Lincoln Northeast Band and Choir have received the honor of participating in the London New Year’s Parade and the London Choral Festival. On Tuesday, September 15, 2015, the former Lord Mayor of Westminster, Catherine Longworth visited Lincoln Northeast to present a formal invitation to the Lincoln Northeast Music Department to the London New Year’s Day Parade and London Choral Festival 2016. It is considered a great honor and only three schools from Lincoln, NE have participated before in the past, Lincoln High School, East High School, and Lincoln Southwest High School.

For Northeast this is a first, though, according to Kacy Loos, “There has been talk about an international trip since my freshman year but nothing was really set into stone until my sophomore year when they announced the London Trip.” Loos, a senior, also said, “I’ve been in choir at Northeast since my freshman year but I have been actively involved in various groups in and out of school for as long as I can remember,” referring to her time spent in choir. Another senior, Josh Olesen has been in band since the 5th grade. Every year a number of international high schools or universities with exceptional band or choir departments are chosen to participate in the parade and choral festival. They don’t let just anyone march through the streets of London on new year’s day, it requires serious dedication and hard work. When asked who has helped him the most with music, Olesen replied, “My uncle, who first helped me learn how to play the trumpet, and later the tuba.” For Loos the people who were the most helpful were, “The two choir directors at Northeast have done so much for me. Mrs. Sipes and Mrs. Thorpe have always supported and encouraged me in everything I have done up to this point.”

What makes this such a special event is the fact that it is the 30th anniversary of the London New Year’s Day Parade, which was first introduced in 1987 by Bob Bone. It is held annually to raise money for various charities with the proceeds. It has raised over a million pounds (1518815.00 US dollars.) since it first started and it is expected to keep going up. It is free to attend but there is a cost for seating.

Marching bands in high schools in England are pretty rare so the US high school marching bands are an important commodity. This year’s theme for the parade will be “30 Magical Years.” The turnout of the parade is expected to be more than 500,000 spectators and up to 10,000 performers, including our own LNE marching band.

The parade route will be starting at Piccadilly Square by The Ritz hotel and it will be going through Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, The Palace of Westminster, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey.  The Choral Festival, however, will be take place the day after the parade at the Westminster Central Hall, which was built in 1912. Loos stated excitedly, “I’m envisioning a very busy week with little sleep but lots of fun. There are lots of activities we are looking forward to and also just being able to experience this.” Who wouldn’t be excited? Olesen feels the parade will be, “Fun but very rewarding. This is the largest competition I have been a part of, so all my experience will lead up to this.”

The London trip will be comprised of excursions or educational tours to places such as the Crown Jewels, The Tower of London, The Town of Windsor and its castles, Greenwich, and the  London 2012 Olympic Park.

Fundraisers have been taking place for a while now to raise money for the students since travel tends to be pretty expensive, approximately 3000 US dollars. The students have been selling chocolates and lollipops outside after school to raise more money for the trip. Another important fundraiser took place at the Eagle Raceway where students picked up trash in hopes of contributing to the environment and to their pocketbooks.

Loos and Olesen, as well as the music department have been busy preparing for the London trip for a while now. Loos said, “To prepare for London I have saved lots of money for shopping, obtained a passport, and attended monthly meetings.” Josh replied that he’s been, “Practicing as hard as I can and trying to help others as much as I can. Also working on my British accent!” He joked. They both feel that their hard work has absolutely paid off and everything that has previously happened was all leading up to this rewarding experience.