The DHS Marching Band just made history with their first win at state championships since 2011, and their first time competing at nationals since 2018. On November 1, 2025, the band took home the first place award for class 1A with a score of 83.2. At nationals, the band scored 7th place with a score of 84.5.
Both of these achievements were monumental for the self-proclaimed “underdogs,” often scoring lower than other bands in previous years. The band has struggled to beat other bands in previous years at state championships, but this year the odds were definitely in their favor; pulling through with a win against Robert E. Fitch High School and Plainfield High School. Everyone had mixed initial reactions to the score reveal of first place.
Mr. Jason Alfidi, the current band director, said the first thing that came to mind was “just how proud he was of all his students.” He further commented on the score, saying, “You never know what the score is going into a competition, but I knew through the demand throughout the year that there was a chance for us.”
Another component to Danbury’s win heavily weighed on the mindset during the season. “I think there was a very clear understanding this year of what our mindset needed to be going into it. All the students were able to push hard and work together to get that score.” Alfidi commented.
Gabe Alladin, junior at DHS, as well as section leader for the front ensemble during this season, agreed with Alfidi, saying there was “definitely something different about this season.” Alladin is a well-known member of the band and front ensemble, with the 2025 season being his fifth season since his first year in seventh grade. When asked how he would rank this season out of all his seasons, he said it would be “second only to Groove,” (the 2023 season where Danbury scored their highest score in over two decades).
Alladin had a huge responsibility this season, leading the section generally regarded as one of the most advanced and disciplined throughout the history of the band. Alladin felt the role was a slight challenge for him, since there were so many new people, but he enjoyed the experience and is looking forward to fulfilling the role for a final season next year. When asked about his goals for the pit next year, he said, “to keep pushing them and getting better as a whole.”
Additionally, there was also a very narrow difference between the first-place score and the second-place score, with DHS winning by only a 0.1 difference. Mr Alfidi said he thinks the 0.1 difference is a great metaphor for “the mindset of trying a little bit harder, putting in that 1% to make that difference between you and another school.” He said it was cool because “it truly represented that difference; putting in that extra effort and knowing it counts.”
On November 8, 2025, at nationals, the Danbury Band scored 7th place out of 11 bands, an immense accomplishment. Mr. Alfidi said he was “very proud of the score. For a group that hasn’t been represented at nationals in a long time, going up against groups who have always gone and being able to place seventh was a huge accomplishment.”
Being able to attend nationals in the first place was a long process. Mr. Alfidi worked hard to ensure the band had enough funding to participate this year, a problem that was prominent in previous years. “What made me want to work so hard to get Danbury to nationals this year was just to be able to see my students grow into better musicians. Winning is just a really nice byproduct; I didn’t want to get them there solely to win, but more so to see them grow.”
After a tremendous 2025 season, the Danbury High School marching band is setting their sights on next year. Alfidi’s personal main goal for next year is to “grow the numbers of the program.” He commented that growth is “something we’ve been trying to make happen at Danbury for a while, but I’m hoping that being state champions this year will launch us into becoming a big band next year.”
The show next year is categorised as advanced, a huge jump from this season’s rating of easy-medium. Despite initial apprehensive feelings from the band about the jump, Alfidi thinks the band is ready for it. “My philosophy is always to set the goal just out of arm’s reach, to push everyone all the way to what the ceiling is. Then, if you go a little past it, you can reach the goal. Next year’s show does that perfectly; it’s gonna push every member of the ensemble to be just that little bit better.”
Alladin thinks “it will be tough at first, but the band will pull through.” Despite the challenge, he is still looking forward to his last season next year.
The marching band at DHS is truly a special environment that represents what the school is at its core: a loving community bonding over something they all enjoy doing. The togetherness of band is what makes it so different from any other sport or extracurricular here at the school. As Mr. Alfidi quotes often, “growing will always be more important than winning.”
