Pitman Junior High School’s cover band is earning statewide recognition for its mature sound and musical finesse
Almost 10 years ago, Jon Botbyl wanted to start a school pop/rock band for students who play non-traditional band instruments, like the guitar, bass, drums and keyboard.
He had just started working at Pitman Junior High School, and joined Olivia Dunn, then the middle school choral director, in creating The Prowlers — a take on the school’s Pitman Panther mascot.
Botbyl — who currently teaches concert band, jazz band, Bucket Beatz (a bucket-drumming ensemble) and seventh- and eighth-grade general music — rehearsed with the instrumentalists, while Dunn worked with the vocalists, laying the foundation for the 80 students who have been members of The Prowlers since 2017.
“Students audition in the beginning of October and begin rehearsing immediately. We normally accept four to five vocalists, a drummer, a bass player, two guitarists and a keyboardist. We perform all styles of popular music including rock, pop, R&B, funk, country, Motown and more. Students can be a member for either one or two years depending on if they enter the band as a seventh-grader or eighth-grader,” Botbyl explained.
Members of the band meet twice a week for 30-minute rehearsals during the school day; it is not a class on the main schedule but takes place during the advisory period.
The Prowlers perform all styles of popular music.
“The students learn how to create charts for music, practice their individual parts, rehearse as an ensemble, put a set list together, as well as important stage presence and performance techniques,” Botbyl said.
They work toward a 5- to 10-song set list, and this past school year mastered nine songs. Covers included “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World, a rock version of “Skyfall” by Adele, “Since You’ve Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson, “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse and “The Man Who Sold the World” by David Bowie.
“My favorite song was “Hometown Glory” [by Adele]; the harmonies in that song were amazing,” said Grace Landis, 14, who plays the piano and flute while also possessing singing talents. “These types of songs are the kind of music I listen to and enjoy.”
“”Eye of the Tiger” [by Survivor] was my favorite because all of the vocalists were featured, and it was really fun to sing,” said singer, actress, guitarist and trumpeter Zoey Pilong, 14. “It is not typically my favorite genre of music, but it was the first song I learned in The Prowlers, so it will always be a special song to me.”
The group performed at school events and in the community multiple times during the school year, including at its Night of Jazz and Pop concert, the Pitman school district’s Art Fest, both the Gloucester County and New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival and the Pitman Youth Week pop-up park.
After performing at the Salem and Gloucester County Teen Arts Festival at Appel Farms, they were selected to advance to the New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival.
“They played great and put on a wonderful performance,” Botbyl said of the show at the New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival in June. “The adjudicators were amazed at the maturity of their sound and gave them all advanced ratings across the board in technical skills, accuracy, expression and presentation. One of the comments that stuck out from one of the judges was: ‘Love the vibe of the group, fantastic lead vocalist!’ ”
Botbyl has a pretty serious musical background of his own. He received a degree in Jazz Studies from Philadelphia’s University of the Arts. Afterward, he worked for Disneyland and Royal Caribbean as a musician. Upon returning to the New Jersey area, he performed on recordings of songs by Will Smith, John Legend and the Pixar movie “Robots.”
In 2006, Botbyl began his music teaching career at Salem High School while also maintaining a performance schedule playing at Atlantic City casinos with Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, Wayne Newton and with the Sid Miller Band.
There are students who follow in his footsteps, musically, too. Most members have gone on to perform at the high school level, he said, and some band members have enrolled at institutions like Berklee School of Music and Rowan University’s school of music.
“One member, Jake Austin, who is a fabulous guitarist and drummer, is playing in local clubs with his original band Strange Velvet,” Botbyl said.
There are family connections, too. Nola Gladney, 13, used to play the piano, and currently plays the clarinet and is part of the band and chorus. But her real inspiration for joining The Prowlers was her sister, and her friends.
“It feels really good to perform, and I love doing it.”
But membership in The Prowlers is about more than just young stardom and future fame.
“Students are learning to work together as a unit to create and perform music. They are collaborating with each other and sharing their creativity with each other in an effort to produce something that is both musically fulfilling and entertaining. This hopefully leads them to get together with each other outside of school and form their own bands and musical ensembles, contributing to the musical fabric of our society,” Botbyl said.
And the students couldn’t agree more. Liam Ager, 13, a guitar, bass guitar, piano and trombone player, who played bass for The Prowlers, said he has learned to play better by ear. Zoe Luczkiewicz, 14, a guitar, flute and piano pro, said she’s learned how to communicate efficiently and work with people without having a conductor leading the group.
Jake Bair, 13, who plays the drums and recorder, said he’s learned that progress takes time — and hard work has good results. He’s also learned how to battle stage fright — by picturing himself at home on his own drum set.
“Besides the nervous part, it’s an incredible feeling to finish a song and have everyone cheer for you,” he said.
