The Bridgewater-Raritan High School Marching Band’s 2025 show, entitled “Spice,” capped the season with a fourth-place performance at the New Jersey Marching Band Directors Association State Championships.
The State Championships were staged on Sunday, November 2, at The College of New Jersey in Ewing.
Bridgewater-Raritan once again produced a strong show and placed fourth in Class AAA with a score of 93.1.
Somerville High School won Class AAA with a score of 94.6, followed by runner-up Edison High School’s total of 94.3 and West Orange High School’s score of 93.5. There were four divisions competing in the State Championships—AAAA, AAA, AA and A.
A year ago, Bridgewater-Raritan placed second in Class AAA.
Bridgewater-Raritan finished first in Class AA in the 2021 State Championships.
Bridgwater-Rartan’s show included selections from various classical music pieces, including “Little Fugue in G minor” by J.S. Bach; “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra” by Benjamin Britten; and “Spices, Perfumes, Toxins” by Avner Dorman.
“Spice” included three movements: “Salt and Pepper”, “Cinnamon, and Cayenne. “Salt and Pepper” focuses on the spices of the same name, introducing themes of the two and then blending them together, as the actual spices. “Cinnamon” introduces a more jazz-focused vibe to the mix, with the band playing a classic jazz standard, “Autumn Leaves,” to bring a cozy atmosphere to the show. “Cayenne” captures the feeling that a cayenne pepper would leave in the mouth, using the percussion section as a featured group during this movement.
The show finished off with a final movement, focusing on recalling all of the former spices to end off the show.
Large amounts of preparation and time were put into this performance. the students reported to Bridgewater-Raritan High School at 10 a.m. on the day of the State Championships for another rehearsal before their performance later that day.
They focused on cleaning small areas in major sections of their show, ensuring that they would present as much of a polished show as possible.
Seniors were holding in emotions, as this was their last performance.
At 5 p.m., Bridgewater-Raritan performed “Spice” for the final time. Competing against nine other bands, the Bridgewater-Raritan students were nervous, but managed to channel their strengths an
Sophomore Aahana Anupam reflected on the season.
“I was really looking forward to the state championships, and was incredibly proud of the band when we got off the field knowing that was our best run through,” Aahana said. “Our strength as a band has increased tremendously over the past couple of months, with new members pushing past their limits to achieve beyond their goals. I’m excited to see what the band achieves in the next season!”
