Foothill band working overtime to fund trip to 2017 Tournament of Roses Parade
The band at Foothill High School will play for money.
It will also sell fireworks, organize fundraisers and use any other method needed to get the money to travel to Pasadena, Calif., for the Tournament of Roses Parade on Jan. 2, 2017, at which the band recently found out it will be performing.
“This is going to be an unforgettable experience,” said Ryan Ketchum, a 17-year-old junior at Foothill, 800 College Drive.
Travis Pardee has been the band director at Foothill since 2002. Like many other high school band directors, Pardee has instructed the students as they played football games, concert seasons and a variety of other events each school year.
But Pardee said the students at Foothill go beyond a regular year and have performed at some of the most prestigious parades around the country.
“Sometimes, you have to look for opportunities,” he said. “Sometimes, they just find you.”
For band students, Pardee said there are three events that are the creme de la creme — the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, the St. Patrick’s Festival in Ireland and the Tournament of Roses Parade.
“We did the St. Patrick’s Day parade in 2009,” he said.
In 2014, the band traveled to New York City to play Macy’s. The students also performed at Carnegie Hall on that trip.
This upcoming performance is another milestone.
The band will be tasked with marching nearly 6 miles to a new piece of music — Pardee has a friend and colleague at UNLV writing a piece of music to premier.
“We will do that with another song,” he said. “I’ll play ‘Viva Las Vegas’ if the (Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority) wants to pay me to do it. You think I’m kidding, but I’m not.”
Pardee said in some respects, the Tournament of Roses is a bigger deal as there will be more people at the event than there were at Macy’s — though that one reaches more people because of the television audience.
Ketchum performed at the Macy’s parade and is planning to be at the Tournament of Roses.
“I get to be in two amazing parades,” he said. “How does that even happen? It makes for a great high school experience.”
The band went through an extensive application process that included videos of it marching and playing during a sharp right-hand turn — similar to the parade route.
In order to be able to pursue and accept opportunities such as the Tournament of Roses, the students have to be committed to the cause.
“And they truly are,” Pardee said. “Three weeks before school starts, they are here to start practicing. From 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., they work.”
During the school year, the students have class every morning and then practice Tuesday nights.
Ketchum, who plays saxophone and trombone, added that he practices on his own to add to his commitment to band.
The next task at hand is gathering the funds: Each student has to raise $700.
“And that’s times 350 students,” Pardee said. “It isn’t as much as what we had to raise for New York. It’s still a lot.”
The band has already hosted two fundraisers: a gala with a silent auction and a golf tournament.
Pardee said the band would be lost without community support, which provides equipment and money to help it meet its goals.
Pardee is hoping the community helps out one more time.
Visit falconbandboosters.org or fhsbands.com.
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To help fund the Foothill High School Marching Band's trip to perform in the 2017 Tournament of Roses Parade, visit falconbandboosters.org or fhsbands.com.
