Dhruba Bhattacharjee

The JP Marching Band performing at their home show

The beat of the drums from the numerous bands could be heard throughout Grove Avenue as marching bands from around the state played their shows at JP Stevens. On September 30, the JPS Marching Band program held its annual home competition. These competitions are a great way for bands to display their talent while also being able to improve with the feedback they receive from the judges.

Parents and students began filing into the stands at 4:45 p.m. to cheer on their bands as they performed. The event kicked off with a saxophone quintet from the JPS marching band performing the Star Spangled Banner as a prelude to the first show of the evening. A total of 12 bands from across the state were scheduled to perform based on their marching band class. Each band is categorized into 4 different classes, 1A to 4A, based on the size of their marching band.

To begin the competition, the three class 2A bands performed beginning with Old Bridge High School, then Watchung Hills Regional, and finally Governor Livingston. Following these performances came the three class 1A bands: Rahway High School, Linden, and Manville. 

A brief intermission before the next set of bands allowed students and parents to grab a snack from the concession stands, which were run by members from the JPS Band Parents Association who volunteered their time to help out the bands with a supply of food and drinks. Student volunteers from the band and the JPS National Honor Society also helped to escort the bands, sell tickets, run water stations, and run errands for the judges.

Subsequently, the class 3A bands began their performances at 7:00 p.m., commencing with Cranford High School, then Monroe Township High School, Edison High School, Scotch Plains Fanwood High School, and finally East Brunswick High School. The last and sole class 4A band to perform for the competition was Elizabeth. As customary at all marching band competitions, the host, the JPS Marching Hawks, then performed their show in exhibition, which means they were not ranked among other bands. 

“Even though it being my last season is somewhat bittersweet, I am so glad to have spent my final home show surrounded by my friends and family!” said senior Prakruti Ankem.

To end the night, the award ceremony began, and each band waited in anticipation as the announcer shared the scores and placements of each band within their respective classes. The drum majors of the bands headed onto the field and lined up facing the audience in the stands and the trophies on the track. The members of the JPS band sponsored the trophies and presented the awards with a local dignitary to the respective bands. 

The score for each band is divided and judged based on five categories: individual music, music ensemble, music effect, visual ensemble, and visual effect. There are five judges appointed by the NJMBDA (New Jersey Marching Band Directors Association) who are each assigned their own category to adjudicate. Each category is scored out of 20 and is then added up for a total score out of 100. Along with this, caption awards are also appointed to bands, including musical performance (individual music and music ensemble scores added), visual performance (visual ensemble score), and general effect (music and visual effect scores added).

For class 1A, Manville came in first place with a score of 68.1 with caption awards for best music, best visual, and best general effect. For class 2A, Governor Livingston won with a score of 72.4 including caption awards for best visual and effect. For class 3A, Edison achieved first place with a score of 76.2, winning caption awards for best music, visual, and effect. Finally, Elizabeth was awarded the Grand Champion award for the band with the highest overall score at 76.5, just barely beating Edison. For the overall caption awards, Edison won best overall music and visual while Elizabeth won overall best general effect. 

“The event went great overall, despite the first two missed competitions which got rained out. There were many bands from several different schools who all worked hard to produce their shows,” said sophomore Arnav Tripathi. “The community of bands is overall really friendly and it’s an enjoyable experience.”

Ultimately, the show was a success for every band that came out as each band was able to showcase their hard work and learn what they needed to improve on in the weeks leading up to state championships.