Westfield High School Band Takes 4th Overall In Season Opener At Scotch Plains

WESTFIELD, NJ — Westfield High School's Marching Blue Devils opened their 2026 competitive season Saturday at the New Jersey Marching Band Directors Association contest at Scotch Plains High School.

Performing their 2026 production, "In Shape," the band placed fourth overall among 10 competing bands and earned second-place finishes in both Music and Visual.

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The Marching Blue Devils are under the direction of Chris Vitale and Gabe Batiz.

The ensemble's drum majors are Senior Drum Majors Marisa Villere-Reidy and Benjamin Macry and Junior Drum Major Piper Moscowitz.

According to the program information, the group includes 100 student musicians.

Reflecting on the first competition of the season, Vitale said, "We thought the students gave us a solid first competitive performance. There are certainly areas where we know we can perform at a higher level, but that is very normal for this point in the season. What was encouraging was seeing the foundation that the students have built and knowing how much potential there is for the production to continue growing over the next several weeks. They have worked incredibly hard and we're excited to see where they can take the show from here."

Vitale also described the concept behind this year's show.

"Our 2026 production is titled 'In Shape'," said Vitale. "The show explores the idea of shapes and colors, with each section of the production taking on its own visual identity of triangle, circle, and square. As the show develops, we use these different shapes, movement, staging, and color to create a constantly changing visual landscape while also having a little fun with the other meanings of being 'in shape'."

The early result gives Westfield a starting point as the competitive season gets underway. The second-place finishes in Music and Visual came in a field of 10 bands at the season-opening event.

The Marching Blue Devils are scheduled to return to competition this coming weekend at another NJMBDA contest, set for Sept. 26 at Union High School.

Students interested in joining the Westfield High School Marching Band for the fall 2027 season are encouraged to attend an interest meeting in the spring.

More information about the program is available at westfieldhsbands.org.

— Submitted by Katherine De Vito