By Kelly Driscoll
In troubling and difficult times, many turn to music to escape the realities of daily life. For the students in Old Bridge High School's indoor percussion ensemble, they tackle issues of racism and ignorance head-on.
In their 2017 Scholastic Open show, "Me. We. Us," the themes of unity and love push out negativity and an inability to accept our fellow humans. After a strong preliminary show at the WGI Trumbull Percussion Regional, four front ensemble seniors further identified the importance of performing a show that makes the audience think.
Pam Ferrali, center marimba and soloist, describes the production as "asking where the love is in our divided country." She emphasized the message of coming together to fight against hate and negativity in the world.
While the show features voice overs explaining race and where hatred comes from, it also allows for introspection on the part of the audience. Using "Where is the Love," by the Black Eyed Peas, Old Bridge appeals to the sympathetic side of people.
Like Feralli, fellow marimba Jessica Ballenilla encourages the audience to reflect on current problems in American society and "fix what's wrong." While focusing on a broad topic, the show also gets personal for Ballenilla, as it's also about "finding peace within ourselves" to overcome ignorance.
Another senior marimba player, Bianca Paula, wants the show to "spread a message to wake everyone up." It kept the audience up with it's intricate mix of hype moments and delicate runs.
Although they put on a strong performance, these determined students are always looking for ways to improve. Feralli adds that there's still "lot's of cleaning to do, but it's fun to work hard and spend hours cleaning two beats."
Old Bridge continues their season competing in WGI, MAPS, and USBands indoor circuits. They will be joining the rest of the Scholastic Open line up in Dayton for the 2017 World Championships in April.
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