New Bedford High Concert Band Earns First Place

New Bedford High School Concert Band earned First Place in Division AA at the Music in the Parks Festival, held in Middletown, New Jersey, and Six Flags Great Adventure and Safari Park in Jackson, New Jersey. The band garnered a rating of “Excellent” in the competition. This is the second consecutive year that the band earned a first place finish at the festival.

On the weekend of April 27-28, the New Bedford High School Concert Band traveled to New York and New Jersey.  Band members visited several popular destinations in New York City and competed at two music festivals in New Jersey.

“We wanted to provide our students and families an opportunity to participate in something that isn’t possible in our school day curriculum,” said band director Matthew C. Pacheco. “Going on trips like this one shows our kids that they can achieve anything if they put in the hard work it requires and it becomes a much more rewarding experience for all our performers.”

“This trip brought us closer together and helped us bond as a family outside of the traditional school environment,” said senior flautist Samuele Abi-Younes.

In New York City, the band visited the USS Intrepid, Times Square, the 9/11 Memorial, the Statue of Liberty, and the Museum of the Moving Image.

In New Jersey, the band competed at the Music in the Parks Festival held at Middletown High School South in Middletown and the Six Flags Great Adventure and Safari Park in Jackson.

“Going to New York and New Jersey was the best experience I’ve had in my life,” said junior saxophonist Ricardo Alvira. I was able to see what it’s like to travel as a musician and how to be prepared as a musician; I learned when to be excited about something and when to hold that excitement for the right moments. Our performance at Music in the Parks, by far, was the best the Concert Band had seen all season. It was a memorable experience with students, staff, and chaperones!”

“Traveling to New Jersey to perform as a Concert Band was more motivating than a typical local competition or festival,” said Cynthia Torres, an eighth grader from Keith Middle School, who is a flautist in the band. “It helped us to see the level of other ensembles from a different part of county.”

Information fron  Allison Goodwin, UMass Dartmouth Intern, Superintendent’s Office, NBPS