05/23/11 The “Pride of Plymouth” marching band and PHS choirs will be packing their luggage for a very special trip to the nation’s capital this weekend. The Plymouth band was selected to represent the State of Indiana in the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington D.C. and the PHS choir was selected to perform at the U.S. Naval Memorial as part of the Memorial Day ceremonies. After months of planning and fund-raising, the students will be departing for their tour this Friday after school.
“This is a huge honor for our music program,” said band director Bryan Ames. “To know that we will be in our nation’s capital representing our entire community and state is an amazing privilege and honor.” Marching bands and military groups from across the nation will come together to march through the heart of Washington down Constitution Avenue. The parade route will march right past the Washington Monument and many historic buildings and museums. “The parade will be televised nationally and our performances will bring the city of Plymouth into the spotlight,” said Ames. “This tour is something that the students in the music department will remember for a lifetime.”
“We have nearly one hundred thirty students and chaperons traveling to Washington and this has been a huge undertaking to put this tour together. Students have been fundraising for months as each student was individually responsible to cover the cost of their tour. We are very grateful to our school administration, superintendent, and school board for making this trip possible and for allowing our students the chance to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have Plymouth High School represent our entire state at this event.”
In addition to the performances, the music students will also have the chance to visit the U.S. Capital Building, Smithsonian Museums, Mount Vernon (the home of George and Martha Washington), Arlington National Cemetery, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and many other historic sites. The students will end their tour with an “Illumination Tour” of all of the monuments and memorials during the evening hours while all of the sites are illuminated with spotlights.
This tour ends a highly successful year for the music department. The Pride of Plymouth marching band made their first-ever state finals appearance this fall along with repeat state finals trips for the winter guard and winter drumline. The choirs and band recently completely a very successful spring Variety Show and have begun preparations for the upcoming graduation ceremony.
Congratulations to all of the students and staff in the music department. Good luck with your performances in Washington D.C.
