The Bridgewater-Raritan High School Monday Band concluded their season for the school year.
The audience buzzed for Monday Band at every performance. After the band had presented their music, they were met with praise and booming applause from the adjudicators as well as those simply spectating the performance.
For each performance, the band was graced with awards showcasing their accomplishments, as well as the hard work they all dedicated.
The Monday Band had its first competitive performance in February, and they had originally carried out auditions for the Monday Jazz Band in October. Once the selection process was complete, the band practiced three pieces of music every Monday and Wednesday until their first performance.
They practiced during the week to perform “Recuerdos” by Stan Kenton, “I’m Glad There is You” by Jimmy Dorsey and “Don’t Git Sassy” by Thad Jones. On February 9, the Monday Band went to Edison High School, and had a successful performance where they won their first award.
On March 1, the Monday Jazz Band traveled to Allentown High School, where they also gained accolades for their performance. On March 5, the Monday Band had their NJAJE State Jazz Prelims, which was the qualifying competition to see if they would gain a spot at the NJ Jazz State Competition. While the Monday Band was unable to qualify, they did leave the competition with a silver award, indicating they scored high on musical proficiency.
On March 22, the Monday Jazz Band attended and performed at two jazz competitions in one day. This “double-header” started with the Monday Jazz Band’s performance at Scotch-Plains Fanwood High School. As soon as they gave their performance, they went to Southern Regional High School. Despite the difficulties of the day, it was a successful day for the Monday Band. During the award ceremony, the Monday Band Saxophone Section won Best Saxophone Section out of the bands that were present. They also returned to Bridgewater-Raritan with a gold award.
The Bridgewater-Raritan Monday Band capped off their season at the Bridgewater-Raritan High School Winter Extravaganza on April 25. They performed the pieces one last time and rounded out the season with a successful performance.
The Bridgewater-Raritan Monday Band had a triumphant season and the year-round dedication made the band shine.
