High School Band Prepares For Fall Season

The Harrison High School marching band is getting ready for the upcoming year like every other varsity team, with a preseason camp to sharpen their skills. The high school's majorettes and color guard were also in attendance.

The team is made up of a near equal distribution of ninth to 12th graders for this year's schedule that includes several football games and maybe even a trip to Dublin, Ireland.

Band director Dr. Fred Pasqua is entering his 21st year with the high school's marching band and he is eager and excited as ever to start the season.

"Personally my goals are similar to what they have been in the past," Dr. Pasqua said. "We are always striving for a higher performance level. Our course is really a college prep course, we hope to prepare the kids to do whatever they would like to do in college."

Charles Briem is entering his ninth season at Harrison High school and he is the band's co-director and percussion coordinator.

"The two things I look forward to every season are the Rye game, that is just a big community event," said Briem. "I am also looking forward to our festival, I think there is a lot of growth and a lot of opportunity for the kids."

Three open spots for drum major positions remain unfilled as the season approaches. Five upperclassmen are vying for the three positions and they were distinguished during camp by a bright blue shirt. The shirt made them visible to both their peers and coaches so they could be graded on their leadership.

"The will all be field captains which are the officers of the band," said Briem. "They are already expected to be leaders out on the field it is just what level of leadership we will expect from them. We will rely heavily on our drum majors to lead during every situation both on and off the field."

Though leadership looks to be an advantage for this year's team, Dr. Pasqua said he can see many strengths for the team this season.

"Our strength changes every year," said Pasqua. "Some years we have a strong brass or percussion section, this year our strength is in the woodwinds and our trombone section is also stronger then it has been in years past."

Dr. Pasqua was also very complimentary of a few newcomers.

"We have an outstanding freshman class this year," said Pasqua. "One of the best freshmen classes we have seen in a long time, and they are all focused. In just this first week they have already proven themselves to me and the rest of the team."

Unlike other teams at the high school the Harrison band program performs for nearly the entire year. The team starts practicing in August and continues to perform up until graduation in late June.

"Our band does a variety of things, we are not just a marching band," said Pasqua. "There is no off-season for us, we call this band camp but it is really band preseason. We shift gears at the end of marching season and become a concert band, from that group we become a jazz ensemble and a wind ensemble so it is a constant thing."

During the school year the marching band will be meeting daily in the classroom and once a week in the field to practice marching. The team's season hasn't even started yet but the team is already looking forward to a certain event on the calendar.

"Obviously the biggest one is always the Rye game, and that is something that the teams, the band and the community all look forward too," Pasqua said. "As a musical organization we have other things that we are hoping to do. We are hoping to go to Dublin, Ireland and march in the St. Patrick 's Day parade, and we always go to the Berkley Jazz festival."

One of Harrison's senior bass drummers Alyssa Santiago is looking forward to the year but said she also has mixed emotions as she enters her final season.

"I am really looking forward to our last Rye game, which will most likely be bittersweet," said Santiago. "Hopefully we will be going to Ireland to be in the St. Patrick's Day parade."

Thanks to the dedication and long hours by the students and the coaches, the Harrison program should provide Husky fans with entertainment at football games this fall and throughout the rest of the year.