SPFHS Music & Band Photos: 2015

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Our growing visual archive of the SPFHS music program

Anjaria Photography: Halftime Show - November 7 &emdash; DSC_3092

We've just added several more galleries of photos from the 2015 SPFHS Marching Band season. Scroll through the posts below to find them, or go to our index of photo albums.

This web site now proudly features well over 100 galleries of photos of Scotch Plains-Fanwood student musicians at performances in auditoriums, on football fields and at other venues during the past nine years. We also have links to videos in many cases.

While the past few months have been dominated by marching band, we also have many albums of pictures from instrumental and choral concerts, parades, music department trips and other performances by our student musicians.

PLEASE REMEMBER: This site depends on the friends and families of SPFHS musicians to provide photos. If you take photos or shoot video of student performances, please share them! Just e-mail Dan Murphy with images or links to your online albums or videos. Help us keep this archive growing!

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Marching Band concludes 2015 season at Nationals

-- Updated 11/11 with many more photos --

Director Durand Thomas reacts to the SPFHS Marching Band's performance at Nationals

The SPFHS Marching Band and Color Guard concluded its 2015 season with another great performance of "Chance Love: Tales Beneath a Persian Moon" at the USBands National Open Class Championships, held Nov. 7 at MetLife Stadium.

Anjaria Photography: USBands National Championship - November 7 &emdash; DSC_3411

We have two batches of photos from this event. Band parent Dev Anjaria shares a large gallery that includes shots of the band and guard warming up outside the stadium, of the chaparones and pit crew members at work, and of the students performing at the top of their game. Some images show the band filling the field from goal to goal, while others give close-up views of small groups of players. Click here or on the images above and below to view that album.

Anjaria Photography: USBands National Championship - November 7 &emdash; DSC_3469

Alumni parent Dan Murphy also took photos of the show, showing a different viewing angle and capturing some different moments as the students clearly enjoyed the results of their hard work. Click here or on the slideshow below to view.

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Marching Band plays at season's final football game

Anjaria Photography: Halftime Show - November 7 &emdash; DSC_3241

The SPFHS Marching Band put on its last halftime show of the season during the Raider's final home game Nov. 7. Dev Anjaria shares another great set of photos of the marchers.

Anjaria Photography: Halftime Show - November 7 &emdash; DSC_3117

Anjaria Photography: Halftime Show - November 7 &emdash; DSC_2917

The 2015 Drum Majors

Marching Band Senior Recognition - Photos

Anjaria Photography: Senior Appreciation - November 7 &emdash; DSC_2900

Saturday Nov. 7 was Senior Recognition Day at Perry Tyson Field. Before the final football game of the season, senior members of the SPFHS Marching Band were introduced on the field, accompanied by family members. Dev Anjaria took photographs and shares them here.

Anjaria Photography: Senior Appreciation - November 7 &emdash; DSC_2834

Marching Band Halftime Show 11/7/2015 - Video

Nearing the end of their season, the Raiders Marching Band performed at halftime on Senior Recognition Day at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School. Here's a video taken from the stands.

The band and color guard were headed that night to MetLife Stadium for the USSBA Nationals competition, the culmination of their competition season.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Marching Band's great show at State Finals - Photos

Updated 11/4 with many more photos

Anjaria Photography: State Competition at Rutgers Stadium - October 31 &emdash; DSC_2650

Photo by Dev Anjaria

The SPFHS Marching Band put on a terrific performance at the USBands New Jersey State Championship on Oct. 31 at Rutgers University.

Photo by Dan Murphy

The Raiders received their highest score of the season to date to place second in Group 6-Open, with the caption award for best percussion. They also won the event's "Award of Excellence" presented by the Cadets.

Photo by Dan Murphy

We have TWO photo galleries from this event:

Here are photos by Dan Murphy, mostly wide shots of large groups of musicians.

Click here or on the image below for photos by Dev Anjaria, including closer views of band and color guard members.

Anjaria Photography: State Competition at Rutgers Stadium - October 31 &emdash; DSC_2507

We also have video of the performance - check it out!

Marching Band at State Finals 10/31/2015 - Video

Thanks to band parent Dave Hensley for sharing this video of the SPFHS Marching Band's performance at the USBands New Jersey State Finals, on Oct. 31, 2015, at Rutgers University's High Point Stadium.

