Concert band shines at Carnegie Hall

You know that old line, How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Answer: Practice, practice, practice. Well, that is definitely true, and that is exactly what the members of the Sayreville War Memorial High School Concert Band did.

The sounds of music filled the Isaac Stern Auditorium/

Ronald O. Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall, New York City, on Thursday, March 22, when America's Youth in Concert took place.

This was a festival of music in which several local high school concert bands got a once-in-a-lifetime chance to perform on the same stage on which Isaac Stern, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and the Beatles (just to name a few) performed, and also to meet Mr. Stern.

Upon entering this world-renowned New York historic landmark, one could just envision hearing the Big Band sound of Goodman, Gershwin, Ellington. You could hear the virtuoso sounds of the violinist Isaac Stern, you could see in your head the maestro, Arthur Feidler, conducting the New York or Boston Pops when they performed there. All these historic events have taken place in Carnegie Hall since it opened in 1891.

Now, the Sayreville War Memorial High School Concert Band has joined that world and carved out its own niche as a part of Carnegie Hall history. The show was tremendous. All the bands that performed deserve and earned the right to now say they have performed at one of the greatest venues in the world.

Congratulations go out to our band director, Paul Caruso, and the 64 members of the Middle School/High School Concert Band, who over the last three months have given up numerous hours to bring a whole lot of pride not to just themselves but to the community of Sayreville.

This is what I truly love about Sayreville education. It is not just all about sports, it is a district where the humanities department and other departments can shine - and they sure did shine brightly at Carnegie Hall.

Jack T. Myatt

Parlin section of Sayreville