Raymond Larsen
Island Forum
It has been a long, rewarding process, and the MIHS marching band is still working hard to prepare for its trip to Pasadena, Calif. to participate in the 117th Tournament of Roses Parade. Last year the band was accepted as one of 15 high school marching bands from around the world to march in the parade and to represent the entire Northwest region of the country. The parade stretches an exhausting 5 1/2 miles along the length of Pasadena’s Colorado Boulevard and will be viewed by over 400 million people worldwide. In addition to the parade, the band will also perform a ten-minute field show incorporating four famous Tower of Power songs for an audience of about 2,000 people. The band has been performing segments of this show throughout the year at home football games. This year the parade’s theme is “Its Magical,” a fitting choice as the marching band certainly could not have come so far without the behind-the-scenes magic and support from this community.
As a high school student and member of the marching band, I have witnessed the incredible effort involved in this massive undertaking. The overwhelming task of sending the 270-member marching band on this trip has required countless hours of marching, playing, and especially fund-raising. Our fund-raising efforts, ranging from car washes to an incredible shared concert with Allan Vizzutti, are nearly finished, and all have been enormously successful. We owe a great thanks to the generosity of volunteers and the entire Mercer Island community. Perhaps the most amazing show of community support will be demonstrated by the nearly 500 Mercer Island residents who will follow the band to Pasadena to watch the parade live.
Lead by directors Parker Bixby and Peter Haberman, as well as Drum Majors Georgia Gier, Erika Lee and Aaron Lindstrom, the band has been rehearsing nonstop since August in preparation for these enormous performances. As the event approaches, the anticipation and excitement surrounding the trip is climbing. This Friday, the band will be hosting Tournament of Roses President Libby Evans Wright. As president, she travels to the city and school of every band that will march in the parade. We are excited to show her our community and know that she will enjoy watching us perform. Friday marks our last home football game, where we will unveil our entire field show. On Saturday we will hold our last fund-raiser, a Celebration Dinner capped by a performance by the Marching Band. In attendance at all events, Ms. Wright will have the opportunity to experience first-hand the unity, dedication, and immensity of the Mercer Island Marching Band. Perhaps more important, she will see unity and the immensity of support offered by our family, friends and community.
To experience the band for yourself, come to the Mercer Island High School football game this Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the high school stadium. Also, be sure to watch the televised Tournament of Roses parade at 8 a.m., on January 2, to see your own marching band representing the best of Mercer Island. Thank you for all of your support and the generous contributions that have made this opportunity possible.
Raymond Larsen is a Senior at Mercer Island High School. He is President of the 270 member MIHS Marching Band and plays the trumpet.
