Familiar brass booms are heard from multiple miles away, complemented by the sweet flutter of the trills dancing out of the sparkling tunnels of the flutes and clarinets. The comforting friction between the Dinkles of marchers and the rough turf create a buzzing feeling within the band, or maybe that’s just the sound of the computer network doing its job.
As the Tenafly High School Marching Tigers made a euphoric resurgence into the 2024 season with their show Connected, they scored yet another win on Sunday at USBand’s annual competition at Bergenfield High School in open class IV for the first time with a score of 81.700.
Under the direction of THS band director, Michael Jacobetz, the Tenafly Marching Tigers traveled from their days in the Wild West into the future to one big computer network in their new show, Connected. The storyline takes the audience on a journey in the life of a computer with the euphoric moment of booting the device, the intricacies of connecting the system to the actual network, the beauty of the network itself, the invasion of a computer virus, and finally the restoration of a beautiful piece of technology in the 21st century.
Ultimately, through the workings of a computer, the Tenafly Marching Band shows the audience that a computer is surprisingly similar to a band and society as a whole — every moving part must contribute to create one big masterpiece and story.
Along with drum majors Maia Goldman (‘25), Colin Kim (‘25) and Hanna You (‘25) to maneuver the complex computer itself, the software and hardware of the machine is just as crucial to the success of the technological wonder. With the help of Mr. Minesh Shah, the ensemble coordinator; Mr. Aaron Alcine, composer, battery instructor, and musical and visual design staff; and Ms. Marllyn Alcine, the front ensemble instructor, and many more including the band’s fantastic student leadership team, the inner workings of the computer have been flawless in the marching band’s performances thus far.
In fact, the marching band already saw a victory to jump start their season of wins at the competition at the Northern Valley Regional High School of Old Tappan on September 21, 2024. In their first competition in being in open class, they won a score of 74.900.
Although the marching band is more than halfway through their season and nationals are quickly approaching on November 2, it is motivated to continue fighting against computer viruses and spread the joy of technology around the tristate area. To continue their winning streak, the band members will be performing on Friday, October 18 at the fort all game on Geissinger field against Dickinson High School. During this game, the band’s seniors will be honored in an annual ceremony that takes place, creating a lifetime of memories for everyone. You can follow @tenafly_marching_band on Instagram to remain updated on any other events for the band as well.
Even though the cowboy boots won’t be appropriate this year, come to the game on Friday anyway and show off your newest iPhone or Galaxy in this celebration of seniority, music, and modern technology!
