A Palm Beach County High School band is getting ready to march onto the national stage.
The Spanish River High School Silver Sound Marching Band received a prestigious invitation to play in the Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C. on July 4, 2017.
U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch nominated the band for the honor, and they will be the only Florida high school band in the parade.
Jasper Scheiber plays the trumpet, and he can't wait to play on a national stage.
"I really love the different tamer that it has because it can go from being soft and beautiful to being really loud and huge. It really means a lot, it's such a big honor to me," Scheiber.
"Oh my gosh it's a big thing. It's a really big deal, it's a big commitment. The first thing that went through my mind was, 'How are we going to make ends meet to handle something of this size?'" said Band Director Craig White.
He says the trip of a lifetime includes sight-seeing our nation's capital, and it comes with a high price tag of about $1,100 per student. It's a price not every band member can afford.
"We're playing out in the community a lot and people are making donations, the kids are selling coupon books, doing car washes," said White.
Right now, 60 band members are signed up for the trip, including Scheiber and Mounika Adepu.
"I think it's going to be exhilarating. That's a really big honor to me, and I'm really glad our band got to represent our community like that and our state," said Adepu.
However, they need the public's help to send the full 90-member marching band.
"It would be amazing, it would be great (to send everyone). It's really a sad thing to see kids who work so hard and they love the program and they love being part of what we do, to not be able to pay the bills," said White.
They're looking for donations from anyone, anywhere, as well as sponsorships, to help everyone make the trip.
"It really just breaks my heart when people who want to go on this trip and they love music, and can't afford to go. It would mean so much to them, and it would be doing a big service to our community, to our state, and to our country," said Scheiber.
Click on the links below to learn more about the band and how you can donate to their trip:
- Band website: http://www.spanishriverband.net/
- Make a donation: https://www.gofundme.com/spanishriverband?ssid=855912424&pos=1
