This past week saw the PHS marching band unit getting ready for the opening of the field marching year.
Band Camp, which from Monday, August 10 through Friday, August 14 is meant to prime all members of the marching band for a performance schedule that will run during the school calendar. Each day was packed with rehearsals, marching and time for team building and fun. The program is run by Austin Glass, Marching Band Director for PHS, and Greg Tarbox, Assistant Band Director. Tarbox is a also teacher at the Middle School.
Band Camp is open to middle and high school students. Glass said that prior to COVID, the marching band had 135 members. This year, there are 67 students, but even with that reduction in members, Pembroke has one of the largest marching bands in the area. "Our Pembroke High School Marching Band consists of 67 total students. We have a rock pit with guitar, bass guitar and drum set, a front ensemble pit with mallet instruments and timpani, a percussion battery made up of snares, quads, bass drums, and cymbals, wind players who play instruments from flute to tuba and everything in between, color guard who spin flags and more, and a few vocalists." The schedule for the week involves field marching in the morning, team building activities after lunch and more music rehearsal for the band for the balance of the day. The color guard practices their routines in the gym and also take the field with the musicians. On Friday, students are welcome to dress in costume, and at the end of the day there is a picnic - complete with food trucks - finishing with a musical performance for the parents.
Austin Glass wanted to highlight some additional information. "Our parent group, Pembroke Association for the Performing Arts (PAPA), gives scholarships for 4 of our student leaders to get trained in their positions. We had our two senior drum majors who conduct our show on the field, Lorcan Finnigan and Larissa Lomba, go to Westfield State University to Drum Major Academy for 5 days where they learned leadership, marching, and conducting. Two of our other seniors, Gavin Campbell and Jackie Mahar, headed off to the University of Amherst to be trained at Mobile Percussion Seminar to lead our percussion students."
Photos below are from the last day of Band Camp, with all members having the option of dressing in costumes for added fun!
Scenes from PHS Band Camp. Photos by Brittany Murphy
Scenes from PHS Band Camp. Photos by Brittany Murphy
