Many school bands organize their year around competitions, but Freedom High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the only contest is topping the previous season's performances for the student body and surrounding community. That is just how Michael Moran--Freedom's busy band and orchestra director, fine and practical arts department chair, and wind ensemble/pit orchestra director--likes it. "We don't compete like most traditional high school bands," says Moran. "It's an interesting situation. Usually it's the competitions high school bands participate in that motivate the students." Moran came from competitive programs at Spring-Ford and Elizabeth and he used to be very competitive. When he came here, this was a situation he inherited. "And to be quite honest, I enjoy having weekends off to do outside community things and get a chance to perform with other bands," he says. Having those weekends off, in fact, has allowed Moran for the past several years to perform with the Macungie Band, a local ensemble that named him director in January 2010. Being able to keep up with performing is important to this self-professed "band geek," who grew up in Northampton, Pennsylvania, playing trombone not only through high school but in regional orchestras, as well as the Young People's Philharmonic and the Pennsylvania Youth Honors Concert Band.