Ryan Scibelli enjoyed his final summer vacation days while Maeve Siddons welcomed the work.
The two Bridgewater-Raritan High School students who will enter their junior year on Tuesday, September 8, were sharing their warm feelings about the annual Band Camp on a warm summer afternoon in late August.
They are among 80 Bridgewater-Raritan High School students participating in the Marching Band sponsored Band Camp, which began the week of August 17 and will end after three weeks, by Labor Day weekend.
Each weekday afternoon or evening on the grass field located between the high school building and Basilone Memorial Field, these dedicated band students prepare for the upcoming school year and the competitions in the New Jersey Marching Band Directors Association, which run through the autumn.
They work out and practice in the same manner as their schoolmates perform in August on the athletic fields and courts.
“This is our training camp,” said Nick Mossa, who is the Co-Director with Dr. Tom Bourgault for the Band program at Bridgewater-Raritan High School. “We practice team building and culture, and the kids learn their music and drill.”
Mr. Mossa and Dr. Bourgault oversee the camp sessions, which are coached by a staff of 15 music professionals from various outside schools and organizations.
“They teach the specifics,” Mr. Mossa said, “They coach the four sections/positions –Color Guard, Woodwinds, Percussion and Brass.”
Scibelli and Siddons, who will serve as the Drum Captains this school year, reflected on the students' general attitude at camp.
“This is one great way to end the summer,” Scibelli claimed.
“It is a lot of hard work but very rewarding and teaches good life skills,” Siddons added
They will join their Marching Band mates through a fall season when they perform their title for the 2026 shows, “Bound by Bones.”
The 2025 edition of the Bridgewater-Raritan High School’s Marching Band performed under the show title of “Spice.”
Their show at the 2025 New Jersey Marching Band Directors Association State Championships resulted in a fourth-place finish in Class AAA by Bridgewater-Raritan High School at The College of New Jersey in Ewing on November 2.
But a productive pre-season camp could result in Bridgewater-Raritan High School’s first state championship since the program won the Class AA title in 2021.
“We are excited about this coming season,” Mr. Mossa said.