ALLENTOWN — There are two words that essentially herald the start of the marching band season at Allentown High School each year.
“Band Camp!” said Ross Hecht, who is quite well-versed in the subject as the band director at the high school.
Band camp will take place at Allentown High School from Aug. 17-21 for eight hours a day on the practice fields, at the Redbirds’ football stadium and in the gym.
The bar may be set high for the upcoming season since last year the band tied for fourth place at nationals in Allentown, Pa., and earned the title of Best Percussion.
Last year was a huge accomplishment for the students and the school, Hecht said. However, he said each band is considered a new slate considering the band graduates 20 students and gains 20 news students each year.
Hecht said 87 students will be attending band camp, which is an increase from 2014. The band has grown by about five students per year for the past couple of years. Nine staff members will assist at the marching band at camp.
Upper Freehold Regional School District Superintendent of Schools Dick Fitzpatrick, Principal Constance Embley and the entire administration and staff are big supporters of the marching band, Hecht said.
“The school district does everything in its power to make sure the band is set up for success year to year,” Hecht said.
Band camp provides a solid week for the musicians and their instructors to put together an eight-minute field show for competitions that will take place throughout the fall season, Hecht explained.
“Band camp is exciting because the band goes from 87 unique individuals to one group working toward a common goal,” he said. “Prior to band camp, many of the students do not know each other and they do not know much about marching band. During band camp, students quickly develop friendships and learn how to make a marching band field show.”
The students will learn and memorize the music and the drill formations for the show. They will also learn flag work, and how to march and play an instrument, Hecht explained.
In a nutshell, what happens at band camp builds momentum.
Band camp is not a “camp” in the traditional sense, Hecht said.
“We refer to it affectionately as band camp, but at the end of the day, it is the week where the marching band does the legwork for the entire season,” the director said. “It takes a long time to learn the music and marching formations and it would not be possible to do that during the school year.
“Many bands (including ours) hold their band camp before the start of school to be sure they are ready for the competitive season come mid-September. The students will be learning their show ‘Chrono Variations’ during band camp. The show will revolve around the concept of time (chrono).”
Rob Cislak, who is the president of the Redbird Band Parent Association, knows firsthand that the band has a great deal of parental involvement. Band camp is the first key component of building the marching band program and assistance from parents is given there, he said.
Cislak is looking forward to competitions that will start in mid-September and take the band to high schools across the state, as well as to MetLife Stadium (Yamaha Cup), High Point Solutions Stadium (Rutgers University) for the state championships, and Allentown, Pa., for the national championships.
The band will perform for the community at the Allentown Harvest Fest, the homecoming parade, the Allentown Halloween parade, the Allentown Memorial Day parade and school functions.
“From the perspective of a band parent, we support the band, the director and the entire band program,” Cislak said.
On the final day of band camp, the students will perform and the parents will provide a picnic for about 300 people, including the band members and their families.
“This is a group effort,” Cislak said. “Food is donated, cooked and served by parents. Beyond all this, our parents are the most vocal and supportive of all the bands at any of our competitions. We spend a lot of time with the band and each other.”
The excitement starts with Hecht’s vision and program, Cislak said.
“This will be Mr. Hecht’s third year and the students respond well to him and he has expanded on an already successful music program at AHS,” he said. “That excitement and dedication is promoted and shared by the parents of the students. We look forward to the new season.”