Be sure to see all our photos of the event as well!

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Marching Band at East Brunswick competition, 10/24/2015

Warm-up by night: Oct. 24, 2015

The amount of preparation the members of the Raiders Marching Band put in, all season and before every show, is remarkable. There are the hot summer days of band camp, the long hours of after-school rehearsals - and then there are show days.

For example, Saturday Oct. 24 saw the band rehearse at midday; play stand cheers at the Homecoming Day football game and perform its show at half-time; then after a short break, board buses and ride to East Brunswick High School; spend over an hour in warm-ups and rehearsal; and finally take the field in USBands competition.

Pit crew volunteer Dan Murphy took photos "behind the scenes" as the percussion section warmed up in the parking lot and the rest of the band and the color guard practiced on soccer fields. He also took some sideline-view photos as the band put on a great performance of its 2015 show, "Chance Love: Tales Beneath a Persian Moon." Have a look!

We also have an extensive album of photos by Dev Anjaria of the East Brunswick performance. Click here or on the image below to view.

Anjaria Photography: East Brunswick Competition - October 24 &emdash; DSC_2307

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Photos added from Yamaha Cup, J.P. Stevens

We've added more photos from the Sept. 26 Yamaha Cup competition at MetLife Stadium, as well as pictures from the Oct. 4 show at J.P. Stevens.

Scroll down to see those entries.

Keep checking back for more updates.

DID YOU KNOW: We now have 106 albums of photos of SPFHS music performances going back to 2007! Find links to all of them here.

And contact Dan if you have pictures you'd like to share.

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Marching Band competes at Hillsborough, Oct. 10, 2015

The SPFHS Marching Band and Color Guard took part in another USBands competition on Oct. 10, at Hillsborough High School. It was the first show of the season to feature props -- including platforms representing a "magic carpet," seen above.

Here's an album of photos taken by pit crew member Dan Murphy, starting with pit warm-ups and continuing with a sideline view of the show.

And here's another gallery of photos by band parent Dev Anjaria.

Anjaria Photography: Hillsborough Competition - October 10 &emdash; DSC_1933

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Marching Band performs in competition at J.P. Stevens

The SPFHS Marching Band performed in a U.S. Bands competition at J.P. Stevens HS in Edison on Sunday, Oct. 4. It was the band's second competition of the weekend. Band parent Jennifer Cherubini shared these photos from show. Click here to visit her album, which also has pictures from the earlier Yamaha Cup competition at MetLife Stadium.

We also have a large album of photos by Dev Anjaria from the J.P. Stevens show. Click here or on the image below to go to that gallery.

Anjaria Photography: JP Stevens Competition - October 4 &emdash; DSC_1573

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Marching Band competes at South Plainfield (Video)

The SPFHS Marching Band took part in two USBands competitions this weekend, at South Plainfield HS and at J.P. Stevens HS in Edison. Ken Litwin forwarded this video from the stands at South Plainfield.

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Marching Band at Yamaha Cup Competition (Updated 10/13)

Anjaria Photography: Yamaha Cup - September 26 &emdash; DSC_1037

The SPFHS Marching Band and Color Guard took part in the Yamaha Cup competition at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 26. We have a great collection of photos by Dev Anjaria, Dan Murphy and Jennifer Cherubini.

First, an album of photos by Dan from the warm-ups outside the stadium.

Anjaria Photography: Yamaha Cup - September 26 &emdash; DSC_1005

Anjaria Photography: Yamaha Cup - September 26 &emdash; DSC_1043

Next, photos by Dev that start with a few more warm-up shots and then cover the entire performance.

Click here or on one of these images to see the album.

Anjaria Photography: Yamaha Cup - September 26 &emdash; DSC_1070

There are still more photos from Yamaha Cup in an album shared by band parent Jen Cherubini. Click here or on the image below to see that album, which also includes shots from a competition at J.P. Stevens HS on Oct. 4.

After the competition, the band returned to the high school to catch the second half of the Raiders' football game. Here are some scenes of the band doing their stand cheers.

