About Us

Directors

Dr. Thomas Bourgault

Thomas Bourgault earned the Doctor of Music Arts in Wind Studies from Rutgers University where he studied conducting with Dr. Kraig Alan Williams. There he conducted all university bands and assisted with all facets of the wind band division. Bourgault holds the Bachelor of Music in Music Education and the Master of Arts in Music from the University of New Hampshire, with a focus in composition and wind conducting.

Prior to his appointment at Bridgewater-Raritan, Bourgault held the positions of Director of Instrumental Music at Lebanon High School, Lebanon, New Hampshire and Norwich Free Academy in Norwich, Connecticut, and Band Director at Freedom High School in Orlando, Florida. In addition to his duties at Bridgewater-Raritan High School, he is also the Director of Bands at William Paterson University, where he conducts the university band and teaches instrumental conducting.

As a composer, Dr. Bourgault has received numerous commissions from school and university bands throughout the country, including large symphonic bands, chamber ensembles, and mixed wind, string, percussion, and vocal ensembles. He currently maintains an active guest conducting schedule with public schools and regional honor bands.

Dr. Bourgault is the sole proprietor of his own publishing website which can be viewed here (https://savgamusic32.webs.com). Find out more about his composition and professional affiliates and check out some of his works!

Mr. Nicholas Mossa

Nicholas Mossa, a graduate of Bridgewater Raritan High School, currently serves as a band director for the Bridgewater Raritan High School and has enjoyed teaching music in the Bridgewater Raritan community since 2012. Mr. Mossa has an extensive performance background as a clarinetist including professional appearances with the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Adelphi Orchestra, and the Central Park Orchestra. Mr. Mossa has also been recognized as a featured soloist with the Montclair State University Symphony Orchestra and at Kinhaven Music School. His career performances have included concerts in Providence, Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, Shanghai, and New York City. Mr. Mossa is a current member of the Eastern Wind Symphony and is an active freelance performer outside of school.

As a director at Bridgewater Raritan High School, Mr. Mossa oversees seven performing ensembles including three curricular concert bands, the marching band, one of the two jazz bands, the winter guard, percussion ensemble and one music workshop class. Mr. Mossa hopes to use his leadership of these student ensembles to teach skills that provide an outlet for musical growth and foundational skills of leadership, citizenship and character. Mr. Mossa is a part of the performing arts community at Bridgewater Raritan High School that, in various collaborative efforts, aims to celebrate and promote the curricular large ensembles as the core experience of the program which subsequently provides cohesion among all the co-curricular groups.

Mr. Mossa’s professional affiliations include the New Jersey Association for Jazz Education, Central Jersey Music Educators Association, New Jersey Music Educators Association, and the National Association for Music Education. Mr. Mossa occupies the position of Band Performance Chair within the New Jersey Association for Music Education board of directors and is proud to be an advocate for music education in the state of New Jersey.

Marching Band Auxiliary Staff

Joseph Esineira - Percussion Caption Head
Joseph Espineira is excited to enter his 11th year teaching the BRHS Marching Band! Joe is currently the full time director is instrumental music at the Manville School District in Manville NJ where he is in charge of grades 5-8 band, marching band, and jazz band. He brings with him 9 years of full time teaching experience, 2 years of drum and bugle corps performing experience; including a DCI High Percussion Award, 2 years of drum corps teaching experience, and maintains an active performance schedule with the Eastern Wind Symphony as a percussionist. Accolades with Eastern Wind Symphony include a performance at the 2015 Midwest Band Clinic in Chicago, IL and a premier and recording session of Julie Giroux Symphony 5 “Elements.”

Tom Hicks - Percussion Instructor
Hi! My name is Tom Hicks! I graduated from Middlesex County College with an Associates Degree in Music. After MCC, I moved on to Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences to receive my Bachelor of Arts degree in Music. Lastly, I just graduated Kean University with a Second Bachelors Degree in Psychology. I’m hoping to continue my education in the Alternate Route program at NJCU in January!

I marched with the Rutgers University Marching Scarlet Knights from 2008-2012 in the drumline and I was section leader my last two seasons with the organization!

This is my first season with BRHS Marching Band and I’m very excited to be working with amazing staff and students!

