagenti that year as a teacher of music, and the band grew under him: "considerable progress was made during 1953 in developing a band at Howe High School," and fund raising for new uniforms had good support. The 1953 Howe yearbook pictures the band with Mr. Quagenti as director and Mrs. Simonds as band coach, noting its appearance at the Howe-Chelmsford game. After Billerica Memorial High School opened in 1955, Claire Nanis built a band of more than thirty pupils at the junior high school, and the superintendent planned to appoint a part-time band instructor for the high school. In 1959 "the High School band was revived and gave a good account at the Thanksgiving Day game." The 1960 Warrior yearbook describes the band, supervised by the music supervisor Elizabeth L. Johnson with student directors from Lowell State Teachers College, playing at football games and taking part in the Northeastern Music Festival, with the Billerica Twirlerettes marching in front of it "in their snappy uniforms of green and white corduroy." The Chamber of Commerce of Greater Lowell thanked the town that year for the band's part in its Christmas season "Welcome to Santa" parade.

The band grew quickly in the 1960s under John J. DiGloria, who was appointed instrumental teacher in 1960. By 1961 the town had a large junior high band, a forty-five piece high school band and an elementary band of more than a hundred pupils, and in 1962 the band sent its first member to the All-State Band. By 1964 it played at football games, rallies and assemblies, "competed in Music Festivals and marched in various parades in the surrounding towns." In 1967, with more than 400 pupils in the instrumental program, the School Committee "purchased attractive and colorful new uniforms for our band and twirlers." That year Rudolph Gentile joined the music staff, and the 1968 and 1969 yearbooks picture the marching band with Mr. DiGloria, Joseph J. DeLuca and Mr. Gentile as its advisers.

George Lemieux was on the high school music faculty by 1974, working alongside Anthony Alvino, and under him the band became a competition band. In 1976 the town report recorded that "our band received national recognition at a competition held in Atlantic City," and in 1979 the band and color guard "received international recognition" in Toronto, Canada, winning two first places, two second places, a third place and an honorable mention. The 1979 field show, built on the music of Chuck Mangione's The Children of Sanchez, "attained the highest score ever awarded to a band in the history of the circuit," with the future band director Elaine Foley as student field director. In April 1980 the band was invited to parade at Disney World and returned from Florida as Open Southern Nationals Field Show Champions, with second places for its color guard, drill team and baton line. At the annual town meeting of April 29, 1980, the chairman of the Board of Selectmen, Thomas H. Conway Jr., called the band forward and presented it a declaration from the board, and Mr. Lemieux thanked the parents and the School Department, saying the students "bring pride and honor back to us every time." The parents' organization behind the program, the Billerica Friends of Music, was credited by the School Committee in 1981 as "the driving force that has encouraged staff and students to receive recognition."

The Silver Jade Color Guard was established in the winter of 1978 as an indoor guard, and according to the 1980 yearbook it "became the first high school guard to ever remain undefeated for an entire season," performing with flags, rifles and sabres. From the 1979 season the program was known as the Billerica Memorial High School Competition Band and Silver Jade Color Guard. In 1981 the band was US Open New England Nationals and Northeastern Nationals Field Show and Parade Champion and received a Governor's commendation and a resolution of the General Court. That fall, in five NESBA shows, the color guard was undefeated and the drum line became the first in the circuit's history to go undefeated for a season; at the NESBA finals the band placed third in Class A, and the Silver Jade Colorguard and the drum line were named the 1981 NESBA field show champions in their captions. The School Committee reported that the band and color guard had been invited to march in the 1982 Tournament of Roses Parade, and in 1982 it called them "by far the best band and color guard in the Merrimack Valley." The band won at Wildwood, New Jersey, in the early 1980s, and in April 1985 it earned a superior rating at the Orange Blossom Festival in Orlando, Florida, for which the Board of Selectmen recognized the Competition Band and Silver Jade Color Guard at the 1985 annual town meeting, where the band played the National Anthem as the color guard presented the flag.

