Music Groups Earn Top Awards

The NHS Music Department earned superior and first place awards at the Music in the Parks festival in Washington D.C. Freshman Daniela Recio said, “Knowing that Nutley won first place and superior makes me feel super proud of myself and my classmates."

The groups that participated included Concert Choir, Choralettes, Chamber Singers, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, and Orchestra.

Throughout the four-day trip from April 28 to May 1, the students stayed in hotels and kept busy schedules.  The day that they left, they met at NHS at 4:30 am prior to leaving at 5:30 AM. Students then make their way to Kings Dominion Amusement Park in Doswell, VA arriving at 11:00 am to spend some time at the amusements. After the amusement park students attended a ghost tour and then to a restaurant to have dinner.

On the second day, students had breakfast at the hotel and then departed for the Music in the Park Festival to perform for the competition. After their performances, they went to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. Recio was grateful for the chance to spend time with friends: “I was most excited to go to the Busch Gardens with my friends to go on the rides!” After dinner, students returned to the Music in the Parks awards ceremony to learn about their top scores.

On Day Three, students traveled to Colonial Williamsburg to see the historical demonstrations. Then, they got ready for the Air and Space Museum. After the museum, students went to Dave & Buster's to have dinner and play some games.

On the last day of the trip, students checked out of the hotel and went to a music workshop in the Northern Virginia Community College. After that, students visited the National Mall in Washington DC where students had the chance to explore various museums. Then, they headed back to Nutley. 

Freshman Matthew Loeser summed up his gratitude for taking part in the trip: “I really enjoyed the experience of hanging with friends, as well as performing with the whole band together.”