'Absolutely life-changing': Volusia high school band invited to London New Year's parade

Students in the University High School Titan Regiment marching band looked on with eager eyes on Wednesday afternoon as Duncan Sandys, former lord mayor of Westminster, described the route of the London New Year’s Day Parade.

The parade, which crosses “through the historical heart of London,” begins outside The Ritz London hotel and traverses several famous sights of the city, including Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, the prime minister’s residence at 10 Downing St. and Parliament Square, he said.

After accepting an invitation from Sandys and Bob Bone, co-founder and chairman of the parade, the 158-member band from Orange City will march the 2.2-mile parade in front of 630,000 street patrons and millions more watching on live TV on New Year’s Day 2024.

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The high school’s choir welcomed Bone and Sandys, who had flown in from London, with “The Star-Spangled Banner,” followed by the band’s medley of “Lips Are Movin'” by Meghan Trainor and Katy Perry's “Firework.”

“That was a fantastic performance by both of you,” Sandys, who is also the great-grandson of Winston Churchill, told them. “I thought for a moment that the band might raise the roof off this building.”

Bone also provided the students with more details about “the greatest event in the greatest city in the world,” which first took place in 1987. The upcoming 2023 parade will feature close to 9,000 performers across 72 acts from 26 different countries, he said.

“The favorite thing for our audience in London's New Year's Day Parade are the marching bands from the United States of America,” Bone told the students. “We don't have anything as good, as spectacular, as exciting as your style of marching band in the United Kingdom.”

This is because they don’t play American football, he said. He also described the London International Choral Festival, which the choir will participate in.

The upcoming trip is just one of many that exemplify the quality performing arts programs in Volusia County Schools, which take bands and other performers far and wide to showcase their talents.

'Absolutely life-changing' for University High band

“They get to set the standard for what the program gets to be for the next students, and that's really exciting,” Band Director Jarrod Koskoski said.

Koskoski had previously directed Seabreeze High School’s band when it performed in the same parade in 2019. After leaving the county and returning to University High School, the parade officials called and researched the program to find it was also of high caliber before inviting the students for 2024.

“It is absolutely life-changing, not just for me, but for every single one of these kids,” Koskoski said. “They have no idea what's in store for them. It's amazing. It is truly amazing.”

The trip will last eight days and include plenty of sightseeing in addition to the performance. The students will see Windsor Castle, the Crown Jewels, Greenwich, Big Ben, Globe Theatre, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and other iconic sights.

Koskoski says the students, who are very determined, are still stunned from the news, and the gravity of the opportunity to perform and experience another culture hasn’t fully grasped them yet.

Students express shock, pride, determination

“It was a genuine surprise, especially when we're like, ‘To London?’ ” Head Drum Major Jordan Mitchell, a senior, said. “We would expect maybe a different state but halfway across the world is so crazy. Everyone was super surprised, and it took me a while to even believe that it was true.”

He said doing something so “astronomical” feels especially impressive given the school’s more unassuming location in a smaller city. The school, which opened in 2010, draws student performers from Orange City, DeBary, DeLand and Deltona.

Junior Drum Major Karissa Sibley said her first emotion was shock, followed by a feeling of pride in the band, especially as it came out of the coronavirus pandemic and multiple changes in directors.

“I'm really excited about the opportunity to make memories with the band,” she said. “It's once in a lifetime, and to be able to experience it with the people that you love so much, it's something that I really look forward to.”

Band Captain Benjamin Howard, a senior who plays the French horn, welcomed the acknowledgement of the band and arts programs that are often underrecognized. He noted how much resilience the program has shown in the face of the changes.

“I really think it's going to be nice to get our names out there and really show everyone what we're capable of and develop our name,” he said. “We've had a lot of opportunities taken away from us, unfortunately, and throughout all of that, we've held strong, and we've kept our tight-knit family and we've moved past it.”

Junior Emma Jansen, color guard captain, said their team also went through a transition period after a director switch, so it was rewarding to see how far they’ve come.

“If we were all to tell our younger selves that we would be in this position today, I feel like I would not believe myself,” she said. “We’re leaving legacies for the classes after us to come in. It's like we're kind of building the foundation of our marching band program and our color guard program for the future."

The students noted that they have good chemistry and a “special bond,” and that everyone’s dedication and positive attitudes have grown since learning the news.

Ely’s Guzman Rivera, a senior and assistant drum major, said the band members know their strengths and weaknesses well and balance each other out to create a good ensemble.

He was excited about the opportunity to show another country — and millions of TV viewers — what the band has to offer, as well as to experience another country himself.

Howard confirmed that band members are not only willing to put in the practice, but some are going out and getting jobs to help fund the trip.

“I'll put everything that I can into it because just the opportunity is once in a lifetime and just to be able to see our band, our school succeed is something I'm definitely willing to put so many hours into,” Mitchell added.

Fundraising needed to support trip

The trip will cost $3,500 for each student, and the school is looking to lower that price tag by at least one-third for each student. A press release on the event states the fundraising goal is over $120,000.

“You're not going to get to England selling a Hershey’s bar, so what we are going to do is we’re going to do events," Koskoski said. "We're looking at possibly doing a golf tournament, looking for sponsors."

Chorus Instructor Jonathan Anderson added that they are looking into hosting a 5K and a benefit dinner in addition to corporate sponsorships. They’ll also do sales like luminary light kits that people can buy for their driveways.

Volusia performing arts programs travel far and wide

The parade is one of many performances planned for various Volusia schools soon.

Spruce Creek High School’s band, for example, will perform in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland, in March. DeLand High School will also attend the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C., in May.

“The more schools we get that get invited to these events, the more prestige it brings the district because on the other side of the token, there are a lot of schools that send audition tapes and do not get selected, so having three right now that have been selected is huge for us,” Assistant Superintendent for High Schools Gabriel Berrio said.

Other arts programs have also regularly performed at the Savannah Jazz Festival in Georgia, the Florida Music Education Association Conference and other shows throughout Florida, K-12 Performing Arts Curriculum Specialist John Dupuis said.

There are also all-county ensembles that recognize students from individual schools.

Dupuis says there has been a positive trend of adding more performing arts programs to schools recently, including an elementary dance program.

“Our goal with all of our students is that they'll be lifelong lovers of music,” he said. “(Many go on to) keep doing music in some way or another, whether it's a career, whether it's being a part of the community ensemble in the future or whether they're doing it in college and getting a scholarship for it.”

For sponsorship and fundraising interest contact Koskoski at jfkoskos@volusia.k12.fl.us or 386-968-0013, ext. 46298, or Band Booster President Emily Curtiss at marchingtitanspresident@gmail.com or 407-600-7454.

Contact reporter Danielle Johnson at djohnson@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: University High School band to perform at London New Year's Day Parade