MUS Communications
Stringing it all together: Bill Chiang '26 and Will Brezina '27 perform at the Bold Vision Bright Future groundbreaking, an example of the immense musical growth at MUS.
Rising from a small class, brimming with potential, crammed into the football film room to a consistently award-winning band filling the Wunderlich, the growth of the MUS music program has been astounding.
This summer, the MUS band made the move to the Wunderlich auditorium, etching a transformative experience for the band.
While the original location–the football film room–was adequate during the early stages of the MUS band, it became stifling. Whether it be the inability to hold the full band and orchestra, subpar acoustics, or the restricted access during OP, it became clear that the film room grew insufficient for the band in the long run.
The band program achieved a major milestone during the 2024-25 school year: “Excellent” ratings from a panel of judges at MUS’ first appearance at Concert Festival, an important event where bands perform and are evaluated by a panel of judges. The Wind Ensemble, even with a majority of lower school constituents, placed first in a high school competition and achieved the highest score of any musical ensemble in attendance. The Owls also brought home the “Espirit de Corps” award, given to a single ensemble to commend their integrity and character.
With this expansion, the band hopes to have an even better year.
“[The move to the Wunderlich] suggests a really bright future for both our band and orchestra program… this gives us a permanent place where students can come in, get extra help, study and it feels like we are more of a fixture here on campus” said Music Instructor Brian Scott.
Music Director Chris Piecuch also believes the move to Wunderlich shows exceptional belief in the program. “The administration here is interested in having a band and orchestra program… they’ve seen we’ve outgrown the other room and they went out of their way to create a new environment for us.”
Alongside space expansions, the band program plans to take on more commitments, scheduling performances of multiple concerts, taking another trip and beginning to tour and perform at middle schools. Scott and Piecuch have also been collaborating with Student Council President Will Fortas ’26 to improve the Pep Band, seating performers in the student section and embracing the weekly student themes.
Despite this growth, there is work to be done.
When asked about what could be holding the band back, Scott stated, “It’s hard to get into the right mentality for a band because it’s a lot like a sports team… you can be individually good but not be a good teammate. It’s all about the group moving forward as a whole towards a common goal.”
Piecuch wishes students had more time to explore musical options. “We teach in an environment that’s not used to having these kinds of programs. They’re working hard in the main office to accommodate us, but it’s hard to get students available to be in rehearsal with all their other schedule demands.”
Despite the struggle to coordinate these programs with the current schedule, eager students have grown the program to the largest it has ever been. Senior Jacob Ray is among them, having embraced his time with the band: “Even if we don’t have as much stuff as can be done as other schools do, we are very clearly up in the top for all-west and individual performances and because of stuff like solo and ensemble and other opportunities given through the program, I have improved way more than I would have at my other school.”
The MUS band and orchestra turn towards October 26, preparing for their Halloween concert, now with a revitalized space to rehearse.