Glen Ridge Music Parents Association

Welcome to the Glen Ridge Music Parents Association Web Site

Marching Band

Fresh Picks for Music: Glen Ridge Citrus and Strawberry Sale!

Glen Ridge Music Programs are back with another delightful fundraiser for March delivery, and this time, we’re adding a sweet twist! Our traditional citrus sale now features lusciously ripe strawberries, ready to add a burst of flavor to your fruit bowls.

Each purchase contributes directly to enriching our music programs, supporting our talented students in their artistic pursuits. Don’t miss the opportunity to order some delicious oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, strawberries and more from the Glen Ridge Music Parents Association (GRMPA) online fruit sale!

You can order at GRMPA.SQUARE.SITE or by scanning the QR code below:

Two strawberries isolated on white background

You can also buy fruit to donate it to Toni’s Kitchen or Human Needs Food Pantry, two local organizations that provide food and services to people in need. Last year, GRMPA delivered over 1,400 pounds of citrus to these organizations.

The proceeds from the fruit sale will support Glen Ridge High School’s music programs, which include Chorus and Marching Band. These programs have been invited to perform at prestigious events in New York and Ireland.

So don’t wait, order your fruit today and enjoy a zesty treat while supporting a great cause! Thank you for your support!

Get Ready for a Zesty Treat! Support Glen Ridge Music Programs with the Citrus Sale

Do you love fresh and juicy citrus fruits? Do you want to help Glen Ridge High School’s award-winning music programs? Then don’t miss the opportunity to order some delicious oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, and more from the Glen Ridge Music Parents Association (GRMPA) online fruit sale!

You can order at GRMPA.SQUARE.SITE or by scanning the QR code below:

You can also buy fruit to donate it to Toni’s Kitchen or Human Needs Food Pantry, two local organizations that provide food and services to people in need. Last year, GRMPA delivered over 1,400 pounds of citrus to these organizations.

The proceeds from the fruit sale will support Glen Ridge High School’s music programs, which include Chorus and Marching Band. These programs have been invited to perform at prestigious events in New York and Ireland.

So don’t wait, order your fruit today and enjoy a zesty treat while supporting a great cause! Thank you for your support!

It’s CITRUS SALE time!

I’m not exaggerating, ya’ll! There have literally been dozens of people asking me when the annual GRMPA Citrus Sale was gonna be back. All of those people commented on the absolute deliciousness and juiciness of the oranges, grapefruit, and clementines that were delivered to their doorstep by our very own Glen Ridge High School music students!

Well, GOOD NEWS! We are now taking orders: Go to GRMPA.SQUARE.SITE to order your citrus or you can scan the QR code below using your smartphone camera and order on your phone. Ordering takes just a few minutes. You can order for December 10th delivery or March 2023 delivery (exact date TBD) or both! And remember, even if you don’t want the citrus for yourself, you can purchase to donate it to Toni’s Kitchen or Human Needs Food Pantry. Last year, we delivered over 1,400 pounds of citrus because of your generosity! Wow!

As always, proceeds support Glen Ridge High School’s award-winning music programs! The Glen Ridge Music Parents Association and our students truly appreciate all of this community’s support year in and year out. Your support helps make our music programs award winning. For instance, did you know this?

  • Our Chorus and Marching Band kids have been invited to sing the National Anthem and perform at halftime at the  Empire Classic Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on Tuesday, 11/22/2022
  • Our Marching Band has been invited to march in the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Killarney, Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, March 2023!
  • While in Ireland, our kids will also be participating in the Limerick International Band Championships!

So what are you waiting for…? Start ordering at GRMPA.SQUARE.SITE

Marching Band Parent Social / Student Pool Party

WHEN: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2022

Dear marching band parents,

As you know from Dr. Gage’s schedule, on Friday, the last day of band camp, you’re invited to come watch a parent showcase on the back field from 5-5:30. You’ll then bring your student home for dinner before returning them to the school for the final activities with the band from 7-9 pm.

