Northport High School prizes itself with some of the best sports teams on Long Island. On Sunday, November 13, the girls Field Hockey won against Syracuse for their second New York State Class A Championship in a row in an undefeated 23-0 season. Both the girls and boys Cross Country teams placed 3rd at the NYS Cross Country Championships. The Varsity football team also made it to the County Championships. 

These are just some exemplary moments of how our school sports teams continue to put Northport High School on the map. However, another type of team puts our school on the map, but isn’t really recognized for it. The Northport High School music program is full of talented performers and teachers, but doesn’t really get the credit for it.

Yes, I’m aware the Northport High School Marching Band is well branded as the largest band on the island. But, when two Northporters discuss the recent football game, do they talk about how amazing the halftime show was, or what pep tune was their favorite? The Tiger Marching Band spends so much time perfecting their performances, yet most people only talk about the exciting plays from the football game. I get that people enjoy the football games for the thrill and excitement of the sport, but shouldn’t the band get some credit for putting in as much work as the students who are playing are? 

The band is overshadowed by the football team because without the team, the band wouldn’t really exist. But the band has grown to be something extraordinary. The Tiger band has performed in parades, Major League sports games, and even down Main Street in Disney. Lynn Cromeyn, director of the band, has put in so much work to make our band known island-wide, but all of that pride and joy the band gets is always concealed by a sports victory.

The Northport Choir is another music group that practically gets no recognition at all. The tour choir puts in a lot of work warming up, practicing, and performing, but doesn’t get credit because they don’t get rewards. The choir has toured around Long Island, the country, and even Europe, but not many know about it because it gets quickly overshadowed by other events. We may not all like singing, but we all should all respect the amount of work that goes into choir. Dana Warren, director of the choir, and his students should receive more attention for how brilliant their performances are.

Another group that often gets overshadowed is the Northport High School theater program. Theater combines singing, dancing, and acting, which is arguably just as strenuous as playing a sport. Theater students must put themselves through an exhausting amount of warm-ups, practices, do-overs, and dress rehearsals for just one show. This year, the theater program is putting on a production of The Little Mermaid, which I’m sure everyone is familiar with. Directed by Michael Sussino, the play definitely deserves more attention than a fleeting moment of community fame.

While our sports program should definitely get credit for giving our community so much love and fame, the music program shouldn’t be overlooked for doing the same exact thing. The Northport music program draws in just as many people as our sports program, but doesn’t get the credit because they don’t bring home trophies, medals, or any sort of reward. I’m not saying we should let our music program overshadow our sports program, but I am saying the next time Northport High School is brought up, give some attention to our incredible music program.