SPFHS Marching Band Finishes Successful 2015 Season

The Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Marching Band wrapped up the 2015 season with a November 7 performance at the USBands Open Class National Championships, held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. The band achieved its highest score of the season, 93.900. SPF faced stiff competition in its category against six bands from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Virginia, five of which received higher scores. The top score in the group was 97.200 received by Norwin Senior High School from North Huntingdon, PA.
For the 2015 season the 180-member SPF band was reassigned from USBands Group 6A to the more competitive Group 6-Open. In its first season at this level, the band’s scores increased steadily over six competitions. In the New Jersey State Championship on Oct. 31 the SPF band placed second in its group, received the award for Best Percussion, and won the Cadets Award of Excellence, presented to the band that best reflects overall effect, creativity and pursuit of excellence.
“This has been a phenomenal journey,” said SPF band director Durand Thomas. “It’s especially fulfilling to have the senior class lead as they have – they create the magic.” Student drum majors for 2015 were Kaavya Krishna- Kumar, Mary Catherine Stovall and Melody Weigel. Band staff also includes assistant director John Gillick and color guard director Jackie Tumolo.
The 2015 show was titled “Chance Love – Tales Beneath a Persian Moon” and featured music from Scheherazade by Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov, Samson and Delilah by Camille Saint-Saëns, and Cleopatra by Alex North. Soloists were Shay Blechinger- Slocum on flute and Kevin Sonpar on baritone horn. In addition to USBands competitions the band performed at many Raiders football games.
USBands, a program of Youth Education in the Arts, is a competitive circuit for scholastic band programs nationwide and has a membership of more than 700 high school marching bands.