The Bridgewater-Raritan High School Marching Band took the field to perform at the New Jersey Marching Band Directors Association (NJMBDA) competition, which was held at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School on Saturday, September 20.

Eleven other high school marching bands performed as well.

Bridgewater-Raritan placed second in the AAA division, with a score of 73.8. Somerville High School won the division with a score of 76.5.

The Bridgewater-Raritan students performed their 2025 show titled “Spice”, which takes the audience on a journey of the unique feelings of various spices. 

The day started off early, with students arriving around 10:30 a.m. They performed their show at 5:30 p.m., enjoying concession food with their peers afterward.

The Bridgewater-Raritan High School Band Parent Association helped the students enjoy a well-deserved meal before heading to the competition, while spending time with their peers.

It was a relatively sunny day, and the heat caused several students to feel exhausted or overwhelmed before performing, but they still pushed through to put out their best for the audience, which ended in success.

During the competition, the first-year members were excited, as it was their first competition of their high school season, and seniors felt emotional, since it was one of their last. 

Students were proud of the work they put in and were satisfied with the result, especially since it was their first competition of the season. There were also judge tapes provided, which they will use to improve their show for future competitions. 

Senior Nandini Kuppachi, Front Ensemble section leader and fourth-year member of the band, provided her thoughts on the experience. 

“While it’s definitely a little nostalgic that this is the ‘last first’ competition for us seniors, I’m definitely glad and proud to have been part of such an amazing ensemble for the past four years,” she said. “This year, the hours of hard work and dedication put into the show definitely shone through at the first competition, especially the fact that we were able to put together the entire show at a production level. In the same light, there is a lot of the season still left to go, and I can’t wait to see where we go from here!” she said.

The Bridgewater-Raritan High School Marching Band will be performing its pinnacle show at Piscataway High School on Saturday, October 4.