Fancy footwork helped the Marian Catholic High School Marching Band win the chance to march in the inauguration parade of George W. Bush, but there will be none of that along Pennsylvania Avenue on Saturday.
Band members must move forward at 112 beats per minute in 28-inch steps. No less, no more, according to the Secret Service.
“That’s really the pace of the military bands,” said Greg Bimm, co-director of the band along with Marc Whitlock. “We can’t use any of our performance techniques in the parade.”
Still, students are reveling in the opportunity to represent Illinois and play for the new president and the nation.
“For my senior year, to do something like this is a thrill,” said Casey St. Aubin, 18, of Crete, a trumpet player and band officer.
Bimm, who designs the programs that have led the band to be undefeated in its class in the state since 1980, and students are confident they can alter their intricate timing and penchant for classical pieces for the parade.
“We spend our entire summer practicing. We’re good marchers,” said freshman Jennifer Znavor of Chicago’s Hegewisch area. “I know we can pull this off. If we had a performance at regionals the week before nationals and came out on top, I think we can do this.”
Bimm has had his students practicing three new pieces–“This Is My Country,” “The Thunderer” by Sousa and Illinois’ state song–that he has worked into a medley.
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) suggested the band enter the inaugural parade selection process, but Bimm held back until the students had their say.
Expenses would come out of their pockets, he told them. The Chicago Heights school doesn’t budget for special events such as this. The students didn’t flinch.
Jackson’s office started the paperwork for the Armed Forces Committee of the Inaugural Committee. Bimm submitted video and audio tapes of the band and CDs of the concert band for the committee’s review, and Jackson sent a letter.
The inaugural committee notified Bimm days before Christmas that the band had been selected. It has been a mad scramble since as Bimm, the Marian staff, students, parents and band boosters prepare music, transportation, lodgings and other arrangements.
“We’ve been to Disney World to play during Easter break, but we’ve never gotten an invitation like this,” Bimm said. “This is truly a significant event in our country, and I’m delighted that our students can be a part of this moment in our history.”
The students don’t expect to see the swearing-in ceremony on the Capitol steps. They’ll be lining up for the parade kickoff, taking their cues from the military bands as they parade down Pennsylvania Avenue between the Capitol and the White House. Their parents, though, have been swamping Jackson’s office with ticket requests.
The band and a contingent of more than 100 parents and supporters left by bus from the Chicago Heights campus Wednesday after the last semester exam.
“We had a wonderful chemistry this year in the band,” said senior Cara Morantz of Crete. “Now it’s like going on a big trip with 250 of your closest friends.”
