Band Blog

Forty-six members of the Colony High School marching band are getting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform in the Jan. 20 Presidential Inaugural Parade in Washington D.C. The band is the only active high school marching band in the state, and the invitation to represent Alaska coincides with the 50th anniversary of statehood. A few band members agreed to share their experiences with the Daily News as part of their trip.


Band bloggers

Zach Hoyt

My name is Zach Hoyt and I am a 17 year old senior in the Colony High School Marching Band. I have been in the band since our previous trip to DC for the 4th of July Parade in 2006 as a banner-carrier and am now one of the cymbal players on the drumline.

Gayle Hoyt

My name is Gayle Hoyt. I am a senior, and I have been a member of the marching band since my freshman year, when it was started. I play the alto saxophone.

Breanna Romeo

I'm Breanna Romeo, my nickname is Bree, that's usually what I go by. I'm a Senior and I'm 18. I have been in Marching Band for 4 years, and band in general since 5th grade. I play the flute usually, but for marching band I play the piccolo.

Clayton Powell

Clayton Powell is serving as one of the adult chaperones on the trip. He is a Master Sgt. in the US Air Force stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base with the 3rd maintenance operations squadron. He has two children in band. Donte, 16, a senior, who is going to be holding the band banner during the parade and Oreanna, 15, a sophomore, who is going to be a color guard member.

Archive

The next day: Morning coffee with Alaska's senators - 1/22/2009 6:28 pm

Inauguration Day! - 1/21/2009 11:25 am

Inauguration Day! - 1/20/2009 10:39 pm

Touring D.C. - 1/20/2009 12:55 am

Monday on the Mall - 1/20/2009 12:48 am

The day before: Monuments and museums - 1/20/2009 12:46 am

From Newark to D.C. - 1/20/2009 12:45 am

Newark to Fairfax - 1/18/2009 11:43 pm

Newark to Fairfax - 1/18/2009 11:29 pm

NY Times features Colony Band's trip to inauguration - 1/17/2009 7:38 pm

Meet band blogger: Breanna Romeo - 1/17/2009 7:35 pm

Meet band blogger: Gayle Hoyt - 1/17/2009 7:34 pm

Meet band blogger: Zach Hoyt - 1/16/2009 8:53 pm

Newark to Fairfax

Posted by band_blog

Posted: January 18, 2009 - 11:43 pm

Comments (0) |

By Zach Hoyt

After a stay overnight in Newark, New Jersey, we (the band) all loaded up onto a bus to get make the 4 hour bus ride to Fairfax, Virginia. Once in Fairfax, we went to the Lord of Life Lutheran Church where we held our final rehearsal before the parade. As a senior, this was also my final practice as a student at Colony High School, and I am pleased with the outcome.

Kait helps unpack the busKait helps unpack the bus

Final rehearsalFinal rehearsal

The Band PracticeThe Band Practice

After unpacking the gear, we practiced for 2 hours as hard as we ever have, marching laps through the church's parking lot. After practice, we met with members of the church's youth group, mingling and socializing until dinner was served.

Dinner at the churchDinner at the churchJanuary 18, 2009

After dinner, we left, said goodbye to our new friends, and traveled onward to the Potomac Mills Best Western, where we quickly discovered that we were not the only band in the building.

Shortly after arrival at the hotel, we met members of a band and choir from Sandwich, Illinois, also visiting DC for the Inaugural celebration. They were very enthusiastic to meet people from Alaska, and were full of questions about our great state.

As the evening moved on, we were issued our uniforms and new travel shirts before we began to head to bed.

Tomorrow we will make the short trip to DC, where we will visit the Holocaust Museum and the Smithsonian before we begin to make our final preparations for the Inaugural Parade.

-Zach Hoyt


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