West Essex Knights Celebrate Successful Season

The West Essex Regional Marching Knights came in fifth place in the Tournament of Bands Atlantic Coast Championships on Nov. 6 at Hershey Park.

The band scored 92.90, tying its West Essex record for best place and score in the event, which featured 30 of the top bands from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Ohio, Maryland and West Virginia.

“The West Essex Marching Knights finished an incredible season performing their show entitled, “LOZT,” said Marching Band Director John Scozzaro."The students in the band put in months of hard work in the heat, cold, rain, and snow in order to perfect their show. The Marching Knights are a great organization and I couldn’t be more proud of the students for everything they accomplished this season.”

The Knights hosted a Tournament of Bands Chapter X Championship on Sunday Oct. 23 at the high school, received a 92.10, their highest score in West Essex history at the event. They also took home the award for High Music. The band, with 61 members from 8th to 12th grades, is ranked fifth in the Group II marching bands on the East Coast out of more than 60 bands, he said.

The Knights 2011 show “Lozt,” is arranged by Dennis Argul and Dan Delong. The piece, which runs eight minutes and 15 seconds, features some music from “The Wizard of Oz,” including “The Witch is Dead,” as well as Eminem's “Lose Yourself,” John Adams’ “Short Ride on a Fast Machine,” and Beethoven‘s “Pathetique.”