Pottsgrove Marching Band has Championship Season

Photos submitted by the Pottsgrove School District

From left: Row 1- Lauren Yeanish, Amiyyah Cousins, Laura Hoffman, Vicki Keefer, Ellen Welty, Alyssa Hill, Ciara Markoski, Jorden Taylor; Row 2- Fox Coniglario, Maggie Slichter, Jakob Marlow, Korbin Dorris, Sam Pettine, Moyo Akoma, Hannah Marsteller, Kydira Garfield, Neil Slichter, Jaydan Dorris, Chris Perry; Row 3- Katheine Perry, Sydney Renner, Alyssa Confino, Christiana Haagen, Jiajun Lin, Owen Dobbs, Evan Croxton, Ethan Derstine, Sophia Steyaert, Carmela Steyaert, Lydia Masimore, Alexi Neiffer, Josiah Thieme; Row 4- Abdel Matias-Rivera, Mason Vetter, Colton DiCriscio, Coriana Neiffer, Garrett McGuinness, Joshus Ross, Matt Bechtel, Zachary Schueck, Kylie Fralich, Jayse Welty. Missing: Macey Cohn, Grace Derstine, Madison Palma, Jeffery Robles

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottsgrove School District.

The Pottsgrove High School Marching Band recently completed their season with an array of awards and recognitions for 2018. 

The Falcon Marching band competes through the Tournament of Bands and Cavalcade of Bands  organizations.

Tournament of Bands is one of the largest competitive band organizations in the country. 

Founded in 1972 by the National Judges Association, Tournament has grown to more than 400 active schools and organizations. 

Pottsgrove Seniors at Cavalcade of Bands Championships From left, Shawn Campopiano, Director, Josiah Thieme, Jayse Welty, Joshua Ross, Neil Slichter, Alexi Neiffer, Maggie Slichter, Fox Coniglario, Garrett McGuinness, Carmela Steyaert, Ciara Markoski, Laura Hoffman.

Tournament of Bands sanctions approximately 100 field band events and nearly 100 indoor events as well as two major championships at the conclusion of each competitive season. On any given Saturday night in the fall, the organization will have from eight to 14 field band competitions providing the opportunity for hundreds of marching bands to participate in its competitive arena.

Cavalcade of Bands is a non-profit organization composed of more than 100 member schools from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. It hosts over 80 events each year for scholastic programs to compete and receive feedback from certified music and marching adjudicators. 

Pottsgrove Marching Band concluded their regular season as Tournament of Bands Region 3 Class 2A Champions, which is similar to the PIAA sports classifications. Pottsgrove is a member of Region 3, which includes all of southeastern Pennsylvania. The number “2” designates the size of the band membership and the letter “A” is their classification.

At the Atlantic Coast Championships, where teams from Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and West Virginia were represented, the Falcon Marching Band finished 11th out of 33 bands. This finish qualified Pottsgrove as an Atlantic Coast Championship finalist for the first time since 2008.

And finally, at last weekend’s Cavalcade of Bands Championship in Allentown, the Falcons finished with a bronze medal in The American A Division. Competition was fierce, as the band ended less than 2 points short of the gold. This is the first time Pottsgrove has medaled since 2012.

In addition to Pottsgrove’s competitive successes, band students received a total of $3500 in scholarships from Tournament of Bands. 

Neil Slichter and Josh Ross each received $250 from our Region, and Josh Ross received a $3,000 scholarship from Tournament at the Atlantic Coast Championships. 

All scholarships will be presented at the High School Band and Orchestra Winter Concert on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. in the Richard Radel Auditorium at PGHS.

The Marching Band is under the direction of Shawn Campopiano.

Join Together With the Band

Photos by Evan Brandt

Members of all the marching bands that performed Saturday night at the Lancaster County Marching Band Coalition Showcase were invited on to the field to play with the Kutztown University Marching Band as a way to close out the evening.

Technology, the giver of wonderous gifts and the source of terrible frustration.

For those of you who follow this blog with any regularity, you know I am no technical wizard;

Technology gave me a face like this, but

Pottstown sophomore Terrell Taylor-Williams

insists he just doesn't believe in smiling.

plodding my way through whatever silicon valley has thought up to see if it poses any value to the cause of local news.

So I confess that there are surely times I fail to switch the right widget, or override the under-code.

But surely you will agree that when you use the nifty live video function called Periscope, and it saves on your wonderous company-issued iPhone every single video you shoot, except one, that it should be chalked up not to the technological ineptness of the user, high though it may be, but to the technology's own fickle, self-destructive desire to make the user want to smash the phone on the ground and jump up and down on it until it is in tiny little i-Pieces.

However, as an adult and parent of a teenager, you've come to learn (after several lectures) that tantrums like that are unbecoming and set a bad example.