In the mid-1980s the band competed in the Eastern Marching Band Association, whose finals were held in New Jersey. In November 1986, at Roselle Park, it won the EMBA Class II championship over nineteen bands from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, while the color guard went undefeated. It competed at the Citrus Bowl Music Festival in Florida in 1988, and that fall won the Massachusetts state title at the EMBA championships. By the 1989 season the band director was Elaine Foley Winchell, then Miss Elaine Foley, the band's former student field director; the 1996 yearbook described her as "a former BMHS band student and now conductor of the concert band and director of the marching band." Though the band had shrunk to 43 musicians and 20 color guard members by 1991, it won the EMBA Class II championship that November with Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, and that season took second place in the Liberty Bowl Marching Band Competition in Memphis, Tennessee, appearing on television at the Liberty Bowl halftime. It was EMBA Division II champion again in 1993 and in the fall of 1994, the latter with a score of 95.05, and in the 1995-96 season won the class A field show championship of the Citrus Bowl Music Festival. Moving up to Division III, it then won the EMBA Division III championship each fall from 1996 through 1999, with Leonard Bernstein's music in 1997 earning a score of 96.8, then the highest in the band's history, and a trip that year to the Copper Bowl in Arizona. In 2000 it won the EMBA Division II championship. Besides its competitions the band marched each fall in local parades, among them the town's Yankee Doodle Homecoming parade and the Woburn Halloween Parade.

In the fall of 2001 the band joined the newly formed Musical Arts Conference, a circuit based in Connecticut, while continuing to host its own Billerica Invitational Marching Band Competition. That season it marched in the Fiesta Bowl Parade in Phoenix, Arizona, placing second in its division. It won the MAC Division III championship in 2001, Division II in 2002 and Division I in 2004 and 2005, and after its 2005 season it was invited to march in parades at Walt Disney World and Universal Studios over the Christmas vacation. In 2006 it moved to the New England Scholastic Band Association. It placed third in NESBA Division I in 2006 and second in 2007, was NESBA Division II champion in 2009 and 2010, and placed second in Division I in 2011 and 2012. Mr. Lemieux retired in 2013.

Under Christopher Dearbeck, appointed Fine Arts Coordinator in 2013, the band placed second at the NESBA championships in 2013 with the award for top music, and was crowned NESBA champion in 2014, beginning a run of six consecutive NESBA championships through 2019: Division I in 2014, 2015 (a shared Class A title), 2017 and 2018, and Division II in 2016 and 2019. The winter programs grew alongside it. The winter percussion ensemble was NESBA Indoor Scholastic Class A champion in 2016 and NESBA champion again in 2019, and the winter colorguard placed third in NESBA's National Scholastic A division in 2016 and third at the WGI Regional Finals in 2017, then won the NESBA Winter Guard Championship in 2018 and 2019. In 2019 it finished sixteenth of 138 groups in WGI competition, and in 2023 it placed fourteenth in Scholastic A at the WGI world competition. The district was named a NAMM Best Community for Music Education each year from 2016, and in 2022-23 the band organized the first Alumni Band, which became a yearly tradition. Ms. Winchell, who had taught music at the high school since the early 1990s, retired at the end of the 2025-2026 school year, and Joseph Clark became the band's director.

The high school band draws its players from the middle school programs at the Marshall Middle School and the Locke School. Bill Thayer directed the combined middle school bands that played at the 1995 annual town meeting and the Middle School Wind Ensemble at the town's Flag Day ceremonies on the Common in the early 2000s, and retired in 2004 after 35 years in the Billerica schools.

Marching band seasons (fall of each year): directors, estimated numbers of musicians and color guard members (from yearbook photos, captions and senior pages), competition results, shows, trips and honors

