The Men Behind the Red Hurricane Marching Band

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Ashley Kohnen, Senior Editor

Everyone in the community knows about the Red Hurricane Band but how much do they know about the men behind the curtain. The following interviews with Mr. Nick Yoho and Mr. John Onufrak will tell their stories from their participation in the Red Hurricane Marching Band in their high school years, current position of the band, and where they see the band going in the future.

Q: What years were you apart of this organization in high school?

Yoho: 1992-1996

Onufrak: 1996-2000

 

Q: Who was in your current position when you went here?

Yoho: Dr. Zumpella

Onufrak: Dr. Zumpella

 

Q: Where did you go to college and why?

Yoho: I went to YSU. The biggest reason I decided to go there was during my senior year I studied with the saxophone professor there and I wanted to continue with him.

Onufrak: I went to YSU because they had the best music close by. I didn’t want to go far.

 

Q: When did you decide you wanted to major in music and what made you decide?

Yoho: I officially decided that I wanted to go into music at the end of my junior year in high school. Music classes were always my favorite and I knew I wanted to be surrounded by it in my career.

Onufrak: Nothing major happened I just knew from a very young age that music was a passion of mine.

 

Q: What made you come back to New Castle and where did you start out?

Yoho: I started out at Ben Franklin as a junior high choir director and 7th grade general music teacher. I started out here because I didn’t want to move too far and I was just in the right place at the right time.

Onufrak: They needed a sub for a teacher and they called me. Then someone retired and I got hired in as kindergarten through sixth grade.

 

Q: How did you get to where you are today?

Yoho: Mr. Pallidino retired and I was moved up here.

Onufrak: There was consolidation and an opening came up here.

 

Q: How has this organization changed from when you were in it to when you first started directing it?

Yoho: We use to only have one drum major but I felt that it was too isolating so I made the decision to have two. We grew a lot and I’m glad to have been involved in helping it grow.

Onufrak: Our numbers grew, like doubled in size. But we’ve also bettered our reputation in PMEA (Pennsylvania Music Educators Association), which is great.

 

Q: What’s your proudest moment during your time directing this band?

Yoho: Truly seeing the love of music instilled in our students. Also when we bring back alumni band, just seeing all the past and present band members all together was amazing.

Onufrak: This is a really tough question. I think the biggest thing is how much the music and knowledge we’ve given the students can really impact their lives and make it a good experience for them.

 

Q: Where would you like to see the organization go in the future?

Yoho: I hope to see our numbers increase even more than they have since we took over.

Onufrak: I really want to see us marching in a big event like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or playing at a huge venue like Heinz Hall.