John D. Walker, an alumnus graduating in 1981 and a Big Red Band saxophonist, recently submitted his opinions about the demise of the HHS Jazz Band and the lack of attempt to revive it recently in the "Band Roster" guestbook:
. . . I attended the centennial HHS band alumni night and the HHS band alumni night held the next year, before Farmer took over at HHS. As an HHS Band alum, BC,"Before Classical," it hasn't escaped my attention that the GREAT JAZZ BAND tradition (that Hillsborough High once had when local greats such as Basil Rodriguez-trumpet, Mike Scaglione-woodwinds, and Wayne Gallops-clarinet and keyboards, to name a few, were going through the program) has not been revived. Numerous alums have asked Farmer to bring back the HHS Jazz Band that he eliminated when he took over the reigns from Wayne Gallops at Hillsborough. To this day, I truly believe that eliminating the HHS Jazz Band was then and now remains a huge misdeed, depriving many of the HHS kids who may have had a desire or talent for the popular forms of music expression at HHS, jazz, be-bop, swing, blues, R&B to name a few, on their instruments. I realise Farmer is a Classical man, however this is the 1990s, not the 1960s. It is a shame to see that year after year HHS Band members are graduating from Hillsborough High School, without improvisation skills or the ability to read changes on a sheet of music, or the basic knowledge of the modern popular forms of music that engulf and enrich their daily lives!!! The days of musical snobbery are over!