It’s early August. If you listen carefully walking down one of the hallways of Salisbury High School, you will hear marching band Conductor Angela Mosley counting with her students to Ray Charles’ “Hit the Road Jack.”

Comprised of 20 students ranging from grades 7-12, with diverse musical experience, band camp has been underway since Aug. 7. They are getting ready for Falcons football, starting Aug. 25 with an away game.

The Press was invited to drop by and listen in for a couple of days into band camp. “This is our third day of practice and getting ready for the football season. So, these students learn a half-time show, a feature where they move around on the field,” Mosley explained.

Students are practicing their craft to the iconic Ray Charles’ classics “What I’d Say,” “Hit the Road Jack” and “Georgia on My Mind.”

Mosley has had the help of two Kutztown University sophomores Gabriella Caban and SHS graduate Eric Smith. Her co-director is Roger Pomposello Jr., a junior from Kutztown University as well.

It only takes a few seconds in a conversation with Laurans Trinh to understand how music, specifically jazz, is a passion and way of life for him. He started with piano, moving to alto saxophone, to eventually tenor saxophone.

“It started in eighth grade because I had an impulse to try new things,” Trinh said when he made the decision to join marching band.

“But as time went on, I realized that marching band is a really great thing.”

Opportunities like competing with the Catasauqua Marching Band has brought him to places in Pennsylvania he didn’t even know existed.

What role does Trinh see for music in his future?

“I want to pursue it has a hobby. However, a lot of the things that I learned in music, because in jazz you gotta market yourself essentially, I want to do with public relations in the future.”

Amelia Swoyer started to play piano when she was in second grade. By fourth grade, she joined the Salisbury band with Stanley Griffis, playing French horn.

By sixth grade, things changed.

“Mr. Griffis was like you can play the trumpet and the French horn so do marching band and you should play the mellophone. I’ve been in marching band since seventh grade. I played the mellophone in seventh and eighth. In ninth grade, I played the trumpet because we lost the trumpet.”

One of the things Swoyer likes to do during the away games is rate the different food and snacks stands for fun. Tamaqua was her favorite place last year for food.

Although he has Salisbury Middle School band experience, Kaiden Conrad is new to marching band. “I love music” Conrad explained, “I got a drum kit when I was 2 1/2 which is why I’m doing percussion.” His dream is to join Penn State’s Blue Band.

The three marching band members explained to The Press they expect more high energy performances this year with additional percussionists having joined them. “All our songs sounded sad,” Trinh said. “There was no energy.”

“Last year we only had one drummer,” Smoyer added.

Both Swoyer and Trinh give Conrad words of encouragement for what they believe will be a great year.

“I hope that the students have a really great time,” Mosley said. “I hope they form a lot of friendships and they get a chance to see, even though this might be their first year in seventh grade and they might kind of feel like they don’t know as much as the older kids, maybe I won’t be that much help but they are. Everyone contributes something. Everyone brings energy and personality to the group. Wonderful for me as I’m able to see them grow and change from seventh grade to 12th grade, in their personal development, as well as their musical development. That’s a great thing to see,” Mosley said.

Salisbury, be sure to “hit the road” and head out to the SHS Stadium Sept. 1 to watch the Falcon football home opener against Saucon Valley. You will have the opportunity to watch this marching band perform their half-time show, as all these musicians and athletes officially kickoff the 2023-2024 school year.