IT'S ALL ABOUT THE SHOW: BHS Marching Band Takes Field in Salem

This is the year of lasts for me.

In what is my first of the lasts I attended my 11th and final Salem Marching Band Invitational in New Hampshire this past weekend as a BHS parent along with 3,000+ of my closest marching band friends and afficionados.

The Salem Marching Band Invitational is a rare experience at which our band students, dance squad and flag corps perform for a stadium filled to the max. Most of the bands over the past years have hailed from New Hampshire, with an occasional band from Maine. Burlington is the only group from Massachusetts to perform in recent years. Reminiscing about the past ten performances in Salem, I’d like to share some fond memories and observations.

• Size never counts! There have been marching bands as diminutive as 30 and as gargantuan as 350 members. No matter the size, each and every group has worked its hardest to come to this moment in time where their performance holds the attention of every musician and spectator. These bands are always fantastic!

• Why can’t we be friends? It doesn’t matter who is seated next to you, every parent shares in the joy of the next, cheering and whooping it up for every marching ensemble. It is quite a unique experience, one of which (and I'm quite sure about this) our own band members are unaware. We point out our own students, talk about previous years and, well, be just who we are . . . proud parents!

• R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Aretha may never know how much this word has meant to the musicians who take the field. Marching routines are always performed with nary a movement or noise in the stands. In fact, I remember being a bit startled at this during the first year I had attended.

• Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! How true! Those of us who have attended a few of the Salem events have noticed that the innovative style of the BHS band has returned to the Invitational in subsequent years.

• The Show Must Go On! Sometimes there are near disasters. I will never forget the year we had a mishap with transportation, necessitating students, instruments, hats and plumes to cram into cars for the trip! My drive up to Salem included passing cars crammed with red and white, with brass instruments filling the voids!

• Instruments Abound! For a few years we have seen extended percussion ensembles on the field and sideline of the Salem Invitational, hauled in on large rolling barges! But it’s pretty safe to say that Burlington has become the innovator once again by introducing a full section of electric guitars, powered by a high-voltage car battery. That’ll be picked up next year!

• Neither rain, nor sleet nor . . . ! Still fresh in my memory was the nearly ill-fated invitational when the skies opened up prior to the event and it had to be moved into the gymnasium of Salem High School. Never fear. The BHS band hastily revamped its marching routine in the hallway just prior to their entrance and dazzled everyone.

• Dancin', Dancin', DANCIN'! They’re a dancing machine! As the years have passed, dancing moves have crept into marching band routines, dipping and swaying to the music, and I'm quite certain BHS had a lot to do with that! Adding a special pizzazz where no other groups could, the BHS Dance Squad has always been the only one of its kind and spectators throughout the stands are always impressed! This years’ rolling line of splits were greeted enthusiastically with cheers from the crowd!

• BHS Flags: The Fabric of Our Lives! The BHS Flag Corps has always provided flash and backdrop with their twirling athleticism on the field. Snapping and twirling with the rhythms on the field, their colorful displays are the accessory to the music, like the loveliest of jewelry on a beautiful garment.

• Something to aspire to. There is no question that our marching band students have been part of a remarkable event at the Salem Invitational. Their participation has always given them an opportunity to see what and how other schools are performing. Not only have they seen peers from other schools, they have also been given an opportunity to see how the colleges perform when the UMass Lowell and the University of New Hampshire alternate performance years.


The pin I purchased at the Salem Marching Band Invitational pretty much sums it up:

MARCHING BAND

One day football will be played at half time!

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SHOW!

Vanessa Ovian

BHS MARCHING BAND WARMS UP FOR SALEM INVITATIONAL TONIGHT!

This evening at precisely 6:00 pm the Salem (NH) Marching Band Invitational will commence, a much anticipated event for all participating bands. The Burlington High School Marching Band will take the field as the fourth band on the program, with an estimated time in the 6:45-7:00 range.

The Salem Invitational has been a much anticipated favorite for years, giving our students the opportunity to see what and how other marching bands are performing, thus nurturing the creativity of every member. From the smallest groups of perhaps 30 members to the largest of over 300, it is a lovefest for officiandos and an evening of pure talent, innovation and entertainment for all.

Salem High School is located at 44 Geremonty Blvd. Salem, NH.

Directions: 93N to exit 1, Rockingham Blvd. Bear right, road name changes to Veterans Memorial Parkway. Cross over Rte 28 and continue to Geremonty Blvd, turn left. Continue down Geremonty Blvd, high school is on your left. Parking at high school fills up fast, you can park across the street at town offices, too.

WORD OF WARNING! In order to find parking and secure a good seat, plan to arrive early…5:15-5:30 is about right. There is an admission price, programs and concessions are available for purchase.

THURSDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Burlington Red Devils vs. Reading Rockets

This week's varsity football match-up will see the Burlington Red Devils take on the Reading Rockets in another much anticipated game on home turf on THURSDAY, September 6! Following last week's victory over Woburn, the team is pumped up for another!

The BHS Marching Band will be light up the field as they perform their half-time show. Don't miss their exciting performance on the field just two days prior to their participation in the Salem (NH) Invitational on Saturday.

