Ridge High School Bands

Featuring the Ridge Concert Bands and Wind Ensemble 

Under the direction of

Daniel Zugale and Clayton Beyert

Dear Band Friends and Families,

We are pleased to welcome everyone to the 2022 Winter band concert!  Tonight you will hear the results of the hard work of the many amazing students of the Ridge band program.  We could not do it without the teamwork between the students, support from parents, our network of local private music teachers, and the efforts of district administration music staff.  THANK YOU ALL! 

Our extra-curricular ensembles are also off to a great start.  The marching band finished their season strong with a 4th place finish at the NJMBDA state championships.  Jazz Band is now up and running and in addition to the traditional Big Band, we welcome as many students as possible to our Very Big Band! Thank you to everyone for your enthusiastic support for and participation in these ensembles!  

In addition to a busy concert season, students from across the state will be auditioning for regional ensembles this upcoming weekend.  Good luck! Even before this, we have some student accomplishments to recognize.  Karina Yang performed with the All-State Orchestra, and Chris Maratea performed with the All-State Jazz Choir at the NJEA conference in early November. Congratulations to Ben Chee, Karina Yang and Zoe Jones for acceptance into the NAfME All-Eastern ensembles! In April, they will perform at the NAfME Eastern Division Conference in Rochester, NY, along with students from Washington D.C. to Maine.  Bravo!  

Our two goals for this year are to enjoy every moment, and prepare for the future.  So far, accomplishing goal #1 has been easy...These students have been AMAZING to work with!  Building for the future will be up to all of us to work together as a team so that we can continue to provide the opportunities we have and achieve success in music as individuals and as a program. We are looking forward to working with everyone to continue the Ridge Bands tradition of excellence!  

Many thanks to:

• Our colleagues Jen Curran & Carol Beadle at the high school.

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

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

• Michael Fackelman, Ridge administration, and the Bernards Township BOE.

• Our family, friends, and mentors who have supported us and helped shape who we are today. 

• And of course our students, especially our seniors!  Thanks for sticking with us!  

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Mr. Zugale and Mr. Beyert

The audience is an important part of the performance and your attendance means a lot to us! Let us know you are here by filling out the guest list!