SPF Marching Band
The 2008 Competition Season
Posted 11/2/2008
The 2008 season saw the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Marching Band move up to the top category of U.S. Scholastic Band Association competition. After winning the state championship in their group (6-A) last year, now they were going up against the biggest and best bands in the state and region in Group 6-Open.
With their show, titled "Destiny," the Spiffy band received higher scores but placed lower in its new, tougher bracket. It took third place in the N.J. championship competition and came in 7th out of 11 bands in the Northern States Regional event held in Allentown, Pa. on Nov. 1.
Click here to see an album of photos from the Fall 2008 season.
This video clip shows the final segment of their 2008 show, "Destiny," as performed at the Allentown competition.
Memorial Day Parade 2008
Posted 5/26/2008
The SPFHS Marching Band took part in the annual Scotch Plains Fanwood Memorial Day Parade on March 26, 2008.
Click here to see more, including video clips.
Raiders Marching Band Wins NJ Title
Updated 11/8/2007
The Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Marching Band won its second straight Group 6A New Jersey State Championship at a U.S. Scholastic Band Association competition in Sayreville on the night of Oct. 27, 2007. Here are a couple of quick snapshots of the celebration, as the band's trio of drum majors marched off with the championship banner.
The victory is a credit to the many long hours of hard work that all the band and color guard members have been putting in since "band camp" began in late August.
Christine has been playing flute for several years, in school music classes and the Park Middle School band. Now as a freshman at SPFHS she's been learning to play more difficult music, while marching in complex formations. The band's show this year, titled "Quest: Visions of a Dream" includes music from Man of la Mancha and the movie Zorro.
The band's competitive season wrapped up the night of Nov. 3 at a USSBA competition in Allentown, Pa., which featured bands from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. In Group 6A, the Raiders came in second, narrowly edged out by a band from Pennsbury, Pa.
The band will continue to play half-time shows at SPFHS football games through Thanksgiving.
Below are photos from the busy weekend of Oct. 20-21, when the band performed three times in two days.
Ready to perform at halftime of the Oct. 20 football game.
On Saturday Oct. 20 the band played at the school's Homecoming football game (Union upset SP-F 22-13). Then after a dinner break the band took part in a competition at another school a few towns away. On Sunday they went to the Central Jersey Regional competition held at the College of New Jersey in Lawrenceville, near Trenton.
Central Jersey Regional show Oct. 21, 2007. Above, Christine is at front left.
Below, she marches past the musicians in the "pit" who accompany the marching musicians.
Below, Christine is at the front of the line of flutes.
Along with the color guard, the SP-F (or "spiffy") band has well over 100 students participating.
At each competition, the bands are judged on various criteria of musicality, artistic presentation etc., and awarded point scores.
Earlier photos
.
Playing pep songs in the stands at the SPFHS Raiders varsity football game on Sept. 8, 2007.