KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Independence. Share your story idea with Claire
Blue Springs High School’s marching band, Golden Regiment, will perform Monday in Dublin, Ireland.
Back in November of 2023, the announcement was made that the marching and jazz bands would travel abroad for St. Patrick's Day. While the band performed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Rose Bowl Parade, Pearl Harbor, and even President Obama’s 2008 Inauguration, this is the first international trip.
“It's really great because of the fact they trust us so much. Like Dr. A always says, we're sitting on the shoulders of giants from everyone that came before us. They acted right, we get to do that so now we have the chance with our first band international trip to act right, to set the tone for everyone else that comes behind,” said senior Ray Crisler.
The band members flew out of Kansas City International Airport Friday morning, arriving in waves of purple and gold. KSHB 41 News Reporter Claire Bradshaw was there as they arrived, asking students about the trip.
When asked about how the band has prepared for the last two years, the short answer is a lot of dedicated hard work.
“We've known that we were going to Ireland for since about like the end of last marching season, but we've just been preparing with, like, memorizing all of our music and just doing the normal things like the hard work that we do like for a normal marching season for Ireland,” said sophomore Taytum Weir.
“When it got closer towards the trip we would have after-school band practice and we would practice actually marching as if we were in the parade and then we also had like a test to see if we had it memorized and it just it took a lot of consistency,” said senior Zoe.
The band will march on Monday, and then the Wildcat Jazz Ensemble will perform Monday night for Celtic Thunder at the World Famous “Helix Theater” for Spraoi at the Helix. After they put the instruments away, the students will get to explore Ireland.
“I’m really excited for the farm. So one of our days we get to go to the farm, check out all the llamas, cows and everything. They'll teach us the traditional instruments and dances and at the end we get to eat the food that they make,” said Crisler.
“We are going to see the castles, which is really big. We are going to look at like the big cliff, which is really pretty, and that's what I'm most excited about,” said Weir.
“I’m just excited for the parade because it is going to be a lot of fun,” said color guard member Emma.
So the question is — did they pack more green or Wildcat purple and gold?
“Obviously purple and gold. You can't get me wrong, GR,” said freshman Aodhan Pruett.
