Four Galloway Middle School Students Perform at Rowan

Of the 92 members of 's band, seven were sent to audition for the all-South Jersey Band. Of those seven, four were selected to perform on Sunday at Rowan University.

Eighth-grader Emily Ip was selected to perform on flute and eighth-grader Deana Bigio was selected for clarinet, while seventh-grader Sean Loeben made the band on french horn and seventh-grader Prashit Parikh qualified for percussion.

"They're excellent musicians and they get to perform with a pretty prestigious ensemble," said John Dondero, Galloway Township Middle School's band director. "This is Emily's second time being selected. She made it also in seventh grade. She has made all-South Jersey Orchestra on cello for two years, also."

The event, which started on Sunday at 3 p.m. at Rowan, is required to be held in a place that seats 1,000 and, according to Dondero, it is almost always filled.

"It's a huge crowd," he said.

Four hundred musicians auditioned to be a part of the two 100-student bands. Dondero said that although the 200 selected musicians are split into two bands, both of those bands are "more or less equal" and both take turns performing at the annual concert.