When sophomore Regina Sanchez arrived in London, she couldn’t believe her eyes.
“My first impression was how beautiful everything was,” said Sanchez, “…all the buildings, the streets, the cars, the people.”
Sanchez and the rest of the band travelled to London, where they had the opportunity to play in two shows, including the New Year’s Day Parade.
“We were recommended by another director that had already gone to London, and the parade company contacted me,” said Seaholm Band Director Tim Cibor. “I sent in a DVD of us performing, and then we got a formal invitation to perform.”
Seaholm’s band was the only one from Michigan, which junior Bill Getschman said earned them a lot of attention.
“Everybody was watching us and congratulating us for making the trip all the way from America,” said Getschman.
The parade was two miles long, passing by some of London’s most famous sights, including Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. An estimated 10,000 performers and 550,000 spectators came out for the event.
“We felt famous because everyone was taking pictures of us,” said Sanchez.
The band also performed at St Augustine’s, a historical church in London. The concert included four other ensembles from the United States.
“It was a church that was pretty old, and the kids really enjoyed performing at such an old place,” said Cibor.
“The church was fun because we got to do our pregame routine,” said Getschman.
When they weren’t performing, the band was able to do a lot of sightseeing.
“We also took a really extensive tour of London. We saw Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London and all that stuff,” said Cibor.
However, the band didn’t travel only to historical sites. Students went to places like the London Eye and Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum. They also had many opportunities to shop, something which Getschman took full advantage of.
“I got a lot of t-shirts, two sweatshirts, a hat and a tie,” said Getschman.
Cibor said that the trip took much more preparation than last year’s New York City visit.
“This trip was just a little bit grander scope, travelling with passports and all that stuff,” said Cibor. He added that the experiences alone are worth the time put into the trip.
“I know the things that they remember are the memories they have of each other, and that’s perfectly fine with me. I’m glad to provide that.”
