ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Colony High School students in the choir, orchestra and marching band rehearsed for the last time before flying to Ireland for a long-awaited trip.
Dr. Jamin Burton, Band Director at Colony High School, said making this trip happen has required years of planning and fundraising. This isn’t the first big step his music students have taken – Colony musicians have played at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and in Normandy, France.
Inside the Anchorage dome the marching band ran through several of the songs they’re set to play in multiple performances during their trip, marching on the field preparing to keep their form while on foreign streets.
“Band is just such a great thing for everyone to be a part of because it teaches you, teamwork teaches you responsibility,” high school sophomore and snare drum player Kourtney Allen said. Allen’s sister was part of the group that went to France in 2019, and this time her parents are coming along too. Allen expected the trip to be work intensive to make their performances shine, but Allen said that’s part of the fun.
Bridger McIntosh, a senior trumpet player planning to study music theater at the University of Montana School of Music said this was the first time the band has performed together in several months. “It’s kind of awesome to see the band back together,” McIntosh said. “I just feel like we’ve really bonded, and I feel like we keep going doing that going forward.”
The groups are going to hit the ground running upon arrival, Burton said their plan is to go directly from the airport to their first performance and wake up the next morning for another event – but he felt ready for the pace.
“All the logistics are done. The passports are in, the music’s ready, I’m feeling pretty confident now… if you asked me that 24 hours ago, it would have been a different story,” Burton said, “but feel like we’re there now.”
Burton said he believes their groups were chosen for their reputation – Colony students have proven they’re able to hold up under the pressure.
″When you go to those types of events and you perform well and logistically, when you’re organized,“ he said, “then people are like, ‘Oh, that’s a group that can handle the stress, the preparation, the logistics and the fundraising,’ and then it all comes together.”
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