Aloha, 

The McKinley Band & Orchestra program is special to us, and many other students, as it is a place of community with like-minded individuals that strive to the same goal within every performance, event and challenge. Along with our efforts and hard-work to create wonderful music for our community to enjoy, many students find belonging within the walls of our band room. We thoroughly enjoy the presence and company of the other students, and have cultivated wonderful friendships while making music together. Along with this, the traditions and history that our program holds is dear to our hearts, as we acknowledge the importance of the people that came before us and persevered through the same challenges as them. We still continue the traditions set years ago, and strive to uphold and strengthen them as the years go on. We have seen first-hand the benefits of being in this program, both in music and character. Many wonderful musicians come out of this program, as we strive to excel in our tone, technique, and musicality through efficient rehearsals, classes, sectionals, etc. But most importantly, strong character and leadership skills have been built upon this standard and foundation. Students are taught to lead in music, teaching their peers and underclassmen how to excel on their instruments and in the program itself. This leadership that has been cultivated requires the building of proficient character—students are taught to be kind, good-hearted people in society, as music is an unselfish art.

Coming together as a community with the support of parents and alumni is beneficial to the success of our students. With provided help, opportunities are created which will help our program in many ways including: fundraisers, resources, extra help at performances, safety for our students, etc. The unwavering support of our program will maintain itself through the advocacy and contributions made from the community. As we look ahead, we envision this program to grow as we embrace the challenges faced within music and as individuals. We learn as a program how to persevere through setbacks and come back even stronger. Continuing the legacy passed from those before us and our constant strive for excellence in music will inspire others and connect us all. Thank you for visiting this site and being a part of the support needed to ensure our fellow students succeed. We cannot do this without your support!

Mahalo, 

Jacky O. & MJ G.

2025-2026 McKinley Band & Orchestra Presidents