Season	Director	Assistant	Band	Color guard	Circuit	Division	Placement	Show music	Trips and honors
1951	Samuel Quagenti								First school band, at Howe High School, sponsored by the Business Men's Club
1952	Samuel Quagenti	Mrs. Simonds
1953	Samuel Quagenti		26
1954	Samuel Quagenti		24	1
1955	Claire Nanis		22	9					Twirlerettes formed
1956	Claire Nanis		33	11
1957	Claire Nanis		36	2
1958	Claire Nanis		44	11
1959	Elizabeth L. Johnson (music supervisor)		24	9					High school band revived, with student directors from Lowell State Teachers College
1960	Claire Nanis		22	11
1961	John DiGloria		32	13
1962	John DiGloria		34	19
1963	John DiGloria		41	16
1964	John DiGloria		44	14
1965	John DiGloria	Joseph DeLuca	42	20
1966	John DiGloria	Joseph DeLuca	42	18
1967	John DiGloria	Joseph DeLuca, Rudolph Gentile	38	14
1968	John DiGloria	Joseph DeLuca, Rudolph Gentile	48	12
1969	John DiGloria	Joseph DeLuca, Rudolph Gentile	40	10
1970	John DiGloria	Joseph DeLuca, Rudolph Gentile	38	13
1971	John DiGloria	Anthony Alvino	32	21
1972	George Lemieux	Anthony Alvino	30	16
1973	George Lemieux	Anthony Alvino	37	11
1974	George Lemieux	Anthony Alvino	34	18
1975	George Lemieux	Anthony Alvino	27	25					Atlantic City competition (national recognition)
1976	George Lemieux	Anthony Alvino	39	25					Toronto
1977	George Lemieux	Anthony Alvino	48	24
1978	George Lemieux	Anthony Alvino	52	28					Toronto (international recognition: two firsts, two seconds, a third and an honorable mention); Silver Jade Color Guard founded (winter); Class B champions, undefeated
1979	George Lemieux	Anthony Alvino	67	37	NESBA		Champion	Chuck Mangione's The Children of Sanchez	Disney World, Florida; Open Southern Nationals field show champions (April 1980); honored at the 1980 annual town meeting; highest score in the circuit's history
1980	George Lemieux	Anthony Alvino	58	29
1981	George Lemieux	Anthony Alvino	63	34	NESBA	A	3rd	Firebird Suite
1982	George Lemieux	Anthony Alvino	72	35
1983	George Lemieux	Anthony Alvino	81	47					Florida
1984	George Lemieux	Anthony Alvino	75	36				A Night on Bald Mountain, Chacaca, Tell Me a Bedtime Story, La Fiesta, Family	Orange Blossom Festival, Orlando, Florida (April 1985); recognized by the Selectmen
1985	George Lemieux	Anthony Alvino	61	26
1986	Anthony Alvino		64	21	EMBA	II	Champion
1987	Anthony Alvino		58	18	EMBA		5th		Citrus Bowl Music Festival, Florida (1988)
1988	Anthony Alvino	Elaine Foley Winchell	54	17	EMBA		4th		Citrus Bowl Festival, Florida (1989); Massachusetts state title at EMBA
