SW Washington high school band to play at Olympics

In two weeks, Vancouver's Kara Patterson will hurl her javelin in China in search of athletic glory.

But it's a combined Skyview-Hockinson high school marching band that will really plant Clark County's flags and drums, flutes and tubas at Beijing's Olympic Games.

The musicians leave town at noon Friday and will spend two weeks on the international stage.

Four years ago, a small Skyview group flew to China, an expeditionary force of sorts. It played American marching band and pop tunes to enthusiastic crowds, a novelty that won over the Chinese.

As a result, the Storm were invited back, with Hockinson joining in, for the real deal in 2008.

Make that a really big deal: Nearly 2,000 musicians invited from 40 countries will comprise an Olympic Orchestra that will perform together and in smaller units, at or near Olympic venues.

Skyview-Hockinson band members, 120 strong, already know they'll play at two preliminary soccer matches.

The mass band is set to play in centuries-old Tiananmen Square, the sacred and controversial public square of Beijing. It's said to be the first modern-day performance by foreigners there, a claim tough to verify but a historic appearance, nonetheless.

A performance at the Great Wall is scheduled, and plenty of shopping and sightseeing.

The young musicians, who have practiced for months and raised money for more than a year, can't wait.

"It'll be really cool to meet people from all over the world who play the same things and are interested in the same music," said Josh Smith, 16, a Hockinson High sophomore who plays tuba.

Students will be lodged in special musician quarters in Beijing similar to the athletes' Olympic Village.

It will be fun to hang out and make new friends, Smith said. The group will carry special commemorative pins to swap with others. But he also grasps the trip's gravity.

"It will be great to make history and be the first outside group to play (at Tiananmen Square)," Smith said.

April Carroll, 21, among 40 Skyview students who toured China in 2004, is taking a break from culinary school to make a repeat journey. She'll play flute and piccolo, reunited with five fellow alums.

"It was really cool to see the Great Wall. That's not something you can just go to see around here," Carroll said.

She recalls a rich cultural experience. "It's really exciting to go back to Beijing and Shanghai and see the changes for the Olympics," she said.

Hockinson sophomore tuba player Aaron Birch, 15, is intrigued by China's flora, "the plants and cherry blossom trees, because I've heard they're absolutely beautiful, much different plants than in Washington," he said.

Veteran Skyview band director Steve Robertson is close to U.S. organizers of the Olympics Orchestra effort, helping seal the invitation. A former assistant, Mike Leone, leads the Hockinson band, so teamwork has come easy. Robertson said the '04 trip was special.

"We enjoyed it so much," Robertson said. "They just don't have that type of music in China; it's something they're trying to achieve. They love to hear American students play their horns."

Preparations have been long and hard.

Students saddled with a $4,700-per-head charge - no school district dollars are involved - have struggled to raise money as flight costs have climbed and the U.S. dollar has weakened. The band has shrunk from 150 members, with family and personal conflicts, illness or injuries and expense taking a toll.

Musicians have memorized challenging medleys of pop, jazz and classical music, including John Williams' famed Olympic themes. They'll also play American favorites such as "Strike up the Band" and "76 Trombones."

Each student has complex marching directions for sliding into mass formations, such as the signature Olympics loops, that will include a lot more than 76 trombones.

There are new "Tutti" marching uniforms waiting for all members when they arrive in Beijing. Birch and Smith are among those who will play on borrowed instruments in China, rather than incur air freight charges. Others must keep close watch on how instruments are handled, Robertson warned during a final tune up in Hockinson on Tuesday.

Students should save money and luggage space for shopping, a fun experience, Robertson advised.

And this: "Remember, you're not representing Vancouver this time; you're representing the U.S. Stay positive," he said.

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Information from: The Columbian, http://www.columbian.com