Megan Alexander - Low Brass/Visual Instructor
Originally from Hillsborough, New Jersey, Megan began her career as a euphonium player at the age of 15. Self-taught until the age of 18, she quickly began to receive recognition through soloist awards and region bands. Megan began her undergraduate degree at The College of New Jersey where she studied with tubist Brian Brown of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra. She completed her degree at Montclair State University, earning a Bachelor of Music in Music Education, and studied with euphoniums Jason Ham of the West Point Band and Aaron Vanderweele of the New York Staff Band. Megan moved across the Atlantic to the United Kingdom and received a Master of the Arts in Euphonium Performance (Merit) from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2015. She studied with international euphonium soloist David Childs and played under the baton of Dr. Robert Childs, including performances in London and managing an international tour to perform at the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo in Canada.
Megan has played in wind bands throughout the USA, Canada, and Europe, including Hanover Wind Symphony, the Garden State Concert Band, and an intercollegiate invitational honors band. Highlights include performances at the New Jersey Music Educators’ Association Conference, the College Band Directors’ National Association Conference, and tours through Italy and Germany. She has also doubled on trombone in various ensembles, including jazz bands and a brass quintet coached by bass trombonist John Rojack of the American Brass Quintet. In her brass band career, Megan has played for City of Cardiff (Melingriffith) Brass Band, winning the First Section Areas in 2015 and performing on television at the National Eisteddfod. She also played solo euphonium for Abergavenny Borough Brass Band.
Megan previously taught in the UK at the prestigious Wells Cathedral School as a Visiting Music Specialist, a Resident Tutor in a girls’ boarding house, and a Graduate Music Assistant. She also taught elementary strings and was the middle school musical assistant director in Princeton and the assistant director of marching band at Northern Valley Old Tappan High School. Megan currently teaches middle school band in Monroe Township and is a visual tech with the Bridgewater-Raritan High School marching band. She also teaches euphonium, trombone, and tuba privately and continues her playing career. Outside of music, she enjoys reading, playing video games, and is an avid Star Wars fan.

Rachael Terracciano - Color Guard Instructor
Rachael Terracciano is an alum from BRHS class of 2014. She was a member of the colorguard and winterguard for 9 seasons on saber, rifle and flag. Rachael also studied and performed with a dance company for 15 years. Rachael recently graduated from East Carolina University and has moved home to attend Rutgers University to complete her Doctorate of Physical Therapy. Rachael is excited to be back and working with the BRHS marching band!

Kirby Marino - Percussion Instructor
Kirby Marino is a percussion educator, adjudicator, and arranger in New Jersey. He started his marching career at Phillipsburg High School in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. He then went on to march quads with the Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps (2012-2013) and Fusion “Core” (2015). Kirby aged out with the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps in 2016 and marched with United Percussion (2014-2017).
Kirby has taught and arranged for numerous high schools in New Jersey but is the battery arranger for Phillipsburg High School. He was battery coordinator/quad technician at East Coast Percussion (2018) and is the current battery caption head at United Percussion's A Class Ensemble. He also is a quad technician at the Hawthorne Caballeros (2017-2018), Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps (2018), and the Rutgers University Drumline. Kirby is extremely excited to teach Bridgewater Raritan High School's marching band!

MR. THOMAS MURPHY has been a public school instrumental teacher in New Jersey for 32 years. All three decades have been in outstanding NJ school districts with wonderful music programs. His first twenty years he dedicated to the Southern Regional School District, then ten years in the Randolph School District and now he will end his career in Bridgewater Raritan school district. He has been nominated for the Ocean County Teacher of the Year, was named Sallie Mae Teacher of the Year and Governor Teacher of the Year and, most recently, named a Yale Distinguished Music Educator. After his inspirational North Penn High School experience he has been dedicated to feeding fantastic High School programs with enthused, well-educated, musical freshman. This year marks Mr. Murphy’s 34th year associated with a Marching Band. In both his undergraduate degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and his Masters degree from Ithaca College he was fortunate to study with leaders in the percussion field. His percussion background includes study with marimba virtuoso Gordon Stout, timpani study with Dean Witten, and well-rounded orchestral study with Dr. Gary Olmstead. Mr. Murphy is co-author of the “100 Days to Sight Reading Excellence” series. He traveled Europe as a student with American Music Abroad in 1982. This summer will be his 26th tour as a director and 17th as a Head Director with that same company. His tour brings 120 High School band, orchestra, and choir students to Europe each summer to perform in five countries over three weeks. Proudly, he has exposed over 2,000 students to Dachau concentration camp in Germany. Mr. Murphy is married to Art Educator, Maura Boucher, and has two children, Eli and Hannah.

Additional Auxiliary Staff:
Tim Egan - Visual Co-Caption Head/Woodwind Instructor
Robert Peterson - Visual Co-Caption Head/Low Brass Instructor
Clay Beyert - Visual/High Brass Instructor
Micah Gary-Fryer - Color Guard Director
Joe Parillo - Color Guard Instructor
Skyler Fortgang - Front Ensemble Instructor