Band directors Mr.Soucy and Mr.Beaulieu will be taking the world-renowned Londonderry Lancer marching band and color guard back to the Pasadena Rose Parade for the fifth time on January 1. New Hampshire Chronicle came by to do a feature about the band making their way back to the west coast. The segments aired on the week of Thanksgiving.

Mr.Beaulieu and Mr.Soucy both commented on how they were excited and nervous about Chronicle filming. However, this isn’t the first time Chronicle has done a feature on the band. They filmed a small documentary on the band back in 2003, their third year going to the Rose Bowl. That year they had interviewed the band directors, drum majors and band parents.

Even though the documentary had been a bigger event than the recent feature, Mr.Soucy said that he took filming just as seriously.

“I was nervous about how they would act. It’s important to focus,” Mr.Soucy said.

Trying to set up a time for when filming could take place had been difficult for both band directors. They had to plan it so that all five band periods were together at once; Chronicle also had to fit it into their schedule. Mr.Soucy and Mr.Beaulieu made the decision to cancel a Thursday night practice and set filming for after school on that same Thursday.

The day of filming, many students had asked how long filming would take or what the interviewers would do. Mr.Soucy and Mr.Beaulieu tried to give answers to their best understanding, but weren’t quite sure of the answers themselves.

“The whole experience is unpredictable,” Mr.Beaulieu said. “You never know what to expect.”

Chronicle arrived near the end of F period, where interviewers

were applauded as they entered the band room. Both G and H period were spent with the seniors and drum line.

Once the majority of the band had gathered outside, filming immediately took place. First, they started off with the parade lines, playing a couple of pep-songs, marching down the track, the interviewers even marched with the band. The band had to do multiple takes until the Chronicle directors decided if they had the best footage.

The last thing that was filmed was the band’s halftime show. This was a perfect opportunity for Fehlau to bring back some memories of being a drum major during her own high school career. During one of the takes, she helped conduct the song Sweet Caroline.

After they finished filming, Fehlau and McDonald thanked the band as a whole and wished them luck on their trip to Pasadena. 

Although this is his fifth year going to the Rose Bowl, Mr.Soucy is still nervous about the trip.

“I’ve been and so I know what can go wrong,” Mr.Soucy said.

According to Mr.Soucy one of the most stressful aspects of going to such a big event is planning it. When going on one of these trips you have to plan for things such as venues, hotels, flights, and payment dates.

Another stress is trying out for the Rose Bowl, they have tried out seven times. Although they made it in the majority of those times, they don’t always make it.

“It’s not a shoe in,” Mr. Soucy said. “We’ve been rejected twice before.”

Having said that, there wasn’t much disappointment that went along with it. Each time, they strive to better themselves.

“It’s a good learning experience. It made us work on our technique,” Soucy said.

As for the future, Mr. Soucy hasn’t made a decision on whether he will try out again, but is very much focused on making this experience as great as possible for the students.

“We know it’s special,” Soucy said. “A special moment we all can share.”

Both band directors have noticed the hard work that the band puts into the music. They want them to be proud of themselves and do their best, and be able to challenge next year’s band.

Another group of people that play a big part in making the band great are the parents,

“I have the highest regards for the students and parents in our program who support us,” Mr. Soucy said.

Mr.Soucy knows that band is not only fun for the kids but also positive and a great learning experience.

He also knows how stressful marching can be, so has one message for his students: “There’s only one shot, when you go out there, you live it.”