BECKLEY, WV (WOAY)- Bands are an integral part of football. They bring the school spirit no matter what happens during the game. Well, Woodrow Wilson’s marching band has the opportunity to bring that spirit to a whole new level and they need your help to do it.
When the high school football season ends, people think that the band season also ends. Woodrow Wilson’s marching band, however, will close out their season this December in the Sunshine State.
They’re heading to Orlando, Florida to perform in the 2024 Pop Tart Bowl. They’ll also perform in Universal’s wintertime parade and have the opportunity to win awards for that performance. The band’s director explains why this is such an invaluable experience for the students.
“I think it’s an incredible life experience. The students are going to get to go down and do something not many people get to do. They’re going to be able to make connections with students from many bands all across the country,” explained Marshall Rickman, Woodrow Wilson’s band director. “So it’s going to be extremely valuable in world-building skills. Then also it’s a great educational experience going down there, working with some new music and a very limited amount of time. It’s going to be wonderful for them to grow as musicians as well.”
The trip for the entire band will cost over $120,000 for travel, hotel, meals, and more. They’re currently fundraising to help keep the costs down per student.
Their biggest fundraisers are the concession stand they run every home game and their upcoming band competition on October 12th. They’ll be doing more fundraisers as the season goes on, but if you wish to donate you can scan the QR code below.
Many of the band members are excited about this opportunity, especially senior drum major Kayleigh Basham.
“We are from West Virginia and especially a small town in West Virginia. So getting to go out and experience this is really big for us, especially since it hasn’t happened in a pretty long time,” said Basham. “So just getting support from our community and parents and other students at Woodrow and our other schools is really helpful to us because we know that they are here for us and we are here for them.”
They hope you all join in their efforts to make this opportunity more cost-friendly to the students.
They will be fundraising till their deadline on October 19th.
