Before there was a Macy's Great All American Marching Band, there was the Bergenfield High School Marching Band. Baggs took direction of the Bergenfield band in 1950 and taught 28 musicians to memorize music and break from box-drill formations. By 1953, 80 musicians were marching at Yankee Stadium. Two years later, they were leading the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The band had expanded to an e
lite "marching 100", as did the music department from 3 teachers to 17 and a 100 piece orchestra. The marching band was the lead musical group for the televised opening of the 1964 New York World's Fair. Every year, it marched at halftime of a Jets or Giants football game. After Dr. Baggs stepped down as director in the 1960s, Donald Angelica would give Bergenfield its signature British theme. Joining Dr. Baggs in the DCI Hall of fame were Angelica and other fellow Bergenfield music instructors Bobby Thompson, Fred Sanford, Jack Meehan, and Bergenfield alumnus Dennis Delucia. This tradition of excellence was continued with longtime director Dr. Frank E. Levy who showcased the band at the 1987 Tony Awards along with its many appearances at the Macy's Parade and professional football games. Kent Pennell would succeed him and see the band's final Macy's Parade in 2000 for it's 20th time, which has not been acheived by any other high school band. With the new millennium came a new direction for the music department. Bergenfield alumnus and current band director Brian Timmons took control in 2003 and has brought the band to different heights with two motion pictures (The Bounty Hunter and Tower Heist) and a large national television news segment on the Today Show. Currently, the band continues a tradition of performing at Disney World every three years and collects multiple honors with gold ratings and ranking as one of America's best communities for music education.
