Official LNYDP Photography

The official group photograph of the DGN Trojan Marching Band, at the 2019 London New Year's Day Parade may be downloaded HERE, free of charge. 

If you would like to access professional photos taken during the LNYDP Concert Series and LNYDP 2019, they can be accessed via the LNYDP Flickr account https://www.flickr.com/photos/londonparade/albums

LNYDP currently has a limited selection of photos available, but later this month they will be publishing more of each performance group. Make sure you check back!

Through The Eyes of a Trojan - Wrapping Up the DGN Band's England Tour

The DGN Trojan Marching Band and Wind Ensemble have returned from an incredibly successful tour in England, with performances at the London New Year's Day Parade, and the LNYDP Concert Series at Cadogan Hall. On behalf of Mr. Smith, and the DGN Band's entire staff, I offer sincere congratulations to the student musicians who performed with passion, and comported themselves with first-class grace. 

Video Coverage of the Parade
Most of our families have already seen the television broadcast video, but if you would like to view it again, or have a direct link for the future, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/DGNLondonParadeTVZone

Would you like to see what our band members experienced throughout the entire parade? Beginning with the BBC Breakfast broadcast, the transfer to Berkley Square, the photo session, the staging and warm-up, Mr. Smith's 'fire up' talks, interactions with spectators during the parade, the TV Zone performance (both on the ground and 'official TV broadcast'), to the final bells at Westminster, I have created a 20 minute video that will give you a nice taste of the joy we all felt performing through the city of London on January 1st. I have been told we were the only band that broke-ranks and interacted with spectators; I am so glad we decided to do this because it created some extremely special moments along the 2-mile route. 

Through The Eyes of a Trojan: The 2019 London New Year's Day Parade Experience

https://tinyurl.com/ThroughTheEyesOfATrojanLNYDP19

Ambassadorship
Before we left on this tour, Mr. Smith and I spoke at length with students about the important role they would play as United States ambassadors. Our hope was that DGN Band members would understand that their work in this realm was equally - if not more - important than the music they would share with audiences in London. It was clear that our students took our words to heart because their ambassadorship skills were nothing short of remarkable throughout the duration of the tour. Parents and family members, you have every right to be exceptionally proud of the way your students represented our community, state, and nation. Our entourage received compliments at every turn. Airline employees, fellow airplane passengers, Blue Badge Guides, coach drivers, hotel staff, museum staff, and parade organizers all shared compliments with our staff about members of the DGN Band. 

The manner in which our students calmly boarded the flight home yesterday garnered the admiration of an American Airlines Captain who walked through the cabin to specifically find me, and invite me to the cockpit where he offered to take my picture and proceeded to tell me how impressive it was to witness a large group of high school students behave so professionally. He then felt compelled to welcome the entire band on-board. Here is the audio of his welcome message: AUDIO OF CAPTAIN'S MESSAGE.


With Appreciation
Mr. Smith and I would like to extend thanks to the parents, grandparents, and other family members associated with the DGN Bands, for your incredible support of this tour. Thank you tackling the financial burden that is associated with saving and fund-raising for an experience of this magnitude. Most importantly, thank you for entrusting our staff to look after and care for your children during our time in Europe. 

To those family and friends that made the trip to London to cheer on our students, thank you! We could truly feel your love and support as we marched past the grandstands on Whitehall; it was a perfect energy-boost shortly before we entered the TV zone.

Our entire band program extends gratitude and thanks to Ms. Martha Merilos (DGN Social Studies, retired) and Ms. Sharon Mamula (DGN Student Activities) for their organization of the "Fan Trip" for family and friends who wanted to be with our students in London. Simply put, we could not have done it without them. Not only did they organize the logistics for the Fan Trip, but they stepped in to assist our band students in critically helpful and important ways. As an example, Ms. Merilos and Ms. Mamula took a taxi to The Cumberland Hotel on New Year's morning to pick up two sick students who did not have the ability to march the 2-mile parade. They looked after them at the Whitehall grandstands right up until the moment our band was approaching, and coordinated a way for the two students to enter the parade and join us for the final quarter-mile. This extra effort allowed these two students - who would have otherwise missed the entire parade - an opportunity to perform with the band in the TV zone. We are reminded of the saying, "It takes a village to raise a child." Thank you Martha, and Sharon, for your unrelenting dedication to DGN.

To those family and friends that followed along from home, thank you for doing so! Your messages, comments, Tweets, etc. were a large source of motivation for our students and staff throughout the entire week. 

Thank you to the members of the Gaudete Brass Quintet for joining us at Cadogan Hall for the LNYDP Concert Series, and their incredible collaboration on the Bernstein MASS. How thrilling to have our performance recognized by LeonardBernstein.com as a part of the official #Bernstein100 movement! Thanks to the support of the District 99 Education Foundation, the DGN Friends of Fine Arts, and the Illinois Arts Council, this performance became a reality. We know it is a concert that our performing musicians, and the audience, will remember for a long time!

