The 11 Bridgewater-Raritan High School band students selected for the Central Jersey Music Educators Association (CJMEA) Region Band performed at Rutgers University on Sunday, January 18.
The CJMEA Region Band is highly regarded as one of the most prestigious student band ensembles in New Jersey.
Bridgewater-Raritan High School’s students were enthusiastic about performing in these ensembles.
The audition process for acceptance into the ensemble is quite rigorous. Students have to prepare a series of 13 scales, each with an ascending and a descending pattern of notes. On top of this, they also have to prepare a solo piece for their instrument; during the audition, the judges will ask students to play passages from the piece.
The final part of the audition consists of sight-reading, in which judges place a piece of music in front of the student that they have never seen before. The student will have 30 seconds to prepare it and then play it with as much accuracy as possible. Overall, each student who was accepted into the program dedicated multiple hours and days to preparation, and their hard work paid off once they were accepted.
The 11 Bridgewater-Raritan High School students who were accepted to perform at the CJMEA Region concert at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers were Agastya Shahane, Hrishi Patel, Ronak Hunashimarad, Jack Lee, Lucia Bolle, Fisayo Ogunsulire, Jackie Pan, James Krempasky, Ananth Raman, Ethan Wei, and Angie Yang.
Once accepted into the band, the students rated with a higher score in each instrument’s ranking are placed into the Wind Ensemble, and the rest of the accepted students are placed into the Symphonic Band. Each band had its own repertoire at the concert, performing a set of four to five pieces each.
The Wind Ensemble played a total of five pieces: “Overture to Candide” by Leonard Bernstein, “Smiling After The Rain” by Yukiko Nishimura, “She Dares, She Leaps” by Erika Savone, “Do Not Go Gentile Into That Good Night” by Elliot Del Borgo, and “Danzon No. 2” by Arturo Marquez.
The Symphonic Band played a total of five pieces as well: “Rise: Mvt 1- Beginnings” by Adam Schoenberg, “An American Elegy” by Frank Ticheli, “Tarantella” by Carol Brittin Chambers, “Old Home Days” by Charles Ives, and “Dancing Fire” by Kevin Day.
Senior James Krempasky commented on his final year in the CJMEA Region Band.
“It’s a really great experience to be able to play with such dedicated and accomplished musicians. I’m sure it’s going to be difficult to find an experience as great as this after high school.”
Looking ahead, Bridgewater-Raritan High School students Agastya Shahane, James Krempasky, and Jack Lee were accepted into the NJMEA All-State Band, where they will be playing in a state-level ensemble on Sunday, February 22, at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.