On Sat. Sept. 23, the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Marching Band was scheduled to put on their annual home show for their families, friends, and community members. Their 2023 show is titled ‘Fight, Dream, Hope, Love: Les Misérables’. The event was canceled due to inclement weather on Saturday.
The band’s show, ‘Fight, Dream, Hope, Love: Les Misérables’, which they were scheduled to perform at the home show runs from about eight to ten minutes, and includes the songs ‘At The End Of The Day’, ‘Bring Him Home’, ‘Master Of The House’ and ‘One Day More’.
“The home show is a really good opportunity for the school community to see what [the] marching band’s about, and I was excited to see some of my friends and family in the stands,” sophomore color guard member Sofia Sanchez said. “I also love watching the bands and color guards of other schools because they all put so much work into their performances.”
The SPFHS marching band has been practicing for the home show since July, but they had a few practices in June for their spring training, summer rehearsals twice a week throughout July and held their annual two-week band camp in August.
“Ever since this year’s show was announced, I was ecstatic,” senior drum major Hannah Baik said. “Les Misérables is much different from anything our band has ever done before, so it was both exciting and inspiring. Not only is it a show filled with intense emotions and beautiful, timeless music that everyone loves and knows, but I think it’s fair to say that everyone in the band is enthusiastic for a chance to perform such a special show this season.”
SPFHS’s annual home school typically includes concessions and performances from other local New Jersey high school marching bands, and acts as a major fundraiser for the SPFHS band.
“The home show is different [from] any other [competition], not because you don’t get scored compared to the competitions, but because the competition is at home,” junior Henry Lassman said. Lassman is a part of the ‘pit’—the mallet percussion group. “It’s a vibe I can’t really put into words..It’s been an ongoing tradition for over 50 years, and it would be sad if the streak had to end because of some tropical storm.”
The community and the marching band, and its staff, hope for the home show to be rescheduled soon, but nothing is guaranteed. Despite the disappointment and sadness that came with the cancellation, band members are still excited and having fun this season.
“Marching band is unlike any other experience at the high school,” Baik said. “I’ve made so many friends and memories through it and now that I’m a senior, it feels like I’m leaving behind a huge family that I’ll always remember. Everyone works so hard every single day and I cannot emphasize enough how much I recommend everyone to join, there’s truly a place for everyone here in the band.”
