Marching Band Embraces 'Roaring 20s' Theme

Editor's note: The following was written by Patrick Sullivan, a student at Chatham High School who is doing an independent study in arts and media management. One of his functions is to raise public awareness of the perfoming arts.

The year is 1924, the Roaring Twenties. World War I is over, and it’s time to enjoy the peacetime. Jazz dominates pop culture. George Gershwin composes iconic music such as Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris, which become among the most popular musical compositions of the decade. Written as a “musical kaleidoscope of America”, Gershwin’s music represents the melting pot culture of America and its increasing metropolitan madness.

This has been the setting for the Chatham High School marching band show for the Fall 2012 season, as they proudly take the field to compete and perform for the community.

The band officially met for the first time towards the end of August for a six-day camp in Lebanon, NJ to hone music and drill for the show. The band goes to camp with some music memorized, and comes out with a full mobile show ready for the first football game, complete with parent roadies and assistants on board to transport equipment to games and competitions.

Band Director Brian Conti, in his 21st year directing the ensemble is a veteran music staff member of the Chathams, and is joined by CHS alumni brothers and marching band enthusiasts Brian and Steven Johnson, who manage the percussion line and assistant direct. The staff is completed with Dawn Sobi, who creates the routines for the guard’s performance that offers a visual enhancement to the band’s music.

This year’s show offers some special visual effects including a white baby grand piano (donated by a local resident) on a large tarp with piano keys fit for the guard’s dance routine, pianist Patrick Sullivan (a la George Gershwin) in a dapper white tuxedo and tailcoat, and a full compliment of props including a replica of the Eiffel Tower.

During the three-month performance season, the band rehearses three times per week and typically performs either at a football game or competition each weekend, sometimes double booking and performing twice in one weekend.

The CHS Marching Band has been active in the competition circuit for several years. The US Scholastic Band Association was formed in the Fall of 1988 to provide high school marching bands with a competitive circuit featuring the best adjudicators from across the country in outstanding performance venues for the.

The US Scholastic Band Association boasts membership of over 700 participating high school marching bands across the country. Each year, bands are offered festival opportunities in addition to invitations to compete at major Regional Championships and in Regional, State, and National Championships. Bands participate in twelve different classes, performing and competing with other bands of like size and talent. 

The competitive classes are first broken down by the number of performing members in the ensemble, then into two tiers based on level of achievement. USBands, sponsored through Youth Education in the Arts provides high school bands with well-known and respected adjudicators who evaluate bands at events sponsored or hosted by USBands. Directors receive feedback on their design and programming, while the performance is evaluated so that each band’s experience at the event can be maximized.

To date, the marching Cougars have completed three of their four competitions for 2012. Their first competition on Sept. 22 saw a second place finish with the caption award for Best Music. Another competition on Oct. 6 resulted in a third place finish with an increase in overall score.

In the Oct. 22 competition, the band took second place with a score of 87.875, a jump of 14 points from the previous competition, with the color guard impressing the judges with a first place finish.

On the evening of Nov. 4 the Marching Cougars will perform at High Point Stadium, Rutgers University, in the NJ State Championship competition, a culminating event which runs through the entire weekend and includes over 100 high school marching bands. Interested fans can purchase tickets at the stadium or through director Brian Conti at bconti@chatham-nj.org.