On Saturday September 17, Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Raider Marching Band hosted a Marching Band Competition, where the best high school marching bands from many different districts competed. The event was also used as a fundraiser for the Music Boosters. Adjudicators came down to the field to critique and judge each marching band.

Highlights from the home show:

South Plainfield High School Marching Band’s “Distorted Dreams” was truly remarkable. Their performance contained violin and clarinet/oboe solos, which is unusual but very unique for a marching band.
East Brunswick High School Marching Band’s “Signs” was truly unique. The setup were various traffic stop signs such a yield, stop, and detour. They also used sign language during their performance, which was truly a unique and touching moment.
Some marching bands used their color guard as focal points for the performance. North Plainfield High School Marching Band’s “From the Land of the Rising Sun” had three dancers, one female and two males. They told the story of a woman being torn between two choices. The style of dance was contemporary, and was performed beautifully.
West Orange High School Marching Band included vocals in its performance. On a silver, star-shaped platform, a member of West Orange High School’s color guard sang along with the band for “Defying Gravity” from the Broadway hit, Wicked and “Diamond” by Rihanna. It was definitely a surprise, again, in a marching band setting, but her powerful made the performance even more outstanding.
Edison High School Marching Band’s “The Heart Beats for Life.” This performance utilized other means to carry the audience through the story. As a heartbeat played in the background, we were introduced to a man and woman falling in love. Through audio recordings and the marching band’s music, the story of the couple’s love, from their wedding day to their first fight to the birth of their baby, was eloquently told.
The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Raider Marching Band “The Oath of Kingdom and Glory” performed last, but was not judged.
“I thought they did a very good job and hopefully they keep coming back to our fundraiser,” marching band director Durant Thomas said.
Thomas has been working with Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School’s marching band for 21 years, but has taken the official title of Band Director four years ago.
The performances were breath-taking; the bands really did a fantastic job of telling their stories through the music, their set designs, and their formations. It’s evident that the standards of marching band performances are become greater every year; no longer is it only about the music and the formations, it’s about creating an innovative piece and moving the audience with the story behind the music. It truly shows how hard all the marching bands work to put on a fantastic show.

Awards/Scores:

1A with a score of 66.2, All Caption Award – Linden High School Marching Band
3A Second Place, with a score of 74.6, Best Overall Effect Cranford High School Marching Band
3A First Place, with a score of 75.15 South Plainfield High School Marching Band
4A Second Place, with a score of 75.525 North Plainfield High School Marching Band
4A First Place, Best Music Visual, with a score of 77.2, East Brunswick High School Marching Band
5, First Place with a score of 81.775 West Orange High School Marching Band
6A First Place with a score of 78.425 Westfield High School Marching Band
3 Open, First Place, with a score of 76.125 Edison High School Marching Band
6 Open First Place, with a score of 78.55 J.P. Stevens High School Marching Band
Highest score: West Orange High School Marching Band