An Evening With the 63rd Army Band of the New Jersey Army National Guard

On February 6th, the PTHS concert band and the PV Middle School 8th Grade band combined to perform with New Jersey's 63rd Army Band. This concert was a project that has been in the process of being put on for the last year by the combined efforts of Mr. Kertesz from PV, Mr. Streifer and Mr. Rooney from the high school, and Sergeant Isaiah C. Mason from the 63rd Army Band.

To begin the concert, the Army Band played the National Anthem for the guests in attendance. Then, the Tracer Round, a select group of the Army Band, played three Jazz pieces. Moondance, Soulful Strut, and Birdland. Afterward, the entire Army Band played another 5 pieces. They started with a traditional army march, titled Colonel Bogey. Then, they played two fanfare pieces that they use for their ceremonies. These fanfares were called Fanfare for the Common Man and Olympic Fanfare and Theme. To end their segment, the 63rd Army Band played two pieces from Marvel: The Avengers Theme and Captain America March. Adam Gyongosi, a junior from PTHS, played with the Army Band percussion during their performance, to fill in for a gap in the percussion. He learned most of the pieces the day of the concert, and did a wonderful job showing how fantastic the PTHS Music department is at adapting and learning on the fly!

Following the Army Band's performance, PTHS and PVMS students joined the soldiers on stage to perform Yankee Doodle and Honor. To end the night, selected high school students joined the army band in performing a very challenging piece called The Stars and Stripes Forever, closing the show out with flair.

It was an incredible experience and one that the students were thrilled to get the chance to have. Prior to the performance, the students from both bands got the opportunity to meet with the Army Band during the school day and speak with them about performing at such a high level. It was a great learning experience and an opportunity for students to see how their passions can become a promising career and past time beyond high school.

Congratulations to students and soldiers who performed tonight!