1989	Elaine Foley Winchell		61	22	EMBA		2nd
1990	Elaine Foley Winchell		59	19	EMBA
1991	Elaine Foley Winchell		50	19	EMBA	II	Champion	Carl Orff's Carmina Burana	Liberty Bowl, Memphis, Tennessee: second in the marching band competition, televised halftime show
1992	Elaine Foley Winchell		48	10	EMBA		4th
1993	Elaine Foley Winchell		43	11	EMBA	II	Champion
1994	Elaine Foley Winchell		48	12	EMBA	II	Champion		New uniforms
1995	Elaine Foley Winchell		55	21	EMBA	III	2nd		Citrus Bowl Music Festival, Florida: class A field show champions
1996	Elaine Foley Winchell		59	26	EMBA	III	Champion	Appalachian Spring
1997	Elaine Foley Winchell		64	25	EMBA	III	Champion	Leonard Bernstein	Copper Bowl, Arizona
1998	Elaine Foley Winchell		70	23	EMBA	III	Champion	Three Revelations from the Lotus Sutra
1999	Elaine Foley Winchell		67	18	EMBA	III	Champion	Firebird Prelude, Mars, Going Home, Gallop, Firebird Finale	Florida
2000	Elaine Foley Winchell		63	18	EMBA	II	Champion	Promise of Living, American Salute, Chester
2001	Elaine Foley Winchell		51	13	MAC	III	Champion	Sinfonia Voci, Ballet Sacra	Fiesta Bowl Parade, Phoenix, Arizona: second in division; first season in MAC
2002	Elaine Foley Winchell		42	9	MAC	II	Champion
2003	Elaine Foley Winchell		33	6	MAC				Florida
2004	Elaine Foley Winchell		26	8	MAC	I	Champion	Pirates of the Caribbean
2005	Elaine Foley Winchell		32	5	MAC	I	Champion		Parades at Walt Disney World and Universal Studios, Florida
2006	Elaine Foley Winchell		29	4	NESBA	I	3rd		First season in NESBA
2007	Elaine Foley Winchell		23	6	NESBA	I	2nd		Florida
2008	Elaine Foley Winchell		32	6
2009	Elaine Foley Winchell		30	6	NESBA	II	Champion		Florida
2010	Elaine Foley Winchell		28	5	NESBA	II	Champion
2011	Elaine Foley Winchell		27	3	NESBA	I	2nd
2012	Elaine Foley Winchell		17	5	NESBA	I	2nd
2013	Elaine Foley Winchell		25	1	NESBA	I	2nd		Top Music award at NESBA
2014	Elaine Foley Winchell		21	6	NESBA	I	Champion
2015	Elaine Foley Winchell		20	3	NESBA	I	Champion		Shared NESBA Class A title
2016	Elaine Foley Winchell		29	9	NESBA	II	Champion
2017	Elaine Foley Winchell		13	4	NESBA	I	Champion		Florida
2018	Elaine Foley Winchell		11	9	NESBA	I	Champion
2019	Elaine Foley Winchell		22	7	NESBA	II	Champion
2020	Elaine Foley Winchell								No marching season (pandemic)
2021	Elaine Foley Winchell				NESBA	I	2nd
2022	Elaine Foley Winchell								First Alumni Band
2023	Elaine Foley Winchell
2024	Elaine Foley Winchell
2025	Elaine Foley Winchell								Ms. Winchell retires at the end of the 2025-2026 school year
2026	Joseph Clark

