The Hillsborough Raider Marching Band came away as champions during the 2024 USBands Group V Open State Championship.
“We’re so grateful for our fantastic directors Jules [Haran] and Nick [Clipperton] and our amazing staff that guided us and pushed us each day to push us to be the best we can be,” said the band’s Drum Major Ellery Lambert-Smith. “Without them we would not be state champion.”
The band received a proclamation from the Hillsborough Board of Education at a meeting on Jan. 27.
“The Hillsborough Raider Marching Band continues its tradition of excellence representing Hillsborough Township’s pride and distinction,” said Board president Paul Marini as he read the proclamation. “… The talented students and dedicated staff of Raider Marching Band under expert guidance of Jules Haran and Nick Clipperton demonstrated exceptional musicality, artistry and teamwork throughout last season and … the Raider Marching Band achieved a resounding victory by winning the 2024 USBands Group V Open State Championship.”
The title is a testament to “their hard work and dedication.”
“The band’s exceptional performance at the competition earned them an impressive score of 96.4, the highest of the night, along with caption awards for best music, best overall effect, best visual, best percussion, and best color guard.
“The Hillsborough Board of Education recognizes the vital role of music education and fostering creativity, collaboration and self-expression among our students,” Marini concluded.
Lambert-Smith shared with the board that the 2024 marching band season flew by. The championship was held at South Brunswick High School in October.
“It’s amazing to reflect on all the amazing things we accomplished and how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time,” she said. “It was so rewarding to watch each and every member of the band grow as musicians, marchers, spinners, and people as everyone took ownership of their role – to be the piece that made the difference.
“Even more significant I loved watching a strong sense of unity develop within the sections and throughout the band as a whole.
“During each performance and show it was really evident everyone’s commitment to the team and it was so inspiring to witness the energy and intensity in which everyone performed,” Lambert-Smith continued.
“With consistent determination, passion and pride, we developed into state champion ensemble.”
