A HUGE Breach in Tradition

SBHS Tradition of over 50 years

DISCLAIMER: This blog reflects the views of many alumni of Saddle Brook High School between the years of the 1960s up to current day students and does not reflect the education or ability of today's students in SBHS Choir, but the complaint of respecting tradition.

Note: all links are to other blog posts on related topic so you can follow the tradition. 

Mr. Charles Broadhurst,
SBHS Choral Director 1964-1994

Mrs. Cynthia Verost,
SBHS Choral Director 1994-ish- Dec 2015

I was always taught in martial arts to know when to value tradition, and to know when to innovate. You need to have a balance to knowing when it is important to evolve because those who see the future first evolve the most. At the same time it is a skill to preserve strong tradition because you preserve a way of life that brings value, and not detriment.

In 1964, a man named Chuck Broadhurst taught choral music with 8 or 9 members in the choir. Two years later in 1966 he had 80 or 90. He taught for 30 years, retiring in 1994. In those 30 years he had so many choir members (record being 250 members) he had split them into Boys' Glee Club, Girls' Glee Club, Concert Choir, and a select a cappella group called the Choraleers. He also began the high school Spring musicals that still go on today.

After his retirement an alumnus named Cynthia Verost (Class of '75) took the position of Choir Director. She at this time had about 15 years of her own teaching experience in one or two districts already. He came and brought in her own knowledge and choice songs, but still preserved many of the strong traditions the school had like the Choraleers and Spring Musicals.

If anyone can tell you that times have changed, it would be Cindy Verost. Things you deal with, with an administration and Board of Education, parents of the present day, people's attention spans and appreciation not what it used to be, but she dealt with the changes of the time and still did her own thing while preserving the strong traditions which were deeply rooted in the school.

Mr. Broadhurst teaching and singing with alumni

Mrs. Verost with 2005-2006 Choraleers

Something very deeply rooted to Saddle Brook High are the traditions shared by the alumni. That deep seated root continued over two decades after Mr. Broadhurst's retirement by Mrs. Verost. In 1978, spear headed by my mother, Karen Lazzaro-Trento (Class of '78), 14 years worth of alumni got together for a Choir reunion. Not everyone knew each other but their love for music had been passed down to all these "students" and they shared the same experiences of what it meant to them in the process of learning and performing. In 1990, another reunion of Choraleer alumni came together to sing like the old days and enjoy each other's company. And in 1994 at Chuck's retirement they all came together to celebrate the career of Mr. Broadhurst and sing as if not a day went by the last time they did (I have the video of it). And in 1999 and 2000, alumni got together to perform around the community almost 20-30 years later singing under Mr. Broadhurst again.

Then in 2014, Mrs. Verost had done a 50th Anniversary Concert  to celebrate the program's existence in the school for 50 years. The program was a selection of popular and favorites songs from the SBHS archives, a mix of Chuck and Cindy's repetoire. Local alumni gathered together for maybe 3 rehearsals which were a small portion of people. Then the day of we spend morning to night rehearsing with about 80-90 alumni. That evening we performed our concert, and it was a beautiful reunion. Mrs. Verost did a fantastic job as always, she showed great appreciation to the ones who showed up, and I think she was surprised by how many alumni actually showed up to participate. Her only mistake was only doing ONE of the alumni songs instead of all three, since it was an ALUMNI tradition. I was the only one vocal about it, although most felt the same way. But hey, it's only one concert. Not like the tradition will die or anything......

Mr. Broadhurst conducting the alumni choir in 1999.

Mrs. Verost rehearsing choir for concert in 2006

The Alumni before 50th Anniversary Concert

Well I was wrong. The Alumni Sing is a 51 year tradition. Every Holiday concert ended with Carol of the Bells, Do You Hear What I Hear?, and The Hallelujah Chorus. It began with Chuck, continued with Cindy. Did it have some hiccups over the years? Sure. Maybe Cindy did Carol of the Bells for the processional instead. Maybe she put Have Yourself A Merry Little Christimas in the alumni sing instead. But the tradition for the most part has always been standing of the three songs. It is something that is supported heavily to by the community, it's alumni, staff and faculty, and families of several generations.

After 22 years, last December Mrs. Verost retired. A new director has taken over. I hear he's good. The kids sound great. This year's holiday concert was December 15th. We find out the day of that ONLY the Hallelujah Chorus will be sung for the alumni. Students in the choir currently were unhappy about it (I've spoken to many of them as several are students of mine), alumni from a range of the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, and 10s are upset about it, faculty current and former are disheartened, and families who have come to see the new generation of students and remember the old were disheartened.

When I inquired and asked people in the establishment, the answers given to me were it took "too much time and prep" and it was "too alumni oriented" and the alumni have to ":get over it." OKAY.. Let's address the first part. Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors know all three pieces as their predecessor taught it to them and it wasn't like beating a dead horse to learn. TWO: The alumni was the last three pieces. The entire rest of the concert is the students? Every performance, including entire spring concert is student oriented. DO a hundred songs in the concert with the students, don't touch the last three! And ALUMNI are the ones who support the program, and HAVE for many years, and when budget cuts come in, the arts are attacked first, and when that happens, they come to the alumni! Not a good move. And as far as "get over it"? That's a sad way to look and respect tradition. I was also told not to make "a fuss" about it....o_O ME?! LOL!

Eleven songs were sung for the Choir NOT including Hallelujah. What's two more? That MAJORITY of choir knows. I believe only 7 alumni came. For me, it was the first one I've missed in I think 14 years. Christmas began for many of us at that concert. For us who knew Chuck, we felt most connected to him in those few moments singing those songs. And the CURRENT students looked forward to participating in that tradition. Some things are meant NOT to be touched. If it ain't broken, don't fix it.

 This SBHS Alumni is a Community. The sentiments shared about this tradition, or in this case lack of, is shared by such a span of people from even huge generational differences. Many of them still continue to keep music in their lives! Some became music teachers like Barbara Avento Weiner, Austum D'Esposito, Catherine Blankenhorn Boyes, Eric Zadoroznyj, and Anthony Ligouri. Some still sing in groups and Choirs like Lisa Lazzaro Graf, Arianna Pomo, Lynn Van Wyk Wojcik and her late husband Joe Wojcik, Annie Conway O'Shaunessey, and Barbara Pastuch Pernetti. These names are all from different generations of Saddle Brook music program.

Standing 50 year traditions should be preserved regardless who is in charge. It is an insult to Chuck's memory and Cindy's legacy, in my opinion. It's also a slap in the face to the alumni who have supported this program for many many years. I hope the new director reconsiders his future choice of this tradition. If not, then a tradition is dead......unless I can help it. Mrs. Verost said to me "Get your own choir!" Hmmm.....that's the best idea I've heard all day..... (BOWS)

Yours in service,
MASTER A TRENTO