The Bridgewater-Raritan High School Indoor Percussion ensemble (BRIP) has made history on many fronts, concluding the season with a multitude of success and setting the stage for their show, “Let it Shine,” to be remembered for years to come.
From their last competition, namely the Trumbull showing on February 24 where BRIP placed eighth with a score of 74.25, the ensemble has worked tirelessly to reach the standard of excellence exemplified over the course of the entire season.
After Trumbull, BRIP performed “Let it Shine” at North Penn High School in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Alongside 15 other ensembles, they placed fourth with a score of 83.75. Compared to their previous competition, the ensemble increased their score by 9.50 points within two weeks, portraying the direct value of their hard work in the time between competitions.
Subsequently, the following Saturday, BRIP performed at Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Arena in Toms River, New Jersey for Winter Guard International (WGI) East Power Regionals. Regionals are a way for the ensemble to place in the top levels and advance to finals performances, which BRIP did for the first time in school history during their 2022-2023 season when they performed “Reconnected.”
At the East Power Regionals competition, BRIP made it to finals once again, the second time in their 2023-24 season alone with a score of 84.20 and sixth place out of 26 teams. On March 24, BRIP reassembled at Toms River again for WGI East Power Finals and performed “Let it Shine,” finishing strong with a score of 83.775 and sixth place out of all finals performers.
On April 6, BRIP put on yet another installment of the same performance at Spring Ford in Royersford, Pennsylvania for the Mid Atlantic Percussion Society (MAPS) Prelims. The performance was refined and perfected further with the two weeks passed from their previous competition. BRIP placed third out of 22 competitors in the preliminary performances, securing their place in finals.
From there, for their last performance of “Let it Shine” of the season, BRIP made school history in two ways. They earned silver at finals, the highest ranking in the program’s history, and earned the highest score to ever be achieved: 91.80.
As a result of their hard work and successful performances during MAPS Prelims and Finals, the Bridgewater-Raritan High School Indoor Percussion ensemble was one of the co-recipients of the Marine Honor Award from the MAPS organization. This award was only given to two ensembles at the finals level, exemplifying the new heights the ensemble has reached.
The ensemble concluded an impressive and record-breaking 2023-2024 season, setting the stage for the upcoming 2024-2025 season.
