Ridge High School Bands

Featuring the...

District 5th Grade Band

WAMS 8th Grade Band 

RHS Jazz Band, Concert Band, and Wind Ensemble  

District Band Staff: 

Clayton Beyert, Nicole Ferguson, Danielle Plagge, Kate Whiteley, Wyman Wong, and Daniel Zugale

Dear Band Friends and Families,

Welcome to the annual District Band Showcase concert! We are thrilled to welcome the combined 5th grade bands from all of the elementary schools. This event is the first opportunity for the 5th graders to play together before they transition into the 6th grade band, directed by Danielle Plagge.  Many thanks to elementary directors Kate Whiteley and Nicole Ferguson for getting all of our young musicians started and making this event possible!   As always, we have a great turnout of enthusiastic 8th grade band students thanks to the efforts of Wyman Wong, and we are looking forward to welcoming them into the high school program.

It is no secret that the main purpose of the Showcase Concert is to encourage students to continue to participate in the band program. We hope that by showcasing the progression from 5th through 12th grade, everyone will leave here motivated to continue to participate in our programs.  So what can you do?  

• Choose band as a first choice elective for all four years!  Musical ability takes a long time to develop, and students are really just getting started when they enter high school.  Committing to the program until 12th grade gives the students the opportunity to realize the social and musical benefits of performing music. At the high school, we want our Concert Band to consistently have 75-85 students divided evenly between two class periods, and our Wind Ensemble to have 50 students enrolled. 

• Help us achieve balanced instrumentation. Balanced instrumentation is achieved by having the appropriate number of musicians performing on each of the specific instruments in the ensemble.  There are wind instruments that are rarely if ever present in elementary school bands due to their size. In middle school, these instruments become more important, and playing them becomes more realistic as the students grow. In high school, these instruments are essential to virtually every piece that we perform. We are always in need of students who are willing to help us balance our instrumentation by switching instruments and the sooner the better!  We are looking for additional players on the following instruments:  

  • • • Bassoon

      • Bass Clarinet

      • F Horn

      • Baritone

      • Trombone

      • Tuba

• Participate in extracurricular music activities like marching band,  jazz band, pit orchestra, or Tri-M.  

• Take private lessons on your band instrument. Not only does taking private lessons help the individual student, it also helps the entire ensemble because those students who take private lessons can influence and inspire everyone in the ensemble. As your music teacher for suggestions for excellent local teachers!

As the district recognizes the need to address the social and emotional health of the students, it is important to recognize that a high quality music program that meets regularly during the school day achieves these goals as a natural consequence of the group music-making experience. Please take the time to thank everyone that supports the musical success and wellbeing of the students in our community. 

• District band program staff Kate Whitley & Nicole Ferguson at the elementary schools, Danielle Plagge & Wyman Wong at the middle school, and Clay Beyert and Dan Zugale at the high school.  

• Colin Berry and his team for stage setup, lighting, sound, and live stream.

• Michael Fackelman, District administration, guidance counselors  and the Bernards Township BOE.

With your help, we can ensure the continued growth of, and a bright future for the Bernards Township Bands!