BACK TO SCHOOL: MTHS band marches back to school

   MONROE —Te Monroe Township High School marching band ran through its routine Tuesday night on the school’s turf all-purpose field.

By: William Greenwood
   MONROE — As the Monroe Township High School marching band ran through its routine Tuesday night on the school’s turf all-purpose field, Assistant Band Director Jenna DiSalvio sat on a tower by the sidelines, watching and analyzing.
   As the music drew to a close and the band members froze in place, Ms. DiSalvio suddenly became animated, shouting instructions to the band and sending them back to their original positions for another go. She is zeroing in on the slight imperfections that many casual observers would overlook, and with good reason. The band will need to be nearly perfect to best last year’s record-breaking season.
   "They had a really great season, and this season’s going to be even better," she said on the field’s sidelines prior to practice. "We focus a lot more on particulars, like the technique, posture, the way their horns should look at certain times."
   Last year, the band set a new high-score record for the high school, placed first in four competitions and placed second and third in one competition each. However, the rest of the band seems to be on board with Ms. DiSalvio’s quest to improve, including senior Bill Domke, who is the band’s trumpet section leader.
   "I’m hoping that we do better than the last year, this being my last year and everything," he said. "I’m hoping we have a decent enough improvement so we can say my class made a difference."
   Besting a record-breaking year is no easy task, but Ms. DiSalvio and the band seem ready to take up the quest. The band has been practicing since July 31, and an intensive band camp was held from Aug. 13 to 17. Once school begins Wednesday, they will practice Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 9 a.m.
   Ms. DiSalvio said she thinks practices will go more smoothly once school is back in session because the band members will be on more of a schedule.
   "With summer, you can never guarantee attendance because they have vacations, they have jobs," she said. "We did have everyone here for band camp. That was the only time this summer that we had all the kids at once. Once they get back in school, we’ll see them all here for practices."
   She said this year’s performance, titled "Minimally Speaking," will make all that practice necessary because it is much more difficult than last year’s show.
   "There’s a lot of running passages," she said. "The brass players, they’re really blowing their brains out. It’s a fast song, so you’re marching fast, and you’re playing fast, so it’s just a high-energy show altogether."
   Senior Andrew Kim, who plays the bass drum, agreed.
   "The bass drum music, it alternates and goes against the snare drum music," he said. "So, it alternates a lot, which isn’t something that we did a couple years ago. It’s easier for everyone to play the same thing."
   Ms. DiSalvio said "Minimally Speaking," which was written by Richard Saucedo, has a contemporary feel and each movement is based on the theme. Audiences can expect to see colorful flags and lots of movement when the band performs for the first time Sept. 8 at the high school football team’s home game against South Brunswick High School, she said. Its first competition will be held Sept. 29 at the high school.
   However, while the band’s goal is serious business, its members aren’t above a good rivalry. Standing on the sidelines at Tuesday’s practice, Andrew said he wants to improve not only on the band’s previous year, but also over rival Jackson High School, who the drumline scored an upset victory against last year. However, even that rivalry is based on the fundamental principle guiding this team, that records, no matter how old, were made to be broken.
   "We’ve got to live up to expectations," he said.