Pottstown High School Marching Band.

So, you move on.

Besides, as you will see below, I just used the video from the Pottstown Bands YouTube channel, so I should stop complaining....

Now I must also confess that technology can be wonderful.

Because while technology denied me a permanent recording of the Pottstown High School Marching Band, which my wife and I had driven 50.4 miles at somewhat unsafe speeds to see, it did provide two recordings of Pottsgrove High School's marching band, thanks to the technical prowess of one Fred Remelius.

Owen J. Roberts High School Marching Band.

A dedicated band dad three-times over, he saw my video experiments on Facebook and through that platform we arranged for him to send YouTube links to Pottsgrove's performance, which was going on miles away at the Boyertown Cavalcade of Bands, also happening on the same night.  Those two videos are posted below as well.

So there you have it.

Technology, a double-edged sword.

While we have attended and enjoyed the Boyertown Cavalcade in the past, I must say we particularly enjoy a

The big Duck, Duck, Goose circle.

particular aspect of the Lancaster show -- no scoring.

The Lancaster audience and the bands, which also included Owen J. Roberts, seem much more relaxed and much more supportive and enthusiastic of each other as a result.

I can be hard to cheer with true enthusiasm for a competitor, and applying the whole "win-lose" dynamic to something as subjective as music seems, in my mind, to diminish music itself.

Perhaps the first best example of this sense of camaraderie at the Lancaster show was a phenomenon I have never seen at a Cavalcade of Bands show, and doubt I ever would. During the intermission, the bands all mingled on the field and, as it by osmosis, organized themselves into a giant circle and began to play, of all things, "Duck, Duck, Goose."

Pottstown's Isaiah Williams

as the goose.

Action shot! After Isaiah chose a new goose.

So ironically enough, it would seem the absence of scoring turned the whole
thing into a quasi-athletic event.

Not only was there running around in a circle, but there was also some kind of weird ju-jitsu kind of activity that I am quite obviously just too old to understand.

I have no idea what the hell this is ....

But the kids seemed to have fun.

The other excellent example of camaraderie is how the Kutztown University Band, which closed the show this year and last, invites members from all the bands to join them in a big final number.

Its very obvious, as you will see in the video below, that everyone is having great fun, and the audience has fun and joins in.

Isn't that what music is supposed to be about?

Enjoy the Tweets and videos (those that saved anyway) below:

Pottsgrove's a Peach at the Peach Bowl

Photos Courtesy of Elizabeth Remelius

The Pottsgrove High School Falcon Marching Band with their 1st Place trophy earned at the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta last month for their parade performance.

Blogger's Note: This post was written by guest blogger Elizabeth Remelius, who was also

From left, Linda Bostwick, Liz Driehaus
and Molly Achuff with the 2nd Place trophy
for the band's field show.

kind enough to send us photos as well. (If you have something you would like to submit to appear in The Digital Notebook, send it to ebrandt@pottsmerc.com)

On Sunday, Dec. 27, 47 members of the Pottsgrove High School Falcon Marching, their staff, and chaperones boarded a bus to Atlanta, GA and the 2015 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. 

The Falcons, the sole representative from Pennsylvania, performed throughout the Bowl Game festivities as one of the 15 high school bands invited to participate in the event.

Throughout the week, the band performed for thousands of people in incredible venues around Atlanta. 

From left, Caroline Remelius
and Denisha Footman with the 
3rd Place concert band Trophy

They participated in a concert band adjudication where they had the opportunity to learn from several influential names in collegiate-level music education. 

They had the opportunity to meet and talk with members of both the University of Houston and Florida State University’s marching bands. 

The route of the Peach Bowl parade took them throughout downtown Atlanta and through ranks of excited football fans. 

The Falcons had the opportunity to perform twice inside the Georgia Dome: to perform their 2015 field show, OUTTATIME: Celebrating 25 Years of Back to the Future, and as participants in the 1000+ student mass band that performed pre-game and the National Anthem before the Bowl Game.

The week was certainly not all work. 

Band Director Victor Holladay was also recognized

In addition to watching the University of Houston and Florida State University go head-to-head in the Peach Bowl Game, the students and their chaperones had the opportunity to visit several iconic places around Atlanta including.

Those included: Olympic Centennial Park, CNN Studios, the World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia Aquarium, and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.

The band’s hard work during their week in Atlanta earned them three impressive recognitions. 

In their division, the Falcons earned a third place trophy for their concert band adjudication, second place for their field show, and first place for their performance in the Peach Bowl Parade.

The Pottsgrove High School Falcon Marching Band makes its way
through the streets of Atlanta during the Peach Bowl Parade.

The Falcons would like to thank the faculty, staff, and administration of the Pottsgrove School District for their unending support of the arts in our schools. 

