Band on the run
NBTHS marching band tours south with Beatles-inspired set list
BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer

NORTH BRUNSWICK - The high school marching band had its own version of "March Madness" as 89 students and over 10 chaperones visited Orlando, Fla., to perform in various theme parks last month.

The one-week venture from March 18-24 was an opportunity for the students to perform in an environment different than their usual venues of small competitions, football games and local parades.

"I like to give them one chance to go to Florida with 100 of their closest friends. It's just a memory you can't replace," said band director James Egan.

The students practiced their Beatles-inspired songs of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "When I'm Sixty-Four" and "Hey Jude" during their band class for a week before departure. Traveling took two days each way, with the group staying overnight in Fayetteville, N.C., for a night. They then spent three days in the Universal Studios Islands of Adventure and Sea World theme parks.

"It was definitely different. We're used to going to competitions where the audience watches us, and this time we marched through the park with people who were enjoying their day," senior drum major Andrea Chang said. "It was a great opportunity for the band because the season ended … so it brought the seniors together with the younger members of the band."

During their social time, the students were allowed to go through the park, hang out by the hotel pool, play football or just watch television. Since ground rules were laid out and the students had prior experience from traveling shorter distances, there were no complaints about the size of the group and how they were behaved.

"We've gone to competitions so we know how to act in public," drum major Bryan Dritschel said.

Barbara Williams, the president of the Band Parents Association, planned the $55,000 trip herself. Drawing on her own travel experience, she was able to coordinate a trip for each member that cost around $500, about $300 less per person than if a travel agent was consulted. The cost included the two Coach buses, the overnight stay in North Carolina, the hotel stay in Florida, all meals and a mystery theater dinner.

"It's just very rewarding to see students you know would never be able to travel, because it's something they can't afford, to have the opportunity to travel with the band," she said.

Another cost-saving measure was the services provided by Donald Jakubowski, whose daughter Hannah plays the mellophone. The vice president of Foto Care in New York took over 470 photographs and two hours of video to capture the students' performances and leisure time.

"It's really great to shoot the kids. The whole group is a really great group of kids. You point the camera at them and they're always smiling," he said

Jakubowski has posted the pictures on a Web site for the students and is hoping to produce a complete DVD of the band.

"The kids were tremendous. I think [Egan] is a tremendous band director. It was just great."

Yet the highlight of the trip, according to the students, was the familial relationships that were developed and extended.

"You really get to know the people you're around. You're in close contact, close quarters, with the entire band. You get to experience who they really are. You can't really hide from each other after a week," Dritschel said.

"I think I learned not to underestimate some people. I made some new friends down there and I learned not to underestimate the freshmen because some of them are really good," Chang said.

Next in the music department, the choral and orchestral students will travel to Florida in the spring to perform at Epcot. A band festival will be held at the high school on April 21 from 6-10:30 p.m. to help defray the cost of the trip. Tickets cost $10 for the scheduled performances by bands such as All Shall Fade, Random Test, Big Attack, Closet of Misfit Toys and We All Have Day Jobs. For more information, call (732) 289-2728.