STUDENT POOL PARTY: After they’re dismissed at 9 pm on Friday, the students are invited to walk down the street to the annual after-band-camp pool party at the De Leeuw family home, 252 Ridgewood Ave. The De Leeuws are alumni parents who have generously offered their pool one more time for this important tradition. Current GRMPA parents will be on hand as chaperones, and the party is 100% limited to band members. If students want to drop their pool stuff off on the porch earlier in the day they are welcome to do that. The hosts request that everyone wear flip flops or shoes around the pool, though. No bare feet.

PARENT SOCIAL: Meanwhile, Edward and I would like to invite any marching band parents and staff to come to our backyard (no pool, alas) for a drink while the kids are busy up the street. We are at 139 Ridgewood Ave, gray house, corner of Washington. Please come down the driveway to the backyard. We’ll be ready for you anytime after your drop-off at 7:00, and hope that Dr. Gage and staff might join us if they’re not too exhausted once they are finished at 9.

To recap all the recent emails:

*GRMPA meeting at 7:30 on Wednesday inside the school, in the cafeteria.

*Parent showcase on the back field on Friday at 5

*Parent social gathering in the backyard at 139 Ridgewood Ave on Friday starting at 7:00 while the kids are at the school

*Kids pool party Friday at 9:00 at 252 Ridgewood. (Bathing suits yes, but no bare feet.)

*If you want to watch the kids practicing on Wednesday at 6:30 on the back field (before the indoors GRMPA meeting), you’re invited to do so and say hello to staff.

*And, additional optional (fundraiser) GR marching band clothing like sweatshirts, jackets, long-sleeves, etc, for kids or family members or holiday gifts are available here: https://academyapparelnj.tuosystems.com/stores/glenridgemusic22

Sarah McGrath and Edward Kastenmeier

GR Music Spirit Wear store now open for orders!

Dear Glen Ridge Music Families,

It’s that time of year again. Your 2022 GR Music Spirit Wear store is open NOW.

Get your marching band and chorus sweatshirts, pants, shorts, and shirts along with a jacket, fleece, or stadium blanket. (It will be cold before we know it).

The online store is open now through September 9th. Items will be ready in October — plenty of time for holiday gifts.

All $$ raised helps the Glen Ridge Music Parents fund future band and chorus trips, expenses, and scholarships.
Check out the link below and order today! As always, thank you for your support!


Any questions, please reach Jeannine Majewski at jeanninemajewski@gmail.com.

https://academyapparelnj.tuosystems.com/stores/glenridgemusic22

Welcome to the 2024-2025 School Year, Music Parents!

Hello Parents!! 

It’s August again and the new Marching Band Season is finally here, with school and all the other music programs close behind!

We have some important Marching Band housekeeping items we wanted to share with you:

  1. The Drum Major and Captains use Google Classroom and section text chats to communicate. Dr. Gage will set up the Classroom and reach out to band members to join, and the Captains and Drum Major will create the text chats as needed. There are no adults in these conversations and they are used only for Marching Band business and silliness. We assure you these are safe spaces for them and participation is important so that the student leaders can quickly send info out to the band. 
  2. Questions about Band Camp, captain led practices, schedules, etc. should come from students and sent to either Dr. Gage (dgage@glenridge.org) or the Drum Major (Eleanor Riedy: eleanor.riedy@glenridge.org). Parents and GRMPA Committee members do not always have the latest or complete info, so we please have your student reach out to Dr. Gage or Eleanor. 
  3. We are looking to begin prop/set building August 24/25. Other dates will be added as necessary. We will need all kinds of help, from construction to painting. Whatever help you can offer is alway appreciated. This is a great way to meet parents and if you can spend an hour or half a day with us we would love to have you! Even stop by for a cup of coffee and see what’s going on! We will send out times/place as they are decided. 
  4. The first GRMPA meeting for the school year will be on Wednesday, August 28 at 7 p.m. in the GRHS Cafeteria – this will be focussed on the upcoming Marching Band Season specifically. It will be a bit of a social as well as an informative meeting and encourage you to attend – you will meet other parents and gain valuable information. 

Thank you!! We are looking forward to seeing you all soon! 

Gosia White and David Riedy
Co-Presidents

Glen Ridge Marching Band: 2021 National Champs!

