On March 18, 2023, the Bridgewater-Raritan High School Winter Percussion Ensemble was the first ensemble in the school’s Winter Percussion history to ever advance to the final at the Winter Guard International (WGI) Monroe Township Sports of the Arts Regional competition. 

Competing against 26 schools coming from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, and  Delaware, Bridgewater-Raritan Winter Percussion advanced to the final with a score of 81.20 and an award of Fourth in Music Effect, performing their quality show Reconnected.

The 12 talented percussionists in our school’s ensemble were the first ever in the decades of Winter Percussion to advance to finals, ranking eleventh place in the preliminary round among the 26 competing ensembles. This truly exemplifies the talent of this year’s ensemble and the amelioration of our already-outstanding band program and even the entire music education association of the Bridgewater Raritan School District. 

With their season starting in November and ending in May, the BRHS Winter Percussion Ensemble has an extremely long season with more than half of the school year to perfect their annual show. The model that they have exemplified through coming this far in their musical journey truly stands as a model for the years of success that they are sure to achieve. 

“There are many factors that go into a successful season, and although it’s difficult to single out any single factor, I think it’s the team’s aim for week-to-week goals, set by director Kirby Marino, that keeps everyone on track and focused,” said the high school’s band director, Mr. Nicholas Mossa. “The biggest changes this year were to provide more of a focus on visual instruction & design, which was a caption that the team didn’t have as much training in last year, and to design a more exciting program so the students & audience alike can enjoy.”

Thank you to Mr. Mossa for his insightful comments, and sincere congrats to the Bridgewater-Raritan Winter Percussion Ensemble once again; on behalf of the Prowler, we cannot wait to see what feats you achieve next!