The Highlanders

The Highlander Band was created in 1962, shortly after the opening of Governor Livingston Regional High School. Its first Band Director was Forrest Bartlett, an outstanding music educator and an accomplished trumpet player. Mr. Bartlett guided the selection of a style and theme for the Band.

The school was named for Governor William Livingston, Governor of New Jersey from 1776 to 1790, and signer of the constitution. William Livingston was the son of Philip Livingston, whose father was originally from Ancrum, Scotland, and a member of the Stewart clan. It followed, therefore, that the school symbol would be the Highlander, a fierce Scottish warrior, and the school colours would be red and blue, the dominant colours in the Royal Scots Guards, and wear the red and dark blue colours.

From 1962 until 1964, the Highlander Band built its strength as, primarily, a concert and stage band while also performing at football games and parades. Its uniform then bore little resemblance, other than colour, to the current uniform. The transition from one to the other occurred as a result of the creative chemistry between Mr Bartlett and a local resident, Robert Harrison. Mr Harrison, an accomplished bagpiper, suggested that a bagpipe band would fit perfectly with the Highlander style, and offered to work with students to establish such a group. Mr Bartlett agreed, and secured approval from the school administration. Mr Harrison, assisted by his friends Bill Cochrane and Frank Mulreany from Mountainside, began forming and teaching the Highlander Pipers.

From 1964 until 1972, the Band was known as “the Highlander Bands” to acknowledge the fact that two distinct “band” (the original band and the new bagpipe band) formed the unit. During that time, the original band uniform was changed to approximate that worn by the Royal Scots Guards. Together with the unique bagpipe band, the Highlanders quickly became parade and concert favourites in the North-eastern states.

In 1970, Daniel Kopcha came to Governor Livingston as Marching Band Director. Mr Kopcha also carried a reputaion as an 

accomplished music educator, and was clarinettist with the U.S. Army Band. He brought a love of classical music and marching bands to the Highlanders, and began to influence their style and performance patterns. In 2007, a new era of the Highlander Marching Band began under the leadership of Nick O’Sullivan, a Governor Livingston graduate from the class of 2003.  Mr O’Sullivan is a graduate of the Mason Gross School of Music at Rutgers University (Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music) and is an accomplished musician himself. He has the unique perspective on the marching band, having experienced it as a student and now as the director of the award-winning Highlanders. In 2016, Mr Josef Ellis joined the band staff as co-director. Taking over as the lead teacher for the jazz courses and ensembles at Governor Livingston in 2017, as well as being a specialist teacher in percussion, he has helped broaden and diversify musical experiences for students at Governor Livingston.

HISTORY

 In 1972, the band was invited to represent New Jersey in the National Festival of States Marching Band Competition in St. Petersburg, Florida. Selected for their reputation and competition record, the Highlander Band would be competing against the top-rated high school bands from each state in the nation, with the prize being the title of National Champion. The Highlanders set, as a goal, to finish in the top six and came in first. The win in St. Petersburg vaulted them to national recognition. In 1973, they were chosen to represent New Jersey in the presidential Inaugural Parade in Washington, D.C. In 1980, they won their first Atlantic Coast Championship and were the first to score over 90 points in a marching band competition. In 2006, the Highlander Band scored 97.55, their highest score ever in an ACC championship. Since then, The Highlander Band has been Atlantic Coast Champions thirteen times and Cadet Marching Band Cooperative Champions seven times. They have been TOB Chapter Champions 30 times in the last 32 years. Since 1988, the Highlanders have toured Scotland and England. These tours have included the famous Edinburgh Tattoo, performances in the Cavalcade Parade, and concerts at Edinburghand Stirling Castle