Hialeah student marching band hope for community support – WSVN-TV – 7NEWS Miami Ft. Lauderdale News, Weather, Deco

HIALEAH, Fla. (WSVN) — A South Florida marching band needs the community’s help to take them to the top.

The Hialeah High Marching Band is the only band in Miami-Dade to win two State Championships back to back. It was certainly a big win for the marching band after they placed first in the 2015 Marching Band State Championship in December. “It’s actually the third time that the program’s won,” said band director Omar Perez. ” This happens to be our first, back to back, so it’s the first time in school history and the first time that a Miami band has ever done that.”

Those achievements mean so much more when you see what they’re working with. Some of the instruments are so old that they’re taped together. “Every time we go out to compete and see the big bands out there, that everything is sparkly and shiny and we see our kids chugging along like the little engines that could,” said parent and president of the Booster Club Barbara Ybarra.

They proved they could. Not only did they bring home the title two times back to back, but each time they returned with a life-long lesson. “We try to emphasize to the students that it’s not about the quality of the instrument, it’s what you bring to the table,” Perez said. “And at the end of the day, if they’re the best that they can, that should be good enough.”