The award winning Newfield Kazoo Band is made up of several faculty and community members. Each year the band participates in the Old Home Days parade where they have been named "Best Overall Appearing Unit" for seven years in a row (which means they are undefeated in competition!). Members of the band often play at home and away football games as well. Some of the members have even taken their kazoos to play at professional football games (Go Bills!). We have been invited to play at some very presitgious parades such as the Syracuse St. Patrick's Parade. Our photo even hangs in the Kazoo Museum in Eden, New York and the 2009-2010 Newfield School District calendar featured out picture on the front cover!
In 2006 the band delighted the parade audience with various selections such as Theme From Jeopardy, The Flintstones, Stars & Stripes Forever, Yankee Doodle and more.
In 2007 the band "went Hawaiian" with such musical selections as Hawaii 5-0, Wipeout and more. They even wore colorful outfits of Hawaiian shirts, shorts and grass skirts. Topping it off were the brightly colored green plastic buckets which were used as a drumline.
For the 2008 season the kazoo band took up a winter/Christmas theme. Members wore such costumes as Christmas trees, reindeer, candy cane, a skier, Jack Frost, snow princess, grandma (from Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer). We even had two special guests: Bev and the famous Bandman! Musical selections for 2008 included Let It Snow, Frosty, Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town and Jingle Bells. The kazoo band also had a cooler filled with snow that was tossed at the crowd along the parade (the snow...not the cooler).
Our 2009 routine was a cowboy/western theme. We had people dress up as cowboys, gold prospectors, robbers, sheriffs,saloon gals and even a cow. And, as a first for the kazoo band we featured a live animal....a dog! We had our largest membership ever-22 people (and one dog). Our members included Newfield faculty and family members, some Newfield alumni, some community members and a couple of school board members. Along the street we played Home On The Range, The Magnificent Seven and the Lone Ranger Theme (William Tell Overture). At the judges stand we played Oklahoma, Theme From Bonanza, Jump On It and Happy Trails.
For the 2010 season the theme was sports. Our musical selections included the Notre Dame Fight Song, Theme From Rocky, Take Me Out To The Ballgame, Olympic Fanfare, Eat "Em Up and numerous pep band favorites. We had a wide variety of costumes which included football, hockey, tennis, baseball players, golfers, scuba diving, fishermen, Olympic shoppers, curlers, boxers, channel surfers, the Newfield Trojan and more. And the number of members expanded to 31! We had faculty, staff, administration, alumni, current students, community members and several special guests among our members.
In 2011 we helped celebrate Newfield's 200th Birthday. We built a giant cake, which we toted on the back of a pick up truck, threw candy and tossed ballons. We played such musical numbers as Happy Birthday, The Beatles' Birthday Song, Thunder & Blazes and more. Costumes included Mr. & Miss Newfield from 1811, a giant card (signed by all the Kazoo Band members), giant presents, a candle, clowns and more. And for the 6th straight year in a row we took first place to remain undefeated!!
The Old Home Days Parade theme in 2012 was Dancing In The Streets: A Salute to our Czech and Finnish Heritage. So, the Newfield Kazoo Band decided to salute c-h-e-c-k-s and f-i-n-s. Costumes ranged from checkers to checkerboards to shark fins, a "finn-ish" line, checklists and more. Musically we had a wide variety of selections. First up was the Beer Barrel Polka (checks)followed by Theme From Jaws (fins), In The Hall of the Mountain King (a salute to Scandinavian composer, Edvard Greig) and Chubby Checker's Twist. The Newfield Kazoo Band made it lucky #7 with yet another first place finish (or is that "Finnish?").
So, what can the kazoo band do to top this next year?? Just you wait and see....the ideas are already floating around!!