West Orange High School
vs
East Orange Campus High
10/23/10
Today's story begins at the
entrance to Paul Robeson Stadium in East Orange where today's
football game will be held. The East Orange Unified Marching Band
has marched across town from Cicely Tyson High School with the
aid of a police escort. Now they enter the parking lot at the
Stadium. Leading the parade are some of the youngest members of
the band. They are not there because they are cute, but because
they take their positions with the band seriously and practice
the same long hours as the older students. In the course of
today's story, you'll get to know more about them.
Photo by Al-Quadir Marsh
Our Acrobatic Mascots pose in the stands. L-R:
Tyla Davis from Langston Hughes Elementary (Grade 2); Miriah
Tomlinson from CTS (Grade K), Alexi Elena from CTS (Grade K).
They lead the Band in parades, performing cartwheels and splits
along the way. While the band performs on the field at football
games, you'll see these three young women performing on the side
lines.
Next come the official Band
Dancers, most of them of high school age. They are always in the
front lines in the stands, and when the band plays, they dance.
We will be adding their individual photos to the gallery this
week so you know who they are.
Earlier in the day, we photographed all of our
East Orange Jaguars Cheerleaders, and we will also have a photo
gallery for each of them within a week.
Photo by Al-Quadir Marsh
The Flag Twirlers are another hard-working group
within the East Orange Unified Marching band, shown here
surrounding Band Parent Association President Ms Saez in the
center.
It is the combination of all these different
units working together under the leadership of Band Director
Frederick Goode that makes the East Orange Unified Marching Band
flourish.
Mr. Goode takes his Drum Captain and Drum Major
and Drum Instructor Julius Sheppard over to the West Orange side
to invite the band to the Home Team side during the half-time
show. Although the bands can seem to be rivals during football
games, it is a friendly rivalry, because they respect one another
and have a common bond in their love for music, hard work in
practice, and excellence in the result. You can't hide an
out-of-tune note or a band member who is out of step with the
rest of the band, but you can work towards getting all the
instruments in tune with one another and getting all the band
members marching to the same beat.
It's almost time for the half-time show. The
band files out of the back of the Stadium and lines up before
heading for the field. At the lead is Drum Major Mascot Naji
Cherry and our other Acrobat Mascots we introduced earlier.
Behind them are the dancers and you can just see the red plumes
of the instrumentalists coming out of the tunnel.
Out on the field during the half-time show,
young Mr. Cherry, crouching beside Drum Major Bria Douglas, is
about to make his move from a running back flip into a split...
see the video for details.
What you never get to see in the video is the
little show the Mascot Acrobats are putting on at the same time,
but off to the side on the running track.
Another Mascot you rarely get to see with his
Jaguar head in his hands, is this young man, Zainis Mason from
Campus High.
Remember, it's more than just the band. It's the
unification of all the groups and individuals from all the
different schools and grade levels in East Orange that make up
what we call TheEast Orange Unified Marching Band.
Battle of the Bands in
the Stands
Videography by Al-Quadir Marsh and Jim
Gerrish
