Kelloggsville — Senior Eman Marasigan said he was surprised when he learned that the Kelloggsville High School Rocket Marching Band had been selected to participate in the National Memorial Day Parade.
“My first thoughts were ‘Why us?’” said Eman, who will play the baritone euphonium during the parade. “There are so many other great schools all around us. We’ve got Jenison, Rockford, Otsego, but we got picked.”
Kelloggsville High School will join others from across the nation to participate in the National Memorial Day Parade. It will be livestreamed starting at 10 a.m. on the American Veterans Center’s website, YouTube and Facebook.
“It’s really obvious we’re excited, but I don’t think it’s set in yet that we were actually picked for this state to go; and funny enough, they actually picked us before a video of us was even submitted of us playing,” said senior Dalilah Henderson. “So they just picked us off our morale.”
Eman, who has been to Washington D.C. before, called the opportunity a thrill, adding “It’ll be nice to actually perform there, since before it was just a personal trip, but it’ll be more like a patriotic honor.”
Letting the Music Take You Places
The Kelloggsville band was the only Michigan band to be nominated by State Rep. Hillary Scholten for the annual parade.
While the band program has received a number of honors over the years, this is the first time the group will perform on a national stage, said band Director Troy Anderson.
“It means a lot to be selected to perform,” Anderson said. “It points to the hard work and dedication of our students, past and present, that helped to build this program and make this opportunity a reality.”
The group will perform a special arrangement of “My Country ‘Tis Of Thee” written by the school’s marching band music arranger and drill writer Tom Weidner, with percussion written by Maggie Tesfae and color guard choreography by Christina Van Dam.
Anderson said the district was not able to send the entire band, so there was a musician and color guard choreography audition in the fall. Forty-five students were selected to represent the district, he said.
Dalilah, who is part of the color guard, said she was not even going to audition at first.
“But then I thought about it, and I was like, ‘What do I have to lose from auditioning or not auditioning?” she recalled. “I got selected, so I think that I’m going for a reason, and that’s taught me that I need to put myself out there more.”
Dalilah said the opportunity has also made her realize that “music can take you really far, more than you expect,” which is something Anderson said he hoped students would learn from the experience.
“I hope that they realize that they can work toward opportunities bigger than themselves if they are willing to put in the time and believe it can be done,” he said. “Being a smaller school that does mostly local activities does not mean that we can’t be recognized outside of our own bubble.
“Also, considering where we are going, the nation’s Capitol, and what we are going for, a parade celebrating those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for this country and our freedom, I hope that they recognize that this world is bigger than our individual selves. I hope they use this as a way to grow in selflessness and empathy because of it.”
A Grand Sendoff to Close the Season
Senior José Gonzalez Martinez, who plays piccolo, said the audition process “made it much more exciting because, you were like, ‘Oh, I don’t know if I’m gonna get it,’ and then once you do get it, you’re like, ‘Hey!’”
Those selected were given the music in the fall and have been practicing on their own time, with the entire group coming together for rehearsals before leaving May 21 for Washington D.C.
Eman said students have talked about places they hope to see such as the Washington Monument and the Smithsonian, which are on the group’s tour agenda.
“I’ve seen a lot of excitement and almost, like, nostalgia,” Delilah said, “because my freshman year we took a trip to the U.P., and even that was like, ‘We don’t get to do stuff like this.’ But now we’re going states away, 10 hours away, and it’s very surreal.”
José said this is his first time traveling outside of the state of Michigan. For others, like junior Reine Bahone-Zipora, it is the opportunity to have one last adventure with friends and family.
“It will be one more time I get to perform and share it with my brother (senior) Gloire (Bulangashane),” said Reine, who noted this is her last year in band due to class scheduling. “I think when we heard about it, it really inspired us all to work harder and to keep going. To have the chance to do this before we all leave, well, that part is just a huge bonus.”
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