Son to take cue from father's time as director

For 35 years, a Falvo has led the Canon-McMillan High School band through hundreds of parades, festivals and performances across the country.

That tradition will continue, even after band director James Falvo retires next month.

Mark Falvo, James Falvo's son, will take over as director of the high school's music program. The school board named the younger Falvo director last month after he worked for the last year by his father's side as assistant marching band director.

"It was great," Mark Falvo said of working with his father. "I think I learned more from him than from my previous seven years of teaching and six years of college."

Mark Falvo, currently the band director at Linton Middle School in the Penn Hills School District, will be stepping into a program his father was instrumental in creating.

"I believe he's built the entire program to what it is today," said Canon-McMillan High School Principal Mark Hoover. "Everything we have today is probably because of him."

James Falvo said when he began at the district, the music program consisted of a concert band and a marching band that totaled about 44 students, including the dance and flag teams.

Today, the band program also includes two jazz ensembles, two pep bands and an orchestra. Instrumentalists alone in the concert band will total 160 next school year. The number is expected to climb to more than 200 the following year.

That growth is what James Falvo said gives him the most pride.

"This is an excellent school district and the music program is solid throughout. Our elementary teachers are all excellent and great motivators. Both the elementary and the middle school give excellent foundations," he said. "I have the easiest job because I get (the students) after they're well-trained."

The Falvos are two of five band directors from their family. James Falvo's deceased brother -- Mark Falvo's uncle -- and his two nephews all are band directors.

"When you are the youngest of five, it's hard to get away from it," Mark Falvo said, laughing. "It's always been a love that I had, an intrinsic love of (music) that grew out of that."

James Falvo said his son was anxious to get started.

"The weekend after they hired him, he had me up here working," James Falvo said. "He wanted football schedules, invitations to band festivals and trips schedules ... There are so many decisions that have to be made.

"In some schools, things don't happen until August, but we have a parade on the Fourth of July," he said. "We get out of school June 11 and on June 26 we start up again to prepare for the Fourth ..." He quickly corrected himself. "I've got to quit saying 'we,' " he said, laughing.

While James Falvo looks forward to having holidays, summers and weekends off for the first time in 35 years, Mark Falvo said he plans to continue what his father started.

"I'm not my father. I'm not the same person he is, but a lot of my philosophical goals are taken from him," he said. "My first year there I'm going to continue along in the same direction. It's a great program and it's steeped in a lot of tradition."

Additional Information:

The Falvo file

James Falvo