Article written by Ainsley Hall and published in The Journal on November 10, 2025, link to article HERE .
Musselman High School Marching Band earned their first Tournament of Bands Atlantic Coast Championship, becoming the first band in West Virginia to earn the title. The band traveled to Hershey, Pennsylvania to perform in the tournament, competing against other bands throughout the East Coast.
When they heard they won first place, the band had a lot of emotions, from shock to relief to joy. Some of the students who participated in the tournament included Lucy Green as drum major, Addison Miller and Armani Brown as color guard, Charlie Rutherford on mellophone, Roger Seal on center snare drum, Ben Reynolds on alto saxophone and Anna Joyce on trombone. They said that there were a lot of tears when they realized they had won. Joyce described the moment, saying that there was a unanimous gasp from the crowd when they realized Musselman had won.
One of their favorite parts of the tournament was seeing how the band has grown since the beginning of the school year. As one of the leaders in the band, Green was so proud to hear everyone play together.
“Our band has really grown in itself this year,” Green said. “It’s more uniform. We’re very connected and have grown very close to each other. They made me so proud that night, seeing them all lined up, warming up, I just had to stop and listen.”
Many hours of practice went into preparing for the tournament. Having three to four practices a week during the school year, spending three to four hours practicing, then going home to finish homework and other school assignments. It takes a lot of dedication and work ethic to participate in band, but because of their passion for music, students stick with it. Brown added that the parent volunteers give just as much time and effort as the students, raising money so they can participate in the tournament. The students learned that their hard works pays off.
What makes the students passionate about being in the band is their Band Director Michael Knepper. They said that he is the one who pushes them to do their best and inspires them to be better both in and outside the classroom.
“I really think that everyone does have a different story, but it all leads back to the people that brought us here and the people that we all play for,” Green said. “Mr. Knepper is definitely a response that most people would give of who encouraged their passion, if I can speak for everyone. Plus all of our instructors, they’re amazing people and we wouldn’t be here without them.”
Knepper was proud of his students and how far they’d come. He was happy to see their hard work pay off throughout the tournament, but it’s the way they’ve grown outside the band that makes him truly proud. He believes music is a great way to teach young people responsibility and dedication.
“It’s surreal,” Knepper said. “I stayed in education because I enjoy seeing people grow. Especially in meaningful ways outside of the classroom.”