After PHS’s annual homecoming game was canceled last year due to the pandemic, students are grateful to experience this PHS tradition once again. this year’s Homecoming game proved to be spectacular, as the hal ime show featured a performance by Princeton High School’s Studio Band.

Created in 1977, Studio Band has made a signi cant impact on PHS’s music program. the band has received many accolades including multiple national titles and has had professional studio recordings, most recently at Abbey Road in the UK. Adding to their performance experiences, Studio Band impressed the Homecoming crowd with their synchronicity, talent, and song selection.

“I really enjoyed how they incorporated pop music into their song selection. [It] really hyped us up and got us motivated to sing along. We felt a lot of Tiger spirit,” said Sasha Caracalos ’24.

In preparation for the game, Studio Band rehearsed during school as well as after hours. After each section practiced separately, all the sections came together to coordinate their parts into one cohesive piece. The band was only allowed 15 minutes for the haltime show, so the pieces were arranged to be played without pause, a difficult task to pull off musically in terms of flipping through music, adjusting to new tempos, and switching out players.

“They [were] interconnected, so they [weren’t ] stopping and continuing. [Pauses] are annoying, and you’re going to lose the attention of the crowd. We changed the keys of some of the songs so that we [could] just seamlessly have the tunes kind of intertwine. But yeah, there [wasn’t] any stopping,” said saxophonist Kieran McKenzie ’22.

Thee pieces played, in order, were “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang, “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5, “Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder, “Respect” by Aretha Franklin, “Treasure” by Bruno Mars, and “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon.

“Since [the performance was] especially student-oriented, it [had], in addition to some Motown 70’s stuff , some much more modern stuff like some Bruno Mars,” said percussionist Connor Stewart ’23.

Perhaps what most engaged the audience was the energy that radiated from the music. Within seconds, fans recognized modern tunes and joined in.

“I really enjoyed watching and listening to the halftime show at Homecoming, played by Studio Band,” said Arunima Suri ’23. “I always love hearing their music because they’re good at what they do, and it really added to the spirit by giving the people in the stands something to sing along to.”

An aspect that elevated the performance was the incorporation of solo features. Students received individual recognition a er hard work.

“I thought the band sounded great, especially tenor sax soloist McKenzie. It sounded insanely professional,” said Tamar Assayag ’25.

“The band and the crowd were filled with energy,” said alto saxophonist Alex Greenberg ’23. “Soloists in general really have the power to make or break the energy of the performance, and I think they all did a great job bringing this energy for a successful performance.”

Greenberg also soloed on alto saxophone in ‘Treasure’ by Bruno Mars.

“It was a different experience soloing on that tune than the traditional jazz repertoire that I’m used to improvising over,” said Greenberg. “The solo for ‘Treasure’ included more rhythmic ideas rather than melodic ones. And it’s always interesting to give myself a new challenge.”

Bongiovi was satisfied with the band’s performance. Focusing on the music and the music alone, Bongiovi and the band executed a successful halftime show.

“It was good. Everything I think went pretty well,” said Bongiovi. “I mean, it’s, the conditions aren’t always the best. We [had] 15 minutes to get it in. You’re dealing with playing outdoors, amplification, wind, players behind you on a football team warming up, people in the stands, getting a hot dog. It’s just, there’s so much going on. The goal was to just focus on what we do.”

Like Bongiovi, the band members were happy with their halftime performance and believed it was a good representation of the band’s hours of preparation and passion for jazz music.

“It was a lot of hard work, but in the end it really paid off . I think we sounded really great because we’re all really passionate about music, and it always translates well into our performance. The music selection was also fun to practice, so we were all really engaged during the rehearsal process as well,” says Sara Carson ’23, a guitarist for Studio Band.

Regarding the future of PHS Studio Band, Bongiovi is optimistic about a Homecoming halftime show becoming a yearly occurrence. After a year spent missing out on events like this one, PHS students have a reason to celebrate their revival. Times like these when students honor the PHS famiy as a whole stay ingrained in memories for years to come.

“Online school meant missing so many PHS classics like the Homecoming game. Studio Band’s performance was amazing, and I can’t wait for next year,” said Emma MacMillan ’23.

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