On January 1, 2018, the Londonderry Lancers will be performing for the fifth time in the Rose Bowl parade in Pasadena, California. Londonderry High School Music Director Andy Soucy is very proud of his students and the hard work they have done to prepare. The high school band gets quite a bit of attention from the media from the incredible talent of the students who participate. The band has been featured on Chronicle and performed at Boston Celtics and Manchester Monarch games according to Soucy.
At the school board budget meeting on December 14, Andy Soucy was proud to say that out of the roughly 100 units, the Londonderry Marching Band will be unit number nine and very close to the front and will mostly likely be on television in the first 15 minutes of the start of the parade. Students in the band were not obligated to go to California however, and the decision to attend was left entirely up to the student and his/her family. There were a lot of sacrifices made, because a lot students and families put forth their own money to finance the trip. The high school did make sure that any band student who wanted to attend the Rose Bowl parade had the opportunity to go and help out in any way they could.
This is a fantastic opportunity for student’s to show their talents and show the world how dedicated the Londonderry Marching Band is to perfecting the art of music. Not only will the band be representing New Hampshire, but also New England as a whole.
The parade will last for about two and a half hours with millions of people watching both at the parade and at home. While this is the band’s fifth appearance at the Rose Bowl, they have also appeared in several other “Bowl Game Parades” such as two Citrus Bowls and one Orange Bowl, both taken place in Florida.
The band has also been preparing for the 5.5 mile route of the parade with a wellness walk that took place back in September. A 5.5 mile walk can be a challenge on its own, so it’s important for students to be adjusted while they are playing their instruments as well.
The band will be leaving for the Tournament of Roses on Thursday, December 28 and will return on Tuesday, January 2 the day after the parade. Additional information about the Lancers’ trip to Pasadena can be found on their website: lancermusic.org.