Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
WCU band gears up for Rose Parade performance
WEST CHESTER >> “National Marching Music Day” on March 4 drummed up lots of interest on campus as West Chester University’s “INCOMPARABLE” Golden Rams prepare to “march forth” in the preeminent Rose Parade on Jan. 1“National Marching Music Day” serves as an annual day to honor the dedicated musicians, composers and performers of marching music throughout the U.S. The annual day had special meaning this year for all Golden Rams.
Members of the band and Wells School of Music faculty and administrators were busily preparing, strategizing and fundraising for the engagement. Four faculty and staff members attended the 2023 Rose Parade to learn best practices and gain information about all aspects of the parade. The visit put the event’s magnitude in perspective and motivated the band’s creative team to develop program ideas that will allow WCU students to shine on the largest parade stage in the world.
To fund travel expenses for the band’s 330 members, WCU has launched the RamBand Road to the Roses initiative, which aims to raise $1 million. To date, almost $275,000 has been raised. To support the band’s efforts, visit www.wcufoundation.org/ramband.
Director of Athletic Bands Adam Gumble says, “Supporting the RamBand Road to the Roses initiative is a golden opportunity to help us represent our university and the greater West Chester community in front of an audience of millions as we march down Colorado Boulevard on New Year’s Day.”
In December it was announced that WCU’s marching band would perform on one of the world’s largest stages when they take to Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California. This event will put WCU in front of 750,000 people along the parade route and over 30 million television viewers around the globe.
Gumble says, “Marching in the Rose Parade has been a longtime goal of the INCOMPARABLE Golden Rams Marching Band. The highly competitive selection process means that only the world’s best marching bands are invited to perform. We want to thank our INCOMPARABLE friends, family, and alumni for their unyielding support that continues to motivate our program forward!”
Grace Kerr, a current junior and member of the INCOMPARABLE Golden Rams says, “When I found out that the band would be marching in the Rose Parade, I was so excited. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Being able to do it during my senior year with the band I love and as drum major makes it all the more special. It is a remarkable way to close out my four years at West Chester University.”