This is a behind-the-scenes coverage of the competition. To read the news story, click here.
On October 18, 2025, the South Brunswick Viking Marching Band (SBVMB) met at the high school stadium for rehearsal. They had a competition later that day at MetLife Stadium for the Ludwig Musser Classic, a competition for high school marching bands across the state. So rehearsal that day was serious. The score they would get in this competition would determine when they would perform during State Championships. Their goal was to perform last, as the best is normally saved for last.
The rehearsal started with the color guard director, Mr. Marcus Shipp, leading them through stretching, later followed by a lap around the track. Then, their visual director, Mr. Justin Bogen, led them through Basics, a block of time where all the SBVMB members stand in rows and nitpick their marching. This is crucial since it is the easiest thing to lose points for. They specifically worked on body visuals, dance-inspired movements for their choreography. It was exhausting as the sun was directly in their face and they barely got any water breaks, but SBVMB pushed through for their performance.
After basics was over, they reviewed the choreography that they learned just that week. Initially, the stepping had problems because it came off as more of a ripple effect than the whole band doing it in unison, so it required many more runs to make it performance-worthy.
Once choreography review was over, the wind instruments, called woodwinds, and brass, made arcs around Mr. T.J. Brungard, one of the band directors, and started to warm up and tune their instruments. Then, they played certain sections in the show to fix their musicality.
Then, they practiced getting on and off the field. Each marching band show is a timed show. They get fifteen minutes to get on the field, set up, perform their show, and get off the field. In other words, they’re in performance mode from the moment they step onto the field. Since their show, At the Root of it All, was ten minutes long, they had to work to make sure they set up the sound system and get to their spots quicker so they could start their show. According to Mr. Brungard, during their last competition, they reached their fifteen minute mark when they played the last note. Luckily, they did not get a time penalty, but if they did not work to try setting up quicker, they could get a time penalty which would affect scoring. So they took the time to practice getting on the field quicker. Along with that, instead of having drum major Aishi Chell (2026) begin the show by calling “set,” they worked on a smoother introduction. Once the members get onto the field and onto their spots, the synthesizer player plays a few notes as the members lay down on the floor, assuming their starting position. Then, there was an announcement from the speaker introducing the band. And then, begin the show.
For the next hour and thirty-five minutes, the band spent the time cleaning their show. Directors have noticed that there are a few sets where not everyone reaches their spot accurately. They are normally a few steps off, which can play a big role in the deduction of points. This was exhausting for the SBVMB members because they were rerunning the sets hundreds of times while the sun was blinding their eyes and the heat interfering with their focus. On top of that, water breaks were luxurious. They were five seconds and barely offered. However, the SBVMB members pushed through the exhaustion.
Finally, it was time for dinner. From 4:00-6:15 p.m., the SBVMB members had free time. They used the time to eat and change. They were told to be ready to leave by 6:15, but they did not leave the school at 6:45 p.m.
Once the buses pulled into the parking lot of MetLife Stadium, the nerves started kicking in. This was the most famous football stadium in the country. The stadium that has hosted everything from The Eras Tour to the Super Bowl. They were about to step into the most famous football stadium to perform, so pressure hit them like a truck.
It was 8 p.m. when the buses pulled in. Everyone got out of the bus and marched to the stadium in pairs. They received neon green wristbands to grant their entry. They walked into the bleachers and got a good look at the football field. Since that football field is slightly larger than the SBHS football field, they needed the time to examine the field.
Right after that, it was time for their warmup. The group marched to an empty spot in the parking lot and hit the same choreography spots they worked on earlier today. Since that was the newer choreography, they ran it as many times as needed to be performance-worthy.
Along with their warmup, the band split into different parts of the parking lot. The woodwinds went with Mr. Deivy Mejia, since Mr. Oldham was not there, the brass went with Mr. Brungard, the color guard went with Ms. Jaime Lynch, and the percussion went with Mr. Jacob Ford. They worked on personal warm ups and certain spots in their music. Then, the whole band got together, worked on some music, and spent five minutes for section cheers, where the individual sections come together and do their own cheering to hype them up for the competition.
Right after, the band marched in pairs to the tunnels as the audio crew went to their respective speakers. Once the adjudicator announced the South Brunswick Viking Marching Band, everyone marched onto the field. The audio crew set up the sound system and then joined them as they walked to their spots. The synthesizer player began playing her notes and the members went to their starting position on the ground. An automated voice from a speaker introduced the marching band. Then, the drum majors turned around in their ladders and started conducting the beat.
And then, it was show time.
The band lay down on the ground, connecting to the large podium with a tree trunk. They symbolized the roots of a tree. Slowly, they arose as a flute solo played in the background. The flute solo evolved into a group of a few soloists as the rest of the band marched in the background, symbolizing the growth of a tree from its roots. Then, the whole band came in, performing its big hit before breaking into smaller ensembles and coming back together again, symbolizing growth and connection. Part two was slower and more focused on a small group of soloists rather than the whole band. Towards the end of the movement, the whole band came in, which made their entrance more impactful and more joyful, just like the message of this show. The third movement was even slower. Once a compressed group, now broken apart into smaller chunks. Even though the movement was less intense than the first two, it was strong enough to symbolize joy with the burst of colors with the color guard flags and the band soon marching closer together to be a big group. Then came the last movement, which was faster and more intense than the last two. This, just like the first movement, started with a solo which slowly evolved into the whole band playing. This movement was the most significant since this expressed the main meaning of their show, connection and joy.
The band held out a long note which ended their performance. Then, they quickly marched off the field, audio crew pushing the speakers off and prop crew pushing the props off the field. All of that was done before their time limit was over.
About half an hour later, it was midnight. It was time for awards.
Since SBVMB were part of the V Open group, the highest group, their awards were announced last. The tension was palpable as the awards were getting announced, each announcement slowly leading up to their placement.
“Last but not least, Group V Open,” the judge announced.
Silence filled the stadium. Everyone held their breaths.
“In third place, with a score of 85.8, again 85.8… New Providence High School.”
The stadium filled with cheers but for SBVMB, that just caused more tension. In second place could either be them, or Hillsborough, their biggest rival.
“In second place, with a score of 88.7, that is again 88.7, winning the caption of best music, best visuals, best overall… Hillsborough High School!”
Cheers filled the stadium, but not happy cheering. That was disappointed cheering, coming from SBHS’s biggest rival.
SBVMB held their breaths. That announcement only meant one thing.
“And finally, in first place, with a score of 90.0, again 90.0, also winning the caption of best music, best visuals, best overall… South Brunswick High School!”
Silence. Then, cheers. The cries of victory from SBVMB echoed through the vast stadium. They won first place at MetLife Stadium! First place at their biggest competition!
The drum majors and color guard captains walked back, trophies shining brightly from the stadium light. After a picture from one of the staff members, the band filed in twos and marched out of the stadium.
Once they got out of the stadium, they made a circle in the parking lot while Mr. Brungard was in the middle.
“How did that feel?” he asked. The band cheered loud, showing off their pride and victory.
“Great job, you guys. Seriously. I couldn’t be more proud of you,” Mr. Brungard told them, letting the pride sink in. “Okay, here’s what needs to happen. Get everything loaded onto the trucks and we’ll be on our way back to the school.”
The truck crew helped load all the equipment onto the truck as the rest of the band went to their respective buses. Then, at 12:30 a.m., when the trucks were all loaded, the buses finally started driving home.
The roads were quiet. The street lights flickered. The silence remained, letting SBVMB soak it in, feeling really proud about their achievement.