During the first weekend of November, The Glen Ridge High School Marching Band took home the third-place prize at the US Band National Championships, which took place at the MetLife Stadium. This marks a consecutive Bronze win for the band, as they won the same award during the 2022 season.
A marching band, and many other orchestral groups, are formed with different categories of instruments. The Band consists of a Woodwind Section, including flutes, and clarinets, a Brass section, including trumpets, horns, and tubas, as well as a percussion section, which contains a plethora of instruments, such as drums, xylophones/xylophone adjacent instruments, and even keyboards! The GRHS Marching Band also includes a color guard, a section of visual performers who coordinate their movements to the music of the band.
The band is led by our school’s beloved music teacher, Dr. Gage. Additionally, Dr.Gage is responsible for writing out sheet music for the band to perform. The marching aspect of the band is choreographed by Mrs. Landers. This also includes the choreography for the color guard. The Marching band is student-conducted, by Emma Walker, the Drum-Major. However, the Drum-Major is not the only student position given in the band. The Drill Sergeant, Amber Duckett, takes on a leadership role during band drills and takes leadership over the color guard. Each musical section has a leader, as well. The leaders of the Woodwinds are seniors Sarah Pacheco and Dylan Berutti. The captain of the brass section is junior Daphne Wallace. Last but not least, the leader of the percussion section is senior Karin Bessho.
At their MetLife performance, the band played a set centered around the Californian 60s rock band, The Beach Boys. Popular songs by the group were arranged by Dr. Gage, including Wouldn’t It Be Nice, God Only Knows, and Good Vibrations. Sophomore trombone player, John Mendiola, says that God Only Knows was one of his favorite songs to listen to, as well as perform. A set centered around one artist contrasts sets performed in previous years. During the 2022 Season, the band performed a series of Rhapsodies, songs that are categorized for expressing enthusiasm. Sophomore Clarinet player, Emma Roa, prefers the set of this year. “The energy and excitement the band and staff had towards this show elevated the experience. I wasn’t a fan of the Beach Boys before this, but I find myself relistening to their tunes today”, they say.
This impressive feat will be a seminal memory for the band members, but especially for the band members who are in the graduating class of 2024. Drum Major Emma Walker recalls the memory of performing for the stadium with great fondness. “I felt amazing. It was both the most exciting part of the season and rewarding. Like, how exciting! I get to end everything at MetLife!” she says. For GRHS Marching band families and fans, this will be an unforgettable experience. Congratulations!
