Welcome to the CMW Band Page!

Overview of our program:

Students who enroll in the band here at C. Milton Wright High School participate in both the marching band and the concert bands. Many of our students also play varsity sports, do very well academically, and hold after school jobs, all while being successful and contributing members of our ensembles. The marching band performs at all home football games, as well as the Harford County Band Showcase.  We also participate in the Bel Air, Kingsville, and Edgewood/Joppatowne summer parades, as well as the Bel Air and White Marsh winter parades.  Our concert band gives a full winter and spring concert and participates in the Harford County Band Assessments, achieving a superior rating for the last 9 years in a row. The C. Milton Wright Wind Ensemble also earned a Superior Rating at the Maryland State Band Assessments in 2018.


The C. Milton Wright Pep Band provides optional performance opportunities throughout the year including many boys and girls varsity basketball games, SARC - Walk a Mile in her Shoes to support victims of domestic abuse, and the Race for Hope in Washington DC to support cancer survivors. Other opportunities to perform include the Pit Band which plays for our Fall musical production each year.

Meet your directors:

Dr. Joel Frisch has worked as the percussion instructor and assistant band director at C. Milton Wright High School since 2013, prior to becoming the band director in 2018.  Before coming to C. Milton Wright, he performed with many professional orchestras in Maryland, Virginia, and Michigan. He also was the principal timpanist and percussionist of the Daejeon Philharmonic in South Korea for two years.
​He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in percussion from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and a doctorate in percussion from Michigan State University.  His duties at C. Milton Wright also include teaching guitar lab, and music theory.  Dr. Frisch attended a Days of our Lives convention when he was six years old.


Mr. George Ferenz began his tenure as assistant band director at C. Milton Wright High School as of the 2015-16 school year. Prior to arriving at C. Milton Wright, he was the band director at Bennett Middle School in Salisbury, Maryland.  Mr. Ferenz holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Shepherd University.  He is also the director of the orchestra and jazz ensemble programs at C. Milton Wright.  Mr. Ferenz’s greatest asset to the music program is his height dominance over Dr. Frisch.