Tom Tolen / news@whmi.com

Gabriella Hoffman, the popular Brighton High School band director for the past 12 years, confirms that she will be retiring at the end of the first semester in the coming school year.

Hoffman, who is 67, says that she will have her 25 years in public education by that time, citing that as the reason for her “difficult” decision.

Although Brighton already had an award-winning band program that has achieved recognition over the years, Hoffman’s tenure has only served to enhance that reputation for excellence. And the BHS Marching Band has accumulated numerous awards during her tenure.

These include several Superior ratings and Best Overall Band at Festival Disney in Orlando, Florida; Best Show, Most Entertaining Band and the Spirit award at the 2017 Outback Bowl; all four concert ensembles receiving Superior ratings at the MSBOA State Festival and marching in several Detroit Thanksgiving Day parades.

Hoffman came to Brighton after starting a band program at St. Joseph’s School in Howell. Initially, she was a “rover”, teaching music at Maltby Middle School (now Maltby Intermediate), Scranton Middle School and Brighton High School. She became the BHS band director upon the retirement of Rick Pithoud in 2012.

The band numbers were way down for three years during COVID because students were taking the course online. At one time the BHS marching band was one of the largest in the state, with up to 270 members. It currently has 125 members.

Although the numbers of band members are down this year in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, Hoffman says they will start going up again after next year. “Unfortunately,” Hoffman says, "COVID really hurt us.” She says the band program starts in the 5th grade as a “feeder” program, and by next year the 7th and 8th grades “will have big numbers of students taking band,” who will then matriculate to the high school program. Hoffman says, "In spite of COVID, our program has remained strong, successful and visible to our school, community and state.”

Among the awards and honors achieved by the Brighton High School band program during Gabriella Hoffman's tenure as director:

2012 Festival Disney Superior Rating; Best overall Band
2014 Trills and Thrills Cedar Point Festival - Superior
2014 Festival Disney Superior Rating
2015 Michigan State University Homecoming Parade
2016 Festival Disney Superior Rating; Best overall Band
2016 Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade
2017 Invited to and won awards in Outback Bowl in Tampa, FL: Best Show, Most Entertaining and Spirit Award
2019 Festival Disney Superior Rating; Best overall Band
2019 Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade
2020 Invited for 75th Commemorative Parade at Pearl Harbor.....trip cancelled due to COVID
2021 Michigan State University Homecoming Parade
2022 Festival Disney Parade
2023 Mackinaw Memorial Day Parade - Best Band
2023 MSBOA Marching Band Festival
2024 Imagination Disney Studio Session/Video
2000-2024 MSBOA Annual Consistent Superior ratings with all 4 Concert Ensembles
Most recent invitations
2024 MSBOA State Festival All 4 Concert Ensembles received superior ratings
2025 Invitation to perform at the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C. in May 2025