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Union Editor

The Anoka High School Marching Band is ending its competitive season on a high note.

The band, which features the musical talents of 65 students, took home first place in the Class A division of the Youth and Music Finals competition held at the Metrodome last month.

According to Marching Band Director Phil Snyder, Youth and Music Finals serves as a last competition of the season for every marching band in the state. At the meet, the band was also recognized for “Best Color Guard” and “Best Percussion.”

The local marching band is moving up the ranks, improving on its fourth- place finish from last year.

“I think part of it has been that the kids are really great, really driven this year,” said Snyder. “They put on a fantastic performance.”

The band has been competing with the performance “Cathedrals,” which is a compilation of several pieces including an adaptation of the choral piece “Ave Maria.”

The performance, which the band also uses for half- time football shows, is eight and a half minutes long.

The band started practicing in August, kicking off the season with two weeks of band camp where the players practiced six and 12 hours a day.

During the season, Snyder said the band averages 15 hours of practice a week, plus performances.

In its seven competitive performances, the Anoka High School Marching Band had a number of outstanding finishes, ranging from third to first place.

In addition, drum major Emily Madden was named “Outstanding Drum Major” at the Champlin Park show.

“There is a student leadership component to being in marching band and these kids are just outstanding,” said Snyder.

Snyder is in his second year with the Anoka High School Marching Band. Last year he served as assistant director and in 2009 moved to the director’s spot.

He is currently a student teacher at Anoka High School, while working on his master’s degree in education at the University of Minnesota. He also holds a degree in trumpet performance from Eau Claire, Wis.

The band is nearly wrapped for the year after Saturday’s performance in the Anoka Halloween Grand Day Parade.

It will play one last time in downtown Minneapolis  Friday, Nov. 13 for the Northstar Commuter Rail grand opening celebrations.

Mandy Moran Froemming is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it