This support ensures that the students of Pottsgrove are able to enjoy these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. 

We are always proud to wear Maroon and White as we represent our community, the Pottsgrove School District, and the state of Pennsylvania.

You can follow the Pottsgrove High School Falcon Marching Band on Facebook

(www.facebook.com/PGHSMB) and on Twitter (@PottsgroveHSMB).

The Pottsgrove Falcon Marching Band in the Georgia Dome tunnel.

Pottsgrove Marching Band Headed to Peach Bowl

There's a good chance that as you're reading this, 47 members of the Pottsgrove High School Falcon Marching Band are on a plane headed to Atlanta.

According to an e-mail sent out by band director Victor Halladay, the band will participate in the 2015 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. 

"In addition to many sightseeing opportunities in the Atlanta area, the band will have the opportunity to perform their field show inside the Georgia Dome! 

"They will also participate in the Bowl Parade and will perform pre-game and the National Anthem as part of a 1000+ student mass band. I am hopeful that the National Anthem will be broadcast live, so please tune in on Thursday, Dec. 31 at 11:40 a.m.

"Thank you for your support and encouragement of your students’ endeavors, in and outside the classroom. We are proud to represent the Pottsgrove School District, our community, and the state of Pennsylvania in this nationally broadcast event," Halladay wrote.

"You can follow all the exciting things we will be doing in Atlanta on our Facebook Peach Bowl Trip Page https://www.facebook.com/Pottsgrove-High-School-Marching-Band-Trip-to-the-Chick-fil-A-Peach-Bowl-230613197052913/ and on Twitter @PottsgroveHSMB

Congratulations Falcons and best of luck on your performance.

Falcons Finish First Friday at West Chester Parade

Photos by Fred Remelius

It is an unfortunate fact of life that despite our huge staff, the Digital Notebook team cannot be everywhere all the time.

But fortunately, we have a phalanx of dedicated correspondents ready to step up and carry the coverage when we have a toothache or family function to attend.

One such correspondent is former Pottsgrove School Board member and fellow marching band enthusiast Frederick P. Remelius.

While the rest of us were fighting the holiday shopping crowds, or watching the Bill Murray Christmas special, Fred and family were shivering on the sidewalk, waiting for that Pottsgrove High School Falcon Marching Band to make its way down the street during the Mars West Chester Christmas Parade.

Fingers trembling with cold and anticipation over the shutter of his camera (or smart phone as the case may be -- only the best equipment for Digital Notebook correspondents) he snapped these photos as the Falcons marched to a first place finish.

Then, knowing the urgency of digital news, he rushed home and filed the following report:

The 55-student musician Pottsgrove High School Marching Band, under the direction of Mr. Victor Holladay, was the first place winner in today's Mars West Chester Christmas Parade in a competition with 12 other bands. 

Although the temperature dropped into the upper 30's, this was the first time in several years where the Band was blessed with not having to march in the rain or snow. 

The band members were greatly surprised to find out that they were marching in the parade just ahead of a real gullwing Delorean sports car which was central in the Band's fall show "Out A Time" show about the Back to the Future movies. 

At the end of the parade, the band broke into an impromtu rendition of their show for the car's owners. 

Congratulations to the Falcons on a successful season and a first place finish.

And our thanks to Fred for his dedication.

If you would like to become a Digital Notebook correspondent, meaning you're willing to work long hours for little recognition and no pay, submit your reports via e-mail to our recording secretary, Evan Brandt, at: ebrandt@pottsmerc.com, or send it via carrier pigeon to The Mercury (Digital Notebook Division), 24 N. Hanover St., Pottstown, PA 19464. 

It Rained on Their Parade, Literally

Photo by Evan Brandt

A lifeboat on the Atlantic City beach opposite the Tropicana, just as it started to rain heavily ... for the first time.

We took a chance.

The weather report said it might rain .... OK, they said it would probably rain.

But as our son is a junior and this would be last time he would march in the Miss America Pageant's Show Us Your Shoes Parade in Atlantic City, we decided to chance it.

So not surprisingly, in a city dedicated to chance, the house won and the weather report was right.

Of course, it waited until we had arrived, paid for up to eight hours of parking and walked onto the boardwalk itself before it started to rain.

We slipped into the Chickie and Pete's in the Tropicana, hoping that making an offering to a place with a sunny name might appease the weather gods.

They were not appeased.

Oh it stopped for a while, long enough to lure us back out to the sparsely populated boardwalk and even to eschew the covered bench area in favor of one closer to the action.

Once again, we gambled and lost.

It started off well enough of course.



And, then, once there was no other option, the rain returned.

Not surprisingly, the Miss America contestants who ride vintage cars down the Boardwalk in costumes representative of their state, do so in alphabetical order.

