On September 28th, the Wayne Valley Marching Band competed at their first competition at Randolph High School in New Jersey. Although they performed on a rainy day, Wayne Valley–against five other schools in the Single A division–placed second with a score of 71.0 points, beating Pompton Lakes High School, Pascal Hills High School, Dover High School, and North Hunterdon High School, showing a promising start to their season.

At the competition, Wayne Valley’s Marching Band performed their show “Fragments of Red,” which included five songs, two of which were Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose.” Along with the Marching Band, the Wayne Valley Color Guard performed three of their four Movements. Senior Daniel Cho also had a stunning performance where he played both a clarinet and saxophone solo!

The next Saturday, October 5th, the Marching Band performed at a competition in West Orange, New Jersey. On this beautiful day, the Marching Band was led by Drum Major Zoey Jurkin and earned a total of 73.4 points, winning against Rahway High School and Pompton Lakes High School. Along with first place, the team won a few awards including Best Music, Best Visual, and Best Effect. 

“Bolero,” “El tango de Roxanne,” and “Carmen Suite” were just a few of the songs the Marching Band played. Afterward, the team celebrated their victory while watching the Valley versus Hills football game; there, the marching bands from both schools performed “America the Beautiful” during the halftime show. Once the game ended, Wayne Valley Marching Band and Color Guard members ate at a diner to celebrate their memorable competition.

Overall, we are proud of our Wayne Valley Marching Band and Color Guard, and we hope they will continue to improve throughout the season, having many enjoyable and successful competitions like their first two!