EASTON, Pa. – A Northampton County high school marching band and orchestra group are ringing in the new year with the perfect pitch.

The Easton Area High School “Red Rovers” have brought home dozens of awards and trophies from New Orleans.

69 News reporter Cierra Genelle caught up with students and staff from the “Beast of the East” when they returned home to the Lehigh Valley.

“Honestly, this trip was so awesome,” said Addyson Mammana, a senior at Easton Area High School.

“Oh my goodness. It was very exciting,” said Natalie Pape, also a senior.

“It was amazing.” said Lila Da Re, a junior at the school.

Those with a passion for music, now turned lifelong friends. They are reminiscing and resting, after ringing in the 2026 new year in style.

“Experiencing the culture of New Orleans, like getting to hear all this live jazz that we’ve never heard before in our northern environment,” said Pape.

Three hundred people and dozens of instruments and bright red uniforms — all loaded into seven charter buses.

“It was a 26-hour ride there and back,” explained Pape.

Pape, a piccolo player who serves as the president of the marching band, said it was an experience worth preparing day and night for.

“I’ve never experienced Louisiana culture before this moment,” said Pape.

It’s one that Mammana, who serves as the vice president of the marching band and plays the mellophone, is hoping to take on her next journey.

“Music is a really impactful in my life,” Mammana said. “Hopefully, with my career path in college, I do want to do music. So being a part of this, and going to build off of that, I’m really excited to do.”

Over the holiday break, the group found themselves immersed in the New Orleans culture. They hopped on swamp boat tours, strolled through the French Quarter and performed at the House of Blues and Sugar Bowl Parade.

Support traveled from the Lehigh Valley to the city known as the “birthplace of jazz.”

Da Re, a drum major, said she was looking forward to seeing her special fans.

“My family was down there as well.” said Da Re. “I was really happy to make them proud and be able to have them up on that balcony, because they were along the parade line. They were up in one of the buildings, and they were watching.”

Christopher Ballentine is the instrumental music director and an Easton Area High School graduate.

“We started planning the trip in September and October of 2024,” said Ballentine. “A ‘thank you’ to you know, our school, our community, we did a lot of fundraising, and a lot of people in the community helped to make this happen.”

Ballentine said the group returned home with dozens of awards and lasting memories.

“The marching band was named the ‘Overall Grand Champion,’” Ballentine said. “There are bands from Texas, from Florida, from all over the South, and comparing those styles is always a little bit of a challenge.”

Ballentine called the experience “surreal.”

“So many of them had once in a lifetime opportunities and experiences on the trip,” said Ballentine. “That makes everything so worth it.”