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Marching Band performs at game and Home Show

The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Marching Band and Color Guard put on two fine performances on Saturday, Sept. 19. First, the band played before the SPF Raiders football game at Westfield. Here are some photos of the band on the field and in the stands.

Then, SPF hosted its annual "home show." Marching bands from eight other schools performed in US Bands competition before a large crowd of spectators. Then the SPF band and color guard took the field for an exhibition performance. We have an album of photos by Dave Hensley and Dan Murphy.

Members of the SPF band then presented the judges' awards to the competing bands. Finally, Scotch Plains Mayor Kevin Glover and Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr presented the "Mayors Trophy" to the South Plainfield band. Here are photos from the ceremony.

UPDATE: We have another big gallery of photos by Dev Anjaria, starting with scenes of our Home Show volunteers at work and continuing through the awards ceremony. Click here or on the images below to view.

Anjaria Photography: SPF Home Show - September 19 &emdash; DSC_0490

Anjaria Photography: SPF Home Show - September 19 &emdash; DSC_0645

Friday, September 4, 2015

Marching Band is starting its 2015 season

The SPFHS Raiders Marching Band and Color Guard gave a sneak preview of its 2015 show to parents and friends on Sept. 3.

The band will play at Raiders Football games, starting Sept. 12 at Plainfield, and in a series of USBands Group 6-Open competitions, also starting Sept. 12 at Edison HS.

Here is a slideshow of photos taken at the preview show by Dan Murphy.

Monday, May 25, 2015

SPFHS Musicians in Memorial Day Parade 2015

As a reprise to their award-winning season, the Raiders Marching Band and Color Guard took part in the annual Scotch Plains-Fanwood Memorial Day parade on May 25.

In addition, members of the school choir sang "God Bless America" at the opening ceremonies in downtown Scotch Plains. And Rhythmsense performed on a float as the final musical group in the line of march.

Here's video taken from both the start of the parade in Scotch Plains and its finish in Fanwood.

And here are some photos from before and after the march.

Friday, May 22, 2015

Scenes from Spring Instrumental Concert 2015

Here is a short slideshow of photos from the SPFHS Spring Instrumental Concert on May 13. These photos appeared along with an article about the show on the local news site TAP Into Scotch Plains-Fanwood.

These photos are courtesy of Susan Bonnell, who is both a SPFHS music parent and editor of Tap Into Cranford.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Winterguard wins championship in Mid-Atlantic competition

The SPFHS Winterguard won first place in its division at the Mid-Atlantic Indoor Network's 2015 Championship competition on April 25 in South Brunswick. With a score of 90.3, the group finished first among nine schools from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania in MAIN's Scholastic Regional A Denniston Division.

SPFHS Winterguard at Somerville show, March 28, 2015

The championship is a first for SPFHS Winterguard, said director Jackie Tumolo. "The win obviously feels wonderful, but what's been so exciting this season was watching these girls transform our program."

This guard's 2015 show, called "Winter Is Coming," was performed to music by Ding Wei.

"These girls have come so far. They really made the choreography their own and a piece of art that was more beautiful than the staff could've imagined. We are so proud of their accomplishments and can't wait for next season!"

Click here to see our photo album of SPFHS Winterguard performing at an earlier competition, March 28 at Somerville.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Moonglowers take NJAJE Division II State Championship

The Moonglowers won the New Jersey Association for Jazz Education's Division II State Championship on April 25 in Princeton.

The group also won the award for best saxophone section.

We have an album of photos shared with us by parents Guibai Liang and Nina Cheung, plus a video of the performance posted on YouTube by the Karakis family. Enjoy!

Photo source: @Raider_Nation15 via Twitter

Friday, April 24, 2015

SPFHS Music trip to Washington a big success

The Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Music Department's traveled to Washington in April to take part in a “Festivals of Music” competition. The musicians picked up many "excellent" and "superior" ratings, and two ensembles were best-in-show in their categories: the Men's Choir, which was named Best Overall Choir, and the Moonglowers, honored as Best Overall Jazz Ensemble.

The Fanscotian has a full article along with a list of all the SPFHS rankings and awards.

David Tice has posted this video from the winning performance by the Men's Choir.