By the time Miss Colorado passed by, it was pouring.

The first local bands to make their arrival were the steadfast Boyertown Alumni Marching Unit, followed by the Pottsgrove High School Falcon band.



It rained, and we waited.

And then we waited some more in the rain.

Have I mentioned it was raining?

And windy?

And getting dark?

You start to notice, under circumstances like this, how many states start with M and N.

Finally, after Miss Wyoming passed by, there were our Trojans, damp but undaunted.



We joined the rest of the exodus as soon as they had passed us by, heading to our car and the car's heater.

The band caught up to us at the rest stop on the Atlantic City Expressway, where my deep desire for a Starbuck's coffee required a stop on the way home.

They seemed cheerful enough and so I spared them a speech about how impressed I was with their endurance.

But I was.

Here are the Tweets from the parade, fewer than I might otherwise have sent but in case you haven't figured it out yet, it was raining and I was trying to preserve the electronic integrity of The Mercury's iPhone.

Fundraiser Will Help Pottsgrove Marching Band Get to the Peach Bowl

The Pottsgrove High School Marching Band will be heading to the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl in
December.

The Marching Band and parents are fundraising on Saturday, July 25 from 10:30 to 3 p.m. and again in early fall to help get them to Georgia.

The fundraiser will be at Art Fusion, 254 E. High St. in Pottstown.

Any questions? Email Amy Marazas at amarazas77@gmail.com.

A Cavalcading We Will Go

Boyertown, which hosted a cavalcade last weekend, my first, was the big winner at last night's Owen J. Roberts Marching Band Cavalcade.




Not only did the Bears win their Yankee Class division taking first with a score of 84.65, the band also won the high percussion and high auxiliary awards against their lone opponent, Council Rock South.



Furthermore, the band also won the "Overall Music" Award but their band director, Brian Langdon, moved from Pottstown to Boyertown this year, was named the "most loved" band director.




Congratulations Mr. Langdon, we miss you back in Pottstown.



Because Owen J. Roberts was hosting, the band performed but did not compete.




(Good thing too, because, personal opinion, I think they would have kicked everyone else's butt.)



Also performing, but not competing, was the Owen J. Roberts Middle School Marching Band.




In my personal opinion, Pottstown also deserves more props than they seemed destined to get from anyone, be it referee of band judge, but then maybe I'm just a lover of classic rock music (or the parent of the Pottstown band member. I'll never tell. What I will say is that the Pottstown show is a crowd favorite, which is their first priority.)




Anyway, more results.




The Phoenixville Area High School took second place in the American Class division, which had four competitors. (We arrived too late to shoot any video. Sorry Phantoms, if anyone has any video they would like to send me, I will post it here.)




And now, on to the Liberty Class, where Pottstown and Pottsgrove, faced off against Souderton and Marple-Newtown, which is from Delaware County.




With a score of 80.85, Pottsgrove came in second and Pottstown, with a score of 78.8 came in fourth.

Marching to the Beat of Different Drummers

So, as a first-time cavalcader, all I can say is wow.

Saturday night my wife and I attended the Boyertown Cavalcade of Bands to see our son and his band-mates perform and it was a strange and wonderful experience.

Some of the arrangements were truly, truly more elaborate than I could have imagined.

As a history buff, I confess to being partial to Pottsgrove's show this year, which is built around the

Pottsgrove did well in last year's cavalcade

Gettysburg Address.

But as someone fast-approaching 50, I was also a sucker for Pottstown's classic rock show. That was my music out there.

Also strange was the band brown shirt, a woman who kept me standing at the top of the stairs until one band's performance was completed while my Dallas fries and hot dog got cold.

I could see how it would be distracting to have people wandering in and out of the stands during performances, but my seat was only two seats away from the top of the stairs.

I thought she was with the stadium, but she disappeared after that one band performed and my eyes narrowed in suspicion....

Anyway, I got back, I ate my food and I watched my first cavalcade.

As I said, strange and wonderful.

There was a pirate theme, Little Red Riding Hood (complete with a wolf) and a couple of things that were completely lost on me. (Hey, it was my first one.)

Anyway, here are some Tout videos I shot of the Pottstown and Pottsgrove performances.








And I just remembered that Pottstown's music department has its own You Tube music channel. Here is the full performance:





And here are the Pottsgrove Tout videos I shot:




O.K., it didn't take too much work for me to find Pottsgrove's full performance on YouTube either. Here it is:




And, while I'm wandering around the Internet this morning, I also found the local results. Here they are:

American Division (Small-sized bands):

• First Place: Phoenixville High School

Liberty Division (Medium-sized bands)

• Second Place: Pottsgrove High School
• Third Place: Pottstown High School

Yankee Division (Large-sized bands)

• Second Place: Perkiomn Valley High School