TROY– The Troy High School marching band is known throughout Ohio as one of the top bands in the state.
In less than two weeks, however, the band will get to share its immense talents on another continent as it travels to London to perform in London’s New Year’s Day Parade. A contingent of 55 band members and 48 family members and community members will make the trip, which has been in the planning stages for more than a year. The group will leave Dec. 26, perform in the parade on Jan. 1 and return home Jan. 2.
“We are so happy to be going back,” Troy High School Director of Bands Molly Venneman said. “This is an incredible opportunity for our kids. For many of them, it will be their first time traveling overseas. And for a lot of them, it may be the only chance they get to travel overseas. These kids have been working so hard not only getting ready to go as a band, but also raising money to help pay for the cost of the trip.”
This will be the band’s fifth trip to London, with the first coming in 2002. The band had been returning every four years since then to ensure every interested student had the opportunity to attend once during their high school careers, but the global pandemic threw that schedule off track. This will be the first time the Trojans have traveled to London since 2016-17.
“We were supposed to go last school year, and planning for this trip usually takes around 18 months,” Venneman said. “That was in the middle of the pandemic, and we didn’t feel good about asking people to fundraise or save for a trip that we weren’t sure was going to happen. The parade last year ended up being only United Kingdom entries, so it worked out.”
During the parade, the band will be playing a selection that includes “Handclap,” “You Belong With Me” and a series of drum cadences.
The parade is scheduled to begin at noon in London (7 a.m. in Troy), but the band does not yet know what its place in the parade will be. Those wishing to watch the parade back at home can find it on ThinkTV 14HD (Spectrum 1004). For more information, www.lnydp.com.
