The Chimacum school marching band is no stranger to traveling out of state, whether to Victoria, British Columbia, to take part in its Victoria Day parades, or to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, to perform in its Memorial Day parade.

But this year saw the 52-member Chimacum band showing its skills in the nation’s capital, with a May 26-30 trip to Washington, D.C., that culminated in the musicians marching along Constitution Avenue as participants in the May 29 National Memorial Day Parade.

Band director Garth Gourley thanked the community for making such outings possible, since fund-raisers were required to raise approximately $1,700 per person in travel fare alone.

BIGGEST EVER

As a percussionist specializing in quad drums, senior Forrest Brennan noted that the heaviness of the instruments tend to weigh on even the most energetic of players after they’ve marched long enough.

“You can see the band slowly get more tired as they go along, but you’re still pumped, because it’s the biggest parade we’ve ever been in,” said Brennan, who rated the Pearl Harbor Memorial Day parade as the second-largest parade the band has performed in.

Brennan started in the band in fifth grade playing the trombone, but moved to percussion after hearing others play below a level he thought he could beat.

“When you know you have talent, it motivates you to stick with it,” Brennan said. “Plus, there’s not a lot of other opportunities in our school to go on trips like this.”

In addition to visiting the Smithsonian, the Capitol building and various war memorials, Brennan was especially inspired by being able to watch the U.S. Marine Band in person, “since marching bands like ours are drawn from that traditional military style.”

MUSIC AS THERAPY

Unlike Brennan, junior Kyle Eichmann never abandoned the trombone, and the biggest culprit behind his fatigue was jet lag.

“First you’ve got the time zone change, then you don’t get to your hotel until midnight,” Eichmann said. “I wasn’t able to fall asleep until 1 a.m., and I had to get up at 6:30 a.m. I was so tired until we got to the memorials, because each one has so much significance that you can’t help but embrace it. I took so many important insights home with me.”

As for the parade itself, Eichmann admitted he always gets a bit nervous during any big out-of-state performance, especially when he looked down Constitution Avenue and “saw people stretching out forever,” but he simply fell back on his training.

With two sisters who previously were in band, Eichmann found it appealed to his competitive nature and his love of music.

“I’ve always wanted us to be better as a band overall,” Eichmann said. “I think everyone should be in band. One of the things we learned in the capital was how music is used as therapy for soldiers, in some cases so they can relearn how to use their bodies. Music helps you feel happy and live better.”

ALL WORTHWHILE

Senior clarinet player Jordyn Johnson lamented the effort involved in transporting all the band’s instruments and uniforms across the country, but she readily agreed that the experience of being in Washington, D.C., made it all worthwhile, even though it wasn’t her first trip there.

“Yes, you’re standing for hours in your hot uniforms, but at the end of the day, you know you did something good,” Johnson said. “I did that.”

Johnson followed in her mom’s footsteps in band by embracing the clarinet in the fifth grade, which she freely conceded has helped her in applying for colleges.

While Johnson does not expect to continue band in college, she pledged always to support the Chimacum band, in the hope that it will afford other young people the same opportunities it has for her.

LAYING A WREATH

By contrast, Jessica Dygert, a senior alto saxophone and drum major, plans to continue in marching band even as she moves onto the university level.

For Dygert, the most challenging aspect of the band’s D.C. performance was how little time they had to prepare, since they only had a week of rehearsals before heading to Sequim, a trip which itself predated the Memorial Day trip by barely a month.

Dygert herself faced the additional performance pressure of being chosen by her peers to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

“It was very solemn and humbling,” Dygert said. “I felt so proud to be able to do it that I cried afterward. It was such an honor.”

While in D.C., Dygert relished taking in the Capitol’s architecture, and she rated the trip as one of many positive experiences that have made her eight years in band worthwhile.

“I’ve met great people and made great memories,” Dygert said. “It’s brought me out of my shell, allowed me to talk to people, made me into more of a leader and given me more discipline. I’ve grown as a person, and become better.”