By Doris Garcia

While many of us are home trying to make the best of a bad situation. Maybe some of us are just trying to catch up on work that is due (or past due). However, to be the best it means that there can be no rest. Even though they cannot meet due to the social distancing measures, the PHS Marching Band has been practicing and trying to improve themselves, even during the lockdown.

They are getting virtual workshops with the highly skilled and respected members of the United States Navy Band. The virtual workshop included members of the band giving pointers on getting the most out of their respective instruments as well as performance techniques and general musical advice.

Many students thought that it was great to just be able to talk music with true professionals. “These are people who made it, who are doing it, and I just loved learning from them. They were so nice,” said marching band member Denise Lopez. The workshop included musicians from all sections of the band including woodwinds, brass and percussion.

The program was so successful that after the school is reopened and we are all back to normal, the plan is to continue this partnership between the U.S. Navy Band and the PHS Marching Indians. In fact, it was the Navy who contacted Mr. Rusca, director of the Marching Indians. “I think they reached out to us because they knew about us from the NJROTC program,” he said. One successful program has created a new partnership in another.

The plan, hopefully, is to have in person workshops next year, to allow students to get the most out of this new partnership. In fact, the marching band may even get the chance to perform on the U.S.S. Intrepid Museum next year during Fleet Week. The Intrepid is a famous aircraft carrier put in service and fighting in World War II, the Korean War, and also taking a key role in the space program, recovering astronauts and capsules shot into space.