By Nandini Kuppachi
The Prowler Arts Editor
The Bridgewater-Raritan High School Marching Band returned to the field on Saturday, September 28, when it performed in its second competitive event of the school year.
The high school’s Marching Band delivered another installation of its annual show, “Journey to the Bottom of the Sea,’’ during the second week of competition in the New Jersey Marching Band Directors Association(NJMBDA) performances that were held on a rainy field at John. P. Stevens High School in Edison,
Bridgewater-Raritan placed second for its exemplary production with a score of 77.1 in Division AAA. Edison High School finished first in the AAA class with a score of 78.5. Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School placed third with a total of 75.8 and East Brunswick finished fourth with 73.2.
This final point total by Bridgewater-Raritan was a slight increase from the first week of NJMBDA competition when it won the AAA class title with a score of 76.7 points at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School on Saturday, September 21.
And for the second week in a row, Bridgewater-Raritan collected the second-highest score. At John P. Stevens High School, Edison was the Grand Champion in a field of 13 schools while Westfield High School achieved the Grand Champion award at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School on September 21 in a field of 11 schools.
Nick Mossa, who is Bridgewater-Raritan’s Band Director with Dr. Tom Bourgault, spoke about how his students performed.
“It is a great learning opportunity for us to reflect on how to be ready to be our best, no matter the circumstances,” he said. “ After drying off, we’re back this week ready to keep improving.”
The band members will continue to work to improve when they practice for the Bands of America Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship on Saturday, October 19, at the University of Delaware. In Newark, Delaware, Bridgewater-Raritan will compete against bands from New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, South Carolina, Pennsylvania and New York.
Upon competing in Delaware, Bridgewater-Raritan will compete in a Bands of America competition at Rutgers University on Saturday, October 26. The NJMBDA State Championships are set for Sunday, November 3, at The College of New Jersey.