Montclair High School
vs
East Orange Campus High
10/02/10
The big news of the day comes
from the band's smallest member, Naji
Cherry, shown here rehearsing with
Assistant Drum Major Allan
Theodore, to train him as a Drum Major
Mascot for today's game with Montclair High School. Naji attends
the second grade at Cicely Tyson Elementary School, and you'll be
seeing what he contributes to the Marching Band in later photos
and videos from today's event.
Assistant Drum Major and Brass
Captain Lloyd Tomlinson, seen standing
on the wall at the far right, is working as a flag dancer
choreographer, designing a special routine for our flag twirlers.
Once again escorted by the East
Orange Police Department, the Unified Marching Band leaves its
home base at Cicely Tyson School for the march across town to
Paul Robeson Stadium for today's football game between the East
Orange Jaguars and the Montclair.
Also escorting the band as well
as carrying the East Orange Unified Marching Band banner are
members of the Band Parent Association, followed by the Dancers
and the rest of the band as they approach Paul Robeson Stadium.
A few weeks ago we introduced Devante
Hinson, our third grade trumpeter from
Cicely Tyson Elementary School. You'll spot him second from the
left in the photo above, still working hard on making his trumpet
blend into the Unified Marching Band. He marches next to Neil Davis, his section leader - center, who has the difficult
task of training him along with other trumpeteers from different
grades and even different schools. That, in a nutshell, is what
the Unified Marching Band is all about.
The entire band faces the flag as
they play the Star Spangled Banner. In case you haven't already
figured it out, the students with the red plumes on their helmets
are section leaders, like Russell Archer from Campus
High School playing Alto Saxophone on the left.
Meanwhile our Drum Major Mascot,
Naji Cherry, is standing between two experts, Lloyd Tomlinson and
Allan Theodore, who are Assistant Drum Majors learning, in turn,
from Drum Major Bria Douglas (she's just out of the photo on the
right... you'll see her front and center all during the video
below). Everyone learns; everyone teaches.
Photo by Al-Quadir
Marsh
L-R: Foreground only: Mrs. Boone, CTHS Vice Principal, Dr.
Stephen Cowan, CTHS Principal
At Cicely Tyson High School that
philosophy of "everyone learns; everyone teaches" goes
all the way to the top and all the way to the football stadium on
a Saturday morning. That's the new CTHS Principal, Dr. Stephen
Cowan who has come to the game to learn and to teach by example.
He has been very supportive of the band, inside and outside of
the school.
But now it's time for the band to
perform at half-time. This is what they have been working on
since band camp last summer, and every week up until today. If
the show isn't yet perfect, don't worry; it's a work in progress
and they have until Thanksgiving to get it right.
It's always such a relief when
the show is over, and yet the band knows it's not really over.
They will examine the video in detail and go over each weak
point, each mistake, each part that can be improved, and start
getting it ready all over again for next week's football game at West Side High School.
The Marching Band and their
allies, the Jaguar Cheerleaders shown above, are hoping the
Jaguar football team keeps winning games, because that can extend
the season into December and the final play-offs. When the
football team wins, everyone in East Orange wins.
Final Score: East Orange
Campus High 28 - Montclair High School 14
