This past fall, our very own Downingtown Blue and Gold Marching Band - comprised of students from the Downingtown East and West band programs – learned that they had been selected to march in the prestigious 132nd Rose Parade® presented by Honda on New Year’s Day of 2022. This honor was extended to only 12 high school bands from the thousands of applications the Tournament of Roses Committee received, so our student musicians will be in excellent company as they represent not only the state of Pennsylvania but the entire northeast region of the United States in this time-honored tradition.
Their appearance in the 2022 parade will mark the third time that Downingtown has been represented in Pasadena; the band also marched in the the 2001 and 2011 parades. The 300+ member combined band was selected based on videos of both East’s and West’s field shows, previous notable parade appearances, and the impressive resume of our district’s music program. Only the highest caliber bands are invited back to the Rose Parade® for a repeat performance, so we are very proud of our students!
As you can imagine, the price tag for getting a band of this size, the staff, chaperones and all of their equipment to California over the holidays was substantial. The estimated total cost of this once-in-a-lifetime trip was over $900,000. The band’s fundraising committee goal was to raise enough money to significantly reduce the individual cost for all of our students going on the trip – and they thank all those that helped!
You can follow us on social media by looking for #dasdgoesrose.