Sunday, April 12, 2015

WinterGuard having successful 2015 season - Photos

Scotch Plains-Fanwood HS WinterGuard is nearing the end of a successful 2015 competition season. The guard will be performing in the Mid-Atlantic Indoor Network Championships on April 25 at South Brunswick High School.

There are 15 girls participating in the Guard this season, all of whom were also in the Marching Band Color Guard during the fall.

This year's show is called "Winter Is Coming," performed to music by Ding Wei. Guard director Jackie Tumolo said: "After the successful marching band season, we were motivated to choose a show that would really challenge the members and bring the program to the next level."

SPFHS has placed first in the Scholastic Regional A category at its three most recent competitions: Matawan, Somerville and Deptford.

Here is a gallery of photos taken at the March 28 Somerville show.

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Moonglowers Jazz Festival 2015: Photos

SPFHS hosted the 18th Annual Moonglowers Jazz Festival on March 27. The show featured performances by SPF Jazz, by visiting ensembles from J.P. Stevens, Westfield, Carteret and Bridgewater-Raritan High Schools, and finally by the host band.

Here's a selection of photos by Dan Murphy of the Moonglowers' performance. We'd be happy to add more! If you have pictures from the evening, or links to videos, please contact us.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Winter Guard in midst of 2015 season

The Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Winter Guard is in the middle of its 2015 competition season.

Thanks to Lisa Dunlap, we have these photos from their performance on March 14 at Matawan High School.

There are 15 girls participating in the Guard this season, all of whom were also in the Marching Band Color Guard during the fall.

The show is called "Winter Is Coming," performed to music by Ding Wei. Upcoming competitions are on March 28 in Somerville and April 11 at Deptford, followed by the championships on April 25 at South Brunswick.

"We are incredibly excited about this season," Guard director Jackie Tumolo said last month. "After the successful marching band season, we were motivated to choose a show that would really challenge the members and bring the program to the next level. The designer, Aaron Palmer, has created a unique piece of art and we are looking forward to see where the kids take it!"

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Rep Theater presents "Grease" at SPFHS (Updated 3/18)

SPFHS Repertory Theater is in the midst of its 2015 production of "Grease," the musical comedy set at a high school in the 1950s. As we've come to expect, our talented students are putting on a terrific show.

From TAPonTV, here's a video of the number that closes the first act and is reprised as the finale: "We Go Together."

There's a great collection of photos, including backstage and rehearsal pictures, at Rep Theater's Instagram page.

And from the Raider News channel, here's a music video of "Grease Is The Word," put together by the cast and crew. Lots of fun!

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Day of Percussion 2015 - The videos

From the Raider News channel, we now have videos of performances at Day of Percussion, held March 7 at Terrill Middle School.

Click here to view on YouTube, where you can select which pieces to watch. As of 3/18 there were four videos in the playlist: SPFHS Percussion Ensemble, Rhythmsense and two segments by the Percussion Ensemble at Kean University. More will be added, so check back!

Also be sure to see our photo album of all the day's activities.

SPF & visiting musicians at Day of Percussion 2015 (Photos)

Rhythmsense at Day of Percussion 2015

Terrill Middle School hosted the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Schools ninth annual Day of Percussion on Saturday, March 7, featuring performances by eight ensembles plus clinics presented by music professionals.

Here's an album of photos by Dan Murphy of all the performing groups, the clinicians and the vendors, prizes and other activities.

We hope to be getting links to video of the performances. Check back soon!

SPF student musicians at Fanwood St. Patrick's fest (Photos)

SPF Jazz at Fanwood St. Patrick's Day celebration. (Photo by Ken Litwin)

Moonglowers at Fanwood St. Patrick's Day celebration.
(Photo by Brian Horton for TAP)

High school and middle school musicians from the Scotch Plains-Fanwood schools provided much of the entertainment at Fanwood's fifth annual St. Patrick's celebration on March 7.

The event raised money for the SPF Music Boosters to help promote excellence in the school district's music programs.

The student groups that performed were the Moonglowers, SPF Jazz and Sensations from the high school and the Terrill Jazz and Park Jazz bands from the middle schools.

Have a look at these photos from TAPintoScotchPlainsFanwood's coverage of the event.

Do you have photos/videos from this event? Please share!

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