Glen Ridge Music Parents Association

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GRMPA News & Updates

Cabaret Night 2017: Students, Staff perform for a packed house!

Caberet-Night-PosterThe big room at The Old Canal Inn was completely filled – with barely any standing room – as we watched 13 fantastic musical acts. Each performance highlighted the amazing musical talents of Glen Ridge’s students and staff. Hosted warmly and wonderfully by Steve DeLuca and his quite terrible, eye-rolling jokes and one-liners, every act received raucous applause and cheers from the audience. Below are some pics from the evening. Several more pics and videos have also been shared on our Facebook page.

GRMPA appreciates the many parents who helped put this great evening together and thanks the Old Canal Inn for their gracious hospitality and support.

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Cabaret Night!

Get your tickets for Cabaret Night at the Old Canal Inn on February 12, 2017. See great performances by Glen Ridge students, staff and other local talent. Proceeds support Glen Ridge High School music programs.

Caberet-Night-Poster

Your citrus donations make a real difference!

Dear GRMPA Parents and the entire Glen Ridge Community,

Each year, many of you purchase bags of citrus and check the Donate option. Doing so doubles your impact because not only does the Glen Ridge music program benefit but so do real people in need. This December, thanks to your generosity, we delivered several cases of fruit to the Human Needs Pantry and to Toni’s Kitchen. Below are their letters of thanks so you can see firsthand the difference your contribution makes.

Thank you for your continued support of GRMPA and our larger community.

The GRMPA Citrus Committee

Human Needs Pantry Thank You Letter Dec 16

Human Needs Pantry Thank You Letter Dec 16

Toni's Kitchen Thank You Letter Dec 16

Toni’s Kitchen Thank You Letter Dec 16

GRHS Concert Band & Chorus visit Broadway!

The GRHS Concert Band and Chorus students had a unique opportunity to not only see The Color Purple on Broadway but thanks to Dr. Darren Gage, GRHS’s Band Director, they were treated to a private “talkback” session!

Dr. Gage said “I worked with cast member Lawrence Clayton, a friend and colleague from my professional theatre work, to set up a private “talkback” for the GRHS Concert Band & Chorus. Greg [Greg Pavliv, Choral Director] and I were thrilled when not only Lawrence came out to meet us, but half of the actors in the show! They spent 30 minutes talking about the production, about their educational backgrounds and training, and taking questions from our students. It was amazing!”

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Marching Band Dinner: Wed., Nov. 29, 2017

Please join fellow marching band members and their families for an evening of food, friends and memories at the Glen Ridge Country Club on Wednesday November 29, 2017. Doors open at 6:00 pm to mix and mingle. Program begins at 7pm. You can purchase your tickets online below:


Select what type of tickets (Students or Adults):
Names of Children



Marching Band receives season-best score at Nationals!

The Marching Ridgers capped their award-winning season winning 3rd place at the USBands Nationals Competition in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, November 5th! They received a score of 92.025 — their highest score at any USBands Competition this season. CONGRATULATIONS!

Check out this great video of their performance recorded by marching band parent Neil Nathanson
See absolutely beautiful photos from Nationals captured by marching band parent Osvaldo Umana

USBands National Championships 2016, Allentown PA

USBands National Championships 2016, Allentown PA

USBands National Championships 2016, Allentown PA

USBands National Championships 2016, Allentown PA

Nationals or Bust!

Nationals or Bust!

Marching Band sweeps weekend competitions! Chorus at GRHS Library

Marching Band

The Marching Ridgers continue their award-winning season with first-place wins at the USBands Competition in Basking Ridge on October 29 and at the 35th Annual Fall Marching Band Festival in Bloomfield on October 30. They also received caption awards in their 1A division for best music, best color guard, and best percussion at both competitions. And won the special award for BEST PERCUSSION OVERALL at the Bloomfield Festival, beating bands with 50 to 136 musicians (See the videos from the weekend performances).

USBands Nationals: The final competition of the season will be on Saturday, November 5, the USBands Nationals in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Chorus

The GRHS Chorus performed a selection of songs, delighting the crowd of senior citizens at their Golden Circle Luncheon, held in the new, updated GRHS library, on Monday October 24.

Marching Band takes 2nd Place in US Bands State Championships!

The Glen Ridge Marching Band went down to Glassboro, NJ bright and early Sunday morning (10/23) to perform at the US Bands State Championships. The competition was very strong but the Marching Ridgers walked away with their best score of the season thus far (86.088) and took 2nd Place in Group 1A! Congrats to these dedicated musicians, to Dr. Gage, and the rest of the marching band staff for this excellent performance (see the video here).

Their next performances are this weekend at Ridge High School in Basking Ridge, NJ on Saturday (10/29) and at Bloomfield’s 35th Annual Fall Marching Band Invitational at Foley Field in Bloomfield, NJ on Sunday (10/30). Please come out and support these amazing kids as they build momentum towards the US Bands National Championships on Nov 5th. in Allentown, PA.

US Bands State Championships, Glassboro, NJ, 10/23/16

US Bands State Championships, Glassboro, NJ, 10/23/16

Congrats Marching Band and Chorus!

Marching Band

The Marching Band continues its season with successful performances of Aaron Copland’s Rodeo:

  • at the USBands Competition at Bayonne High School on October 8 in the pouring rain, where they earned First Place in their division;
  • at the home football game on October 15;
  • at the USBands Competition at North Warren Regional High School on October 15, where they earned First Place in their division and caption awards for best color guard, best visual, and best overall effect.

Be sure to check out the pink shoelaces in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month on these new videos.

Best of luck at the upcoming State Championships and competitions (see mini calendar on right for details)!

Chorus

Chorus had the honor of singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the dedication of the Horace Ashenfelter Track at Watsessing Park in East Orange, NJ, on October 15 as well as performing two other songs during the very moving ceremony.

Congrats to Marching Ridgers and GRHS Choir!

 

Marching Band

The Marching Ridgers have kicked off their season with three successful performances of Aaron Copland’s Rodeo:

  • At the home football game on September 17,
  • At the homecoming game on September 24, and
  • At the US Bands Competition at Wayne Valley High School on September 25, where they earned First Place in their division with a score of 73.525.

With each performance, the Marching Ridgers debuted new props and choreography to accompany the rollicking music.  View the great videos from the homecoming game and the Wayne Valley competition!

Best of luck to the Marching Band at their upcoming competitions (see Calendar for further details).

GRHS Choir

The Glen Ridge High School Choir had the honor of singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Homecoming Game on September 24, treating the packed crowd to their melodious rendition.