These days the Roslyn Marching Band students are walking through their high school with extra pride, spirit and even a bit more respect from their classmates.

On Sunday, Oct. 29, the band scored an exciting second place in this year's New York State Field Band Conference Championships at the Carrier Dome at Syracuse University.

This year's victory marks a tremendous accomplishment for the Marching Bulldogs and an unprecedented increase in standing, as they went from last place in 2005 to the silver medal this year, with performance scores that were better than seventeen other schools in the competition.

The Marching Bulldogs scored below only Malverne High School, who won first place this year after being the second ranked band in their class for the last two years. The win is especially impressive for Roslyn, whose band has been in existence for only five years, and is filled with new members, having jumped from 85 members last year to its present 126.

This performance capped off a memorable season, which began back in August with a rigorous week of training at a secluded campsite in upstate New York, during which the 126-member band learned their new program, "The Piano Lesson," and perfected their marching, playing, flagging and dancing skills.

The band then performed the program for Roslyn High School Homecoming, halftime at home football games, competitions at Mineola, Brentwood, and Phoenix, AZ, and a special performance at the Newsday Festival at Hofstra University, before continuing on to their spectacular showing at the Statewide competition.

The band's championship performance was witnessed by over 115 parents and siblings, who traveled to Syracuse to cheer them on. These intrepid family members were rewarded with the thrill of watching a strong performance, followed by an exciting, suspenseful revelation of the final scores.

The excitement ran wild, when one by one, from lowest to highest, the scores were revealed and Roslyn was still in the running after third place was announced. Band Director Pat Patterson proudly congratulated his band members, expressed his appreciation for their consistent and energetic performances, and was gratified to note that the band had received very fair treatment from the judges in their scoring.

The Piano Lesson is the musical story of a reluctant piano teacher and her even more reluctant student, who are trying to have a lesson while the Marching Band practices outside their window.

It incorporates humor and fun along with excellent acting, musicianship, drumline performance, and the visual artistry of intricate flag and dance routines. The performance season is over, but it has been captured on video, and will be available to all Marching Band fans in the near future.