FLHS Marching Band Prepares for Another Award-Winning Season

The late summer Sasso Field air resounds with the rat-a-tat-tatting of drums, the malletting of marimbas and the blasts of brassy horns.

Marching Band, under the leadership of director Paul Kafer, is getting back into swing for what it expects will be another award-winning season.

This year's show, for which students are currently refining their musical skills and perfecting their marching techniques, is called "Relic."

Percussion director Jamie Szeinberg said "Relic" features some of the most complex percussion writing ever performed by the battery and front ensemble.

“We have a lot of work to do," Szeinberg said, "but the students are extremely dedicated and I am confident we will be able to come together to create a fabulous show."

Summer band camp will culminate on Aug. 30 with a run-through performance for family and friends adjacent to Sasso Field at 4:30 p.m., before the band makes its first competitive appearance a few weeks later on Sept. 22 at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School.

This year’s season will be highlighted by the band's inaugural appearance at the Bands of America Regional Marching Band Championship on Oct. 27 in Towson, Md, a competition that attracts some of the nation's top ensembles.

Other fall competitions include:

• Pequannock High School on Sept. 29
• Morris Knolls High School on Oct. 6 
• Hillsborough High School on Oct. 13
• Fair Lawn High School/Sasso Field on Oct. 21
• A Preview to Championships at Union High School on Oct. 28
• The USBands New Jersey State Championship on Nov. 3 in New Brunswick
• The USBands Open National Championships on Nov. 11 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. 

The Cutters' 80-student ensemble, which competes in USBands, the largest marching band circuit in the country, has been the only school to represent Bergen County as an Open Class band since the 2006 inception of the USBands National Championships format.

Last fall, the Cutters and won the Best Percussion award for a second consecutive year.

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