West Orange HS marching band sets tone for great season at camp

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WEST ORANGE, NJ — The award-winning West Orange High School Marching Mountaineers spent a week in mid-August at band camp, located at the high school for the first time in 30 years.

The week provided intensive training for the band and color guard, as they worked to learn the songs and routines of this year’s program. The dynamic routine stars a Marvel and DC Comics superheroes theme and features the music of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Black Panther, with a vocal solo by junior James Tibang singing “It’s Not Easy,” by Five For Fighting.

Approximately 80 musicians and dancers are performing in this year’s marching band. Senior Ayush Narain is this season’s drum major and junior Shane Donagher is the second drum major. Following their annual end-of-band-camp preview on Aug. 20, the Marching Mountaineers will make their debut at the first home varsity football game on Sept. 10.

This year’s staff includes: Band Director Lewis Kelly; Associate Band Director Erin Lagatic; Assistant Band Directors Michael Denburg and Andrea Rommel; percussion instruction leaders Nasir Foster and Kaitlin Morrell; color guard instruction leaders Kevin Schlear, Christina Doherty and Brianna Todman; marching and music instruction leaders Chris Cubias, Allison Gibbons, Brad Helias, Ryan Krewer, Mark Lagatic and Katie Westerlund; show designers Matthew Hahn, Louis Hellinger, Travis Peterman, Jeff Sacktig and Matthew Wyckoff; and audio engineer Conal Donagher.

This year’s West Orange High School Marching Band Invitational is scheduled for Oct. 9 and will be the biggest yet, with 22 bands from around New Jersey slated to perform.

Photos Courtesy of WOSD