The Pella Marching Dutch are set to go to Washington!

The Pella High School Marching Dutch are set to embark on a historic trip early next month, as they travel to perform in the 250th national Independence Day parade in Washington, D.C.

Led by 21-year veteran band teacher, Dameon Place, the Pella Marching Dutch features 225 students in grades 9-12, who compete and perform in marching band field competitions and parades each year. For the upcoming national Independence Day parade, Place and his colleagues were approached by organizers to participate, and they jumped at the chance to share this unique and exciting experience with their band students.

“We travel every four years, but we typically don’t travel in the summer,” Place said. “However, since our trip year landed on the 250th celebration, we decided this would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the kids. There will never be another 250th Independence Day parade again, so this is something special for our marching band to experience and remember for the rest of their lives.”

Participation in high school marching bands like Pella’s provide an excellent opportunity for students to explore new things, build leadership skills and find success at a high level. During their time in marching band and other school band activities, students set goals, develop their skills through practice and understand that their part is integral to the entire team, allowing them to engage in an enriched learning experience.

“We have a strong marching band culture in the state,” said Diana Hawley, fine arts education consultant at the Iowa Department of Education. “With hundreds of Iowa marching bands practicing and performing each year, including in the summer, it is wonderful to highlight bands like the Pella Marching Dutch as they perform across the state and on the national stage.
Marching band is one of the many ways that students find their pathway to music in schools, which can help them explore the arts and build a sense of belonging within their school community.”

The Pella Marching Dutch will be in Washington, D.C., from July 1-6. For the Independence Day parade, they plan to perform a modernized version of “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” They will have a couple of practices together before their trip, but they are already prepared and ready to go.

“What is nice about our program’s structure is that we perform in three parades in May, including our town’s famous Tulip Time Festival,” Place said. “We added ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever’ to our song list for those parades, so we are well-prepared for the 250th Independence Day parade.”

For drum major and recent Pella graduate Josie Boll, 18, the 250th Independence Day parade marks her last performance as a Pella Marching Dutch member. She is looking forward to being a part of this historic event and connecting with other high-performing bands.

“I’m excited to see my peers perform at such a prestigious event and celebrate our country’s 250th,” she said. “Coming from small-town Iowa, this is a chance to see bands that perform internationally and have opportunities to interact with them. I’m looking forward to being a part of this celebration of unity and hard work, because that is what we experience in our own band.”

Along with performing in the national parade, the Pella Marching Dutch will also enjoy several activities while in the nation’s capital, including attending the National Symphony Orchestra performance and fireworks display on the Capitol lawn on the Fourth of July. The band will also visit famous monuments, the Air and Space Museum, the 9/11 Memorial, the National History Museum and more during their trip.

“I feel so honored to be a part of this experience in Washington, D.C.,” Boll said. “As a freshman, we traveled to Pasadena, California, for the Rose Parade, so this will personally be a ‘sea to shining sea’ moment. One of the best activities we have planned for D.C. will be a special visit to Arlington National Cemetery, where we will lay a wreath together for the fallen. It will be very special to get the chance to honor our country in that way.”

After their summer trip to Washington, D.C., the Pella Marching Dutch will start looking toward the upcoming fall season, where they will compete in several marching band field competitions. Place shares his gratitude for the support from the school district as well as the community for their activities throughout the year.

“Our community in Pella is so supportive of our band program,” he said. “They take great pride in the band and the kids. It is neat to see what can happen when there is buy-in from the community.”

The Pella Marching Dutch demonstrate how important marching bands can be for communities, school districts and students. With the special relationship marching bands can provide for students, Place believes the future is bright for Iowa.

“The commitment level of students in the marching band is high,” he said. “These kids work hard and do such a great job. I hope everyone sees how bands in schools today are making an impact. There are incredible things happening.”