References

1. Billerica Town Report 1935: the windmill tower as an orchestra and band stand; "later the school may have a band"
2. Billerica Town Report 1951 (in the 1950 volume), superintendent: the beginnings of a school band, sponsored by the Billerica Business Men's Club
3. Billerica Town Report 1953, School Band: progress in developing a band at Howe High School; fund raising for new uniforms
4. Howe High yearbook 1953: Howe High Band, Mr. Quagenti director, Mrs. Simonds band coach, at the Howe-Chelmsford game
5. Billerica Town Report 1956 (in the 1955 volume): Claire Nanis's junior high band; plan for a part-time high school band instructor
6. Billerica Town Report 1959 (in the 1955 volume): the High School band was revived for the Thanksgiving Day game
7. Warrior 1960: the high school band under Mrs. Elizabeth Johnson; the Billerica Twirlerettes in green and white corduroy
8. Billerica Town Report 1960: Chamber of Commerce of Greater Lowell thanks the Billerica High School Band for its Welcome to Santa parade
9. Billerica Town Report 1961 (in the 1960 volume), music: large junior high band and a forty-five piece high school band
10. Warrior 1962: the band under Mr. John DeGloria; first member of the All State Band
11. Warrior 1964: the band under Mr. DiGloria at games, rallies, music festivals and parades
12. Billerica Town Report 1967 (in the 1965 volume), music: School Committee buys new uniforms for the band and twirlers
13. Warrior 1969: marching band advisers Mr. DeLuca, Mr. DiGloria and Mr. Gentile
14. Billerica Town Report 1976, School Committee: the band received national recognition at a competition in Atlantic City
15. Billerica Town Report 1979, School Committee: the band and color guard win awards in Toronto, Canada
16. Warrior 1980: the 1979 Competition Band and Silver Jade Color Guard, The Children of Sanchez, highest score in the circuit
17. Warrior 1980, clubs: the Silver Jade Color Guard, established in the winter of 1978, undefeated its first season
18. Billerica Town Report 1980, annual town meeting April 29, 1980: the BMHS band honored after parading at Disney World
19. Billerica Town Report 1980, annual town meeting: the band's Florida awards, field show first, color guard second
20. Billerica Town Report 1981, School Committee: invitation to the 1982 Tournament of Roses Parade; the Friends of Music
21. Warrior 1982: the 1981 Competition Band and Silver Jade Colorguard, US Open titles and NESBA caption championships
22. Billerica Town Report 1982: the BMHS Band and Silver Jade Color Guard, the best in the Merrimack Valley
23. Warrior 1984: senior memories of the band's win at Wildwood, N.J.
24. Billerica Town Report 1985, annual town meeting: selectmen honor the Competition Band and Silver Jade Color Guard, Orange Blossom Festival
25. Warrior 1987: the band wins the EMBA Class II championship at Roselle Park, N.J.; the color guard undefeated
26. Billerica Town Report 1988, schools: the band and Silver Jade Color Guard at the Citrus Bowl Music Festival and the EMBA
27. Warrior 1989: the 1988 Marching Band and Silver Jade Color Guard win the EMBA Massachusetts State Title
28. Warrior 1990: the 1989-1990 Marching Band and Silver Jade Color Guard under Band Director Miss Elaine Foley
29. Warrior 1992: the band wins the EMBA championship in November 1991 with Carmina Burana
30. Billerica Town Report 1991, schools: the Marching Band and Silver Jade Color Guard win their EMBA division championship
31. Warrior 1993: EMBA finals; second place in the Liberty Bowl Marching Band Competition, Memphis
32. Warrior 1995: EMBA Division II champions, 95.05; the Yankee Doodle Parade and Woburn Halloween Parade
33. Warrior 1996: Ms. Winchell, former BMHS band student, conductor of the concert band and director of the marching band
34. Warrior 1996: EMBA Division III second place; Citrus Bowl Music Festival class A field show championship
35. Warrior 1998: the Bernstein program, a record score of 96.8, and the Copper Bowl in Arizona
36. Warrior 2000: the 1999 EMBA Division III Gold champions, 96.95, the fourth title in a row
37. Warrior 2002: first season in the Musical Arts Conference; the Fiesta Bowl Parade in Phoenix
38. Warrior 2003: MAC Division 2 champions for the second year in a row
39. Warrior 2005: the Marching Band and Silver Jade Color Guard win the MAC Division 1 Championship
40. Warrior 2006: undefeated in MAC competition; invited to parades at Disney World and Universal Studios
41. Warrior 2007: a new circuit (NESBA) and new staff for the marching band
42. Billerica Town Report 2006, School Committee: third place, NESBA Division I
43. Billerica Town Report 2010, School Committee: first place, NESBA Division I Championships
44. Billerica Town Report 2011, School Committee: first place, NESBA Division II Championships
45. Billerica Town Report 2013, School Committee: second place, NESBA Division I Championships
46. Billerica Town Report 2014, Fine Arts: second place at the NESBA Championships with Top Music; Christopher Dearbeck
47. Billerica Town Report 2015: the BMHS Marching Band and Color Guard crowned NESBA Champions
48. Billerica Town Report 2016: NESBA Class A co-champion; percussion champion; winter colorguard third
49. Billerica Town Report 2017: NESBA Division II champion; winter colorguard third at the WGI Regional Finals
50. Billerica Town Report 2019, Fine Arts: fifth straight NESBA title; colorguard NESBA champion, 16th of 138 at WGI
51. Billerica FY20 Annual Report, Fine Arts: six consecutive NESBA championships; a nationally ranked winter colorguard
52. Billerica FY23 Annual Report, Fine Arts: the first Alumni Band; winter colorguard 14th in Scholastic A at WGI
53. Billerica Town Report 1995, annual town meeting: the combined Middle School Bands under William Thayer
54. Billerica Town Report 2004, School Committee: retirements, William Thayer, 35 years
55. The Bedford Citizen, October 2016: a NESBA Division 1 competition held at Billerica High School
56. New England Scholastic Band Association, Wikipedia