Ridgewood HS Marching Band Wins First Place for Third Time in a Row

The Ridgewood High School Marching Band has done it again.

For the third straight competition, the RHS band placed first on Oct. 11’s USBands competition, Jackson Memorial’s “Showcase of Champions.”

The band won the caption awards for Best Music and Best Overall Effect. The band also won the Esprit de Corps award, which is presented to the band that displays the most professionalism, maturity and character both on and off the field of competition.

The band placed first on Sept. 27 at Pequannock HS, winning the award for Best Music, and placed first at JP Stevens HS, sweeping the caption awards for Best Music, Best Visual and Best Overall effect.

The band, under the direction of John Luckenbill, marches 96 members for the 2014 season and will continue their competitive season this weekend at Rutgers University on Oct. 18 for USBands NJ State Championships.

This year’s field show, “Rise,” depicts the life of a phoenix and starts with a Steven Reineke composition, ”Rise of the Firebird,” and then features their percussion section in the ”Infernal Dance” by Igor Stravinsky. The marching band’s ballad is by Dmitri Shostakovich, entitled “The Fire of Eternal Glory.” The RHS marching band then closes their show with music that symbolizes the firebird rising from the ashes, Stravinsky’s “Finale” from “The Firebird.”

The bands remaining performance schedule is as follows:

Saturday, Oct. 18: MB Competition- USBands State Championships at Rutgers University

Friday, Oct. 31: RHS Home Football Game - Pre-Game Concert 6:15 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 1: MB Competition at MetLife Stadium- Yamaha Cup

Friday, Nov. 7: RHS Home Football Game - Pre-Game Concert 6:15 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 9: MB Competition- USBands National Championships at J. Birney Crum Stadium, Allentown, PA

Friday, Dec. 5: Downtown for the Holidays Performance- 5-7 p.m.