The Franklin Regional band had the honor of performing in the Inaugural Parade for 45th President Donald Trump on January 20th.
Band teacher Kevin Pollock applied to perform at the inauguration on the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee’s online band application site and found out that FR was accepted on December 20th.
While it may have been short notice for the band students, they wasted no time to begin preparation for the parade.
Junior drum major Ashley Li said that she felt the band was prepared for the parade because of how hard everyone worked during rehearsals.
“We had practices after school and on the week- ends to prepare for the parade,” said Li. “Since the music was entirely new, the musicians rehearsed it every day in class and the drum majors and bandfront had to learn new routines.”
Because this was such a high profile event, everyone in band and bandfront had to go through extensive security prior to attending the parade.
“Every participant was required to apply online for security clearances from the Secret Service before December 30th,” said Pollock.
The cost of the parade was initially $200 per student but was reduced to $150 after donations from the community and money from the Franklin Regional Band Fund, according to Bandfront Coordinator Carla Gialloreto.
After less than a month of practice time, the band departed from the high school on Thursday, January 19th at 5:15 pm, arriving at their hotel in Hagerstown, Maryland later that evening.
“I’ve never seen a band more focused in rehearsals than this group,” said Pollock. “Having just a few weeks to prepare made every minute of every rehearsal important.”
On the day of the parade, the band left the hotel at 7:00 am, stopping first to visit the Air Force Memorial, according to senior drum major Jacob Wei.
After the Air Force Memorial, they arrived at the Pentagon, where they underwent security screenings and were then given lunch, according to Pollock.
“Everyone was subject to intense airport style security at the Pentagon before we were driven to The Mall to line up for the parade,” said Pollock.
After leaving the Pentagon, the band headed to the starting point for the parade, according to Bandfront Commanding Officer Alana Jolayemi.
Once at the starting point, the FR band waited for over three hours before the parade finally began.
“The extensive delay was definitely the most difficult part of the trip,” said junior drum major Mark Decesare. “We had to stand in pretty cold weather for a few hours before even stepping off to start the parade.”
The band finally began their 1.5-mile march at 5:30, and the students reached the Presidential reviewing stand shortly after six, according to Pollock.
“We were right in front of [the Presidential] reviewing stand,” said Wei. “We could see him clearly.”
Due to this being such a controversial inauguration, some students in band were worried about attending.
“At first, I was [nervous], but then I realized that I shouldn’t be worried about anything because there are a lot of security personnel at the inauguration,” said Jolayemi.
There was extensive security present throughout the day, according to Pollock.
“We saw plenty of Secret Service, military, and police all day. We were told that more than 1,200 policemen were assigned to line the parade route,” said Pollock.
Due to the three-hour parade delay, the band did not leave until almost 7:00 pm, and did not arrive back in Murrysville until 2:00 am on Saturday, according to Pollock.
Despite the long and hard day, most members of the band would agree that the trip was a success.
“My favorite part of the trip was seeing the excitement on the kids’ faces after they marched past the Presidential reviewing stand. They knew this was special. No matter your political views, this was part of history,” said Gialloreto. “They performed extremely well. It was priceless.”
While Pollock has coordinated other band events in the past, he felt that this one was a particularly memorable experience.
“I’m extremely proud of them and grateful for the memories they’ll keep from performances like these. I’m thankful for the support and recognition we’ve received from parents and so many others in the community,” said Pollock. “It’s been a truly amazing and unforgettable experience.”
Note: this article was originally published in Franklin Regional High School's newspaper The Panther.
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