Tennent Marching Band Prepares for Road Trip

The William Tennent Marching Band ended its 2012-2013 season in style with a special performance for family and friends at the high school's auditorium Thursday night.

Led by music director Joseph Lovecchio and drum major Zach Santilli, the band played selections from its competition program, then offered a sneak preview of what they will playing during next week's road trip.

"We have a lot of wonderful memories from this season," said Lovecchio. "We've come a long way between August and now."

The band has been invited to play during the halftime show at the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec. 28 in Orlando, Fla. They will be part of the classic rock spectacle while the players from Rutgers and Virginia Tech take a breather.

"There's going to be dance teams, rock stars and fireworks," said Lovecchio. "We don't have any of those right now, just the music."

With that, the band launched into a rousing medley of instantly recognizable tunes such as Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" and AC/DC's "Back in Black."

The marching band will also appear in the Macy's Holiday Parade at the Universal Studios theme park in Orlando on Dec. 29. They will be one of many groups playing holiday songs against some of the same floats and balloons used during the Thanksgiving Parade in New York.

The crowd got a taste of the parade performance as the band played "O Come All Ye Faithful" and another medley of songs, such as "Joy to the World" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing."

After the showcase, all of instruments and other equipment were loaded onto the marching band's trailer in preparation for next week.