Note to BHS: We love the new scoreboard! Thanks go out to Goochis Insurance!

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Burlington Red Devils vs. Woburn Tanners

The age old rivalry between Burlington and Woburn is about to commence!

Under the beautiful September evening sky, the Burlington Red Devils will take on the Woburn Tanners at 7:00 pm at Burlington's Varsity Field.

Plenty of concessions available....don't forget to purchase your Boosters scarf and seat cushion, too!

Arrive extra early because this is the biggest game of the season!

A Decade of Remembrance

As members of the Burlington High School music program joined the local community this morning on the common to commemorate September 11 during “A Decade of Remembrance,” we were filled with pride for our community, coming together with a show of love and support for the families of the innocent victims near and far who lost their lives, as well as our local first responders and troops who still serve and protect.

Community events like this provide an opportunity to collectively share in the moment of remembrance. As we stood under a crystalline sky early this morning, we did just that, calling back the memories we had of that day 10 years ago. It was an opportunity to “never forget” by relating our own personal stories of where we were and what we were doing when we heard the news.

Music brings special meaning to events such as this by providing the opportunity to reflect on the moment, much the same as it does in worship. Punctuating the prayers and speeches during today’s event were musical performances by the Liberty Belle Chorus, Stuart Highland Pipe Band and our own members of the BHS Marching Band Drum Line and first trumpet section.

The melancholy melodies of the bagpipes and drum as they drew near, the steady beat of the BHS Drum Line as it processed and recessed leading honor guards from the armed forces and our local police and fire departments, the singular voice of “Taps” delivered by members of the BHS trumpet section, and the voices that sang in tribute to our country and troops had a profound effect on all those present this morning.

The BHS Music Boosters and the entire high school community can be proud of our young musicians and their director Matt Lovell. Their service at events like this combined with their musicianship, honor and reverence for the day is an extraordinary experience that stretches far beyond the classroom.

The lyrics of our national anthem rang ever-so-poignantly today as the flag was raised to half-staff:

Oh say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

We will never forget.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL? BHS vs Billerica this Friday

It's hard to believe that the football season at BHS is once again upon us. Following some hot summer days of marching band camp, the BHS Marching Band will take to the field for their first half-time show of the season at Billerica.

The game on Friday will take place at the Marshall Middle School, 15 Floyd S. From Burlington drive approximately 6.5 miles north on Cambridge Street (becomes Boston Road in Billerica. Turn right on Route 129, Floyd Street.

This is an age old rivalry so prepare to arrive early! The game starts at 7:00 pm. The bus for marching members departs at 6 so students need to arrive early to change into uniform and pack the bus.

LET'S GO BURLINGTON!!!

Middleton-Cox honors 9/11 victims in Shanksville, at Pentagon and Times Square

This Sunday as all Americans remember the tragedy of 9/11, the World Memorial Patriot Flag project will continue on its mission to travel to 50 states in 50 weeks crossing the country and travelling nearly ninety thousand miles honoring the fallen.

Transporting its 30 x 56 foot flag to honor the first and second responders, 9/11 families and the fallen of the attacks on America, the Patriot Flag will make its Ten Year Anniversary stops at the sites that have become a part of that tragic day.

Travelling with the Patriot Flag to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, The Pentagon and Times Square will be local musician and music educator John Middleton-Cox of North Andover, Massachusetts, a gifted tenor who has accepted the invitation to perform “The Star Spangled Banner” as the flag is raised at these sites.

Middleton-Cox has already felt the humility and pride that go with a performance of this type, having travelled alongside the Patriot Flag to five other venues across New England.

In his own words, Middleton-Cox explains the significance of his performance.

I don't need the attention, it is more a point of pride. I am honored to just be among these people, namely retired FDNY Lieutenant Joe Torrillo who survived both towers of the World Trade Center falling on him. As a survivor he has dedicated his life to lifting up the memory and the sacrifice these brave men and women gave. It is a way to draw attention to the first responders, to say we are paying attention and we remember; the ones who gave their lives, the families they left behind, and the current emergency teams serving today. Thank you for risking your lives for our safety.

Middleton-Cox has been with Burlington Public Schools as a music educator and the Coordinator of Music since the fall of 2000. As a performer he has taken the stage as the leading man in operas and musical theatre. He serves as music director and is a member of the trio, The New England Tenors, and is Music Director for the North Parish Church in North Andover.

A man who has performed in concert halls and dinner theatres, his performances this Sunday will be the most humbling of his entire career. A solitary voice in a lonely field in Pennsylvania, at the headquarters for this country’s Department of Defense and at the “crossroads of the world” in New York City, Middleton-Cox will perform a capella to honor all Americans, resting on the final and profound phrase, “Oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave,” as the flag, a symbol of pride, unity and resolve, is raised high.

Sponsored by local fire departments and American Legion posts, the goal of The Patriot Flag is to send the message “United We Stand, We Have Not Forgotten.” For more information on the World Memorial’s Patriot Flag event, including the complete schedule of stops on its 50 state tour, visit their website at http://www.thepatriotflag.us.