Chris Dollens, a junior member of the band, looked around at the thousands of people that crowded Fifth Ave in New York City to honor the veterans at the annual Veteran’s Day Parade.  The parade provided a public performing experience for the Central band and color guard members with a nationally televised audience.

“The parade was much bigger than we expected, being around 50,000 people,” said Matt Kurinski, a band director.  “We were very appreciative for the opportunity and it was a great experience.  We hope to do it again sometime.”

The band travels across the country every other year, but this was the first appearance in the parade.  It was a volunteer based field trip, so anyone in the department was allowed to participate.

The band played renditions of “Tonight”, from West Side Story, and “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” a classic American patriotic march song.

“It was a really great,” Dollens said.  “We got to do and see a lot of different things, and performing in the city was amazing.  It was a really cool event we got to participate in.

Prior to the parade, the band performed in a ceremony at the Vietnam War Memorial, and choir students performed a concert at St. John the Divine, a New York gothic cathedral.  Students also participated in music workshops, Broadway workshops, and even saw the Statue of Liberty, as they were able to do some sight -seeing.

The students left early Friday morning and were supposed to arrive back Monday night, but due to a delayed flight some returned early Tuesday morning.