MEADOW BRIDGE – After years of classes without a traditional band room, the Meadow Bridge Regional School Band will soon have a new classroom.
The Meadow Bridge Regional School Band has grown rapidly in the last eight years. Currently, the band has 99 members: 69 middle schoolers and 30 high schoolers.
They moved from an old shop room to a boys’ locker room, and most recently, they held classes in a custodial closet adjacent to the gym.
The school has been under construction, with plans to add a new state-of-the-art band room.
Band Director Dr. Travis Friddle told 59News that, despite their current situation, his high school band received a 1 (the highest possible score) at the Spring Festival For Performance Evaluation and Assessment, also known as Ratings. Dr. Riddle’s middle school students had it even tougher, as they could only practice once before being rated. They received a 2.
“It honestly brought tears to my eyes because I reflect on the difficulties, and I have told my students, ‘I am here for one reason, and that is the kids.'” Without them, there would be no way to get through this. There would have been no possibility. They are excellent kids. They actually are. “This school is very unique,” Dr. Friddle stated.
Some long-time band members, such as senior Alec Thomas, have been through all of the changes with Dr. Riddle. Thomas’ dedication to music and the program has opened up new opportunities for him. He plans to attend Marshall University’s music education program next fall.
“It is been hard. It is been a long journey, but it is well worth it to see the end. Just the nice, very nice band room we have [is fantastic]. “It is even better to know that the students I have been playing with for the past seven years have had the opportunity,” Thomas said.
Dr. Friddle explained that the new band room will be surrounded by acoustical tiles, have a wood floor, and a partition wall that leads into a multipurpose room that can accommodate 200 people. He intends to use the room for band concerts in the future as well.
