Forty-five students from Kelloggsville High School in East Grand Rapids marched in the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington D.C. on Monday, becoming the only Michigan high school band selected for the event.

The Kelloggsville Rocket Marching Band joined 35 other bands from 21 states for the parade along Constitution Avenue. The performance marked the first time the program has ever played outside of Michigan.

The only Michigan band on the national stage

The Kelloggsville band was nominated for the parade by the office of Congresswoman Hillary Scholten, according to a report from WZZM13. The school held a community send-off on Thursday at Kelloggsville High School, where the band performed their parade music before departing for the nation's capital.

"It means a lot to be selected to perform," band director Troy Anderson told School News Network. "It points to the hard work and dedication of our students, past and present, that helped to build this program and make this opportunity a reality."

Anderson said the district could not send the entire band program. Students auditioned in the fall, and 45 musicians and color guard members were selected to represent the district.

Students say the opportunity is surreal

Senior Eman Marasigan, who plays the baritone euphonium, said he was surprised when the band learned of its selection.

"My first thoughts were 'Why us?'" Marasigan told School News Network. "There are so many other great schools all around us. We've got Jenison, Rockford, Otsego, but we got picked."

Senior Dalilah Henderson, a color guard member, said the band was selected before a performance video was even submitted.

"So they just picked us off our morale," Henderson said.

Henderson said she did not plan to audition at first.

"But then I thought about it, and I was like, 'What do I have to lose from auditioning or not auditioning?'" she recalled. "I got selected, so I think that I'm going for a reason, and that's taught me that I need to put myself out there more."

A song written for the occasion

The band performed a special arrangement of "My Country 'Tis Of Thee" for the parade. The piece was written by the school's marching band music arranger and drill writer Tom Weidner. Percussion was written by Maggie Tesfae, and color guard choreography was designed by Christina Van Dam.

Students received the music in the fall and practiced on their own time. The full group came together for rehearsals before leaving for Washington D.C. on May 21.

Senior José Gonzalez Martinez, who plays piccolo, said the audition process made the opportunity even more meaningful.

"You were like, 'Oh, I don't know if I'm gonna get it,' and then once you do get it, you're like, 'Hey!'" Martinez told School News Network.

Lessons beyond the music

Anderson said he hoped the experience would teach students that a smaller school can achieve recognition beyond its local community.

"Being a smaller school that does mostly local activities does not mean that we can't be recognized outside of our own bubble," Anderson said.

"Also, considering where we are going, the nation's Capitol, and what we are going for, a parade celebrating those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for this country and our freedom, I hope that they recognize that this world is bigger than our individual selves."

The National Memorial Day Parade drew more than 300,000 attendees to Washington D.C. and was broadcast live on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and CW stations to more than 100 million homes across the United States, according to coverage from the American Veterans Center.

Henderson said the trip changed how she thinks about what music can achieve.

"Music can take you really far, more than you expect," she said.