Yes, family, friends, alumni – you read that correctly! The Glen Ridge Marching Band went into MetLife Stadium on a crisp, cold Saturday morning in November (11/6/2021) and stepped off at 9:15 AM at the USBands National Championships.

The band executed a nearly flawless performance of their 2021 show, Caravan: A Journey through Big Band Jazz and walked away with 1st Place in their class – Class 1 Open. In doing so, they beat a slew of other exceptional high school marching bands, including two – Wayne Hills and Lenape – that had each scored better than they had just the week before. Furthermore, the GRMB were the only group in it’s class to receive an average score higher than 90!

Congrats to this incredible, hard-working group of kids on this singular achievement and kudos and thanks also to the team of exceptional instructors that guided them this year, led by Marching Band Director Dr. Darren Gage – LizAnn Tomassi, Steve DeLuca, Jay Curcio, Daniel Nathanson, and Justin Romano.

You can enjoy watching this 1st place award-winning performance here: 2021-2022 GRMB videos

USBands 2021 National Champs!

Attend GRMB’s Big Finale Weekend at MetLife – 11/6/21

Our award-winning Glen Ridge Marching Band closes out the 2021 season this Saturday (11/6/2021) early morning! STEP OFF time for the USBands Open Class National Championships is at 9:15 AM at MetLife Stadium (1 MetLife Stadium Drive, East Rutherford, NJ). Full schedule for the day is below.

TICKET INFO: Let’s get a huge turnout of family, friends and alumni at the stadium and cheer loudly for our students. If you are able to do so, Advance Tickets may be purchased from Dr. Gage directly, CASH ONLY, at any point up to and including the morning of Saturday 11/6. Tickets cost $35 each, which is $2 off the face value of $37, and our music program gets back a few dollars for each one sold. So please buy your tickets in advance to save yourself money and help out our program. It must be with CASH from Dr. Gage directly (exact change preferred).

Full Schedule:

  • 6:45am — Full uniform inspection/Bus departs for MetLife Stadium
  • 7:15am — Arrive at MetLife Stadium
  • 9:15am — GRMB Performance
  • 10:30am — Awards (approximate)
  • 11:00am — Bus departs East Rutherford
  • 12:00pm — Dismissal from HS (approximate)

LET’S GO GRMB!


credit: Julie Stolte 2021

Halloween! A BIG weekend for GRMB

Halloween Weekend 2021 is an important weekend for the Glen Ridge Marching Band! GRMB has two critical competitions scheduled for this weekend:

On Saturday, October 30th, GRMB travels down to Old Bridge High School in Old Bridge, NJ for the US Bands State Championships. Step Off is at 5:00 pm. If you are planning to go, the address is Lombardi Field (3439 County Rd 516, Old Bridge, NJ).

On Sunday, October 31st, Halloween Day, GRMB travels very early in the morning all the way down to Trenton to The College of New Jersey to compete in the NJMBDA State Championships! Step off is at 9:30 AM! Again, if you are planning to go, the address is  2000 Pennington Road, Ewing, NJ. Plan for a 90 minute drive.

We hope to see a huge parent turnout to cheer our kids on to an amazing performance at each competition!

GRMB finishes season strong – 5th at USBands National Grand Finale, 3rd in Creative Effect!

In a difficult season (to put it mildly), the Glen Ridge Marching Band rose up to the challenge and finished their season exceptionally strong with their 2020 show, PETER AND THE WOLF: They placed fifth in their division (Div 1) at the US Bands National Grand Finale and 3rd with an incredible score of 97 in Creative Class.

Because of the pandemic, all Grand Finale performances were recorded on video and sent in to the USBands judging committee for review instead of USBands judging live performances. While this was another challenge, it also created a unique opportunity for creativity with how the video was edited and presented. Sophomore Eli Fellus, Saxophonist and Soloist, put together an exceptionally fun and creative way to present the show which certainly played a part in helping this exceptional group of students do so well this season. You can watch the final video submission below.

Congrats to these incredible students, to Dr. Gage and the amazing staff, to all of the parents who showed up to make props, to roadie, to feed the kids, to help in any way and every way to make this show and season a huge success.

Peter and the Wolf, US Bands Grand Finale Movie submission