Thanks is extended to our DGN Band Alumni who continue to support our program's curriculum in a multitude of ways. Thank you for your messages of support and encouragement as our current students prepared for these important performances in London. And a special thanks to the alumni we saw on the streets of London during the tour and during the parade. Incredible to have you with us!

No tour is perfect for every participant. It's impossible to travel with a family of four or five people and not experience at least a few unexpected challenges or set-backs. Traveling with a family of 180 persons amplifies the likelihood for these kinds of road-bumps to emerge. Our students and staff were remarkable in the way they managed these hurdles; especially those who became ill on the tour. As I shared with the entire group on our last night in London, these set-backs will eventually be remembered as minor footnotes to what was otherwise an incredible performance tour. Still, I want to acknowledge that a small number of students had to summon the inner strength to muscle through some challenging illnesses. I was inspired by their commitment to the band, and the way in which they handled themselves at those low moments. 

Finally, Mr. Smith and I wish to extend a very special thanks to our friends and colleagues who served as chaperones on this tour. They each, in their own way, brought talents and gifts to the experience that benefited our students immensely. All six of these persons (Ms. Peggy Sue Casey, Ms. Beth Lee, Mr. Alex Rivera, Ms. Janice Schwarze, Ms. Kristen Teague, Ms. Crystal Zaragoza) forfeited precious personal time with their own families - during the holidays - to make this tour a reality for a group of very appreciative high school musicians. They slept very little, yet supported students compassionately at every turn as if the musicians were their own children. We are eternally grateful, and we know the parents/guardians of these student musicians are as well!

In the days and weeks to come there may still be a few lingering follow-up announcements to make to Tour Participants or their families, and we will use the Remind system to share those as needed. 

And one final reminder that there are many, many more photos of the tour available HERE.

Welcome home everyone, and thanks for an incredible adventure!

- Brayer Teague, January 3, 2019

The Rivera-Era

The 2018-19 academic year will mark the end of the "Rivera Era" with the Trojan Bands. For the past ten years, the members of the DGN Trojan Marching Band have had the pleasure of working with and learning from Mr. Alex Rivera. Mr. Rivera has made the decision to step-back from his work at DGN in order to focus additional time and energy on his expanding family at home. With his permission to share, here are some reflections Mr. Rivera posted to Facebook yesterday:

As I sit in the lobby getting ready to depart from London I find myself reflecting on the end of a longer journey. For the past 10 years I’ve been working with this amazing band, and I will sadly be leaving Downers Grove North at the end of this year. This trip really marked the end of my time and I can not think of a better way to end it. I started the trip, really missing my family at home...but over the past couple of days and especially yesterday I just have been reflecting on how I am going to miss my band family at North. Being a part of this program has really been absolutely amazing and while I know it is time to move on and bring more focus on my family and my full time teaching gig at Eastview, it is hard to say goodbye and close this chapter. Thanks to all who have made the past 10 years at North absolutely amazing!

We will miss you, Mr. Rivera! Thank you for your time and dedication to the DGN Bands, and please do not be a stranger! 

Travel Day Birthdays!

Cady M. and Mrs. Schwarze are celebrating their birthday today as the DGN Band heads for home!

Happy New Year from London: DGN Band is 'Brilliant' in #LNYDP

Congratulations to the members of the DGN Trojan Marching Band for an absolutely "brilliant" performance in the 2019 London New Year's Day Parade! The weather was absolutely perfect for the parade which led to record numbers of spectators along the route. DGN musicians were welcomed warmly by the London crowd that was estimated to be well over 500,000 spectators. 

We have a LOT of photos to share, HERE.

Following the parade, the arduous task of packing our instruments commenced. 

In the early evening DGN Drum Majors accepted recognition plaques and framed posters from the parade organizers and London dignitaries. Then it was off to the West End to see Les Miserables!

December 31, 2018

The DGN Band - as well as our DGN "Fans" - spent the final day of 2018 touring Windsor Castle and Oxford University. 

We are excited for the parade tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Zach!

It's not only New Year's Eve ... but it's another DGN Band Birthday! 

Best birthday wishes are extended to Zach M!

December 30, 2018

Today the band made the pilgrimage to King's Cross Station in search of Platform 9 3/4 (Harry Potter), and found that hundreds of other tourists had the very same idea! While the lines were too long for individual photos, our most dedicated Harry Potter fans did find a way to manage a group photo.

The remainder of our day was spent at the National Gallery of Art, the British Museum, shopping & dinner at Covent Garden, a Leadership Workshop, and in our final rehearsal in preparation for New Year's Day.

DGN Band London Performance Video Links Updated

The DGN Wind Ensemble performance at Cadogan Hall may be found archived HERE. DGN's performance begins at the 28:00 mark.

There is a NEW stream link for LNYDP Parade (1^st January):

https://www.youtube.com/user/londonparade/live

Both events will also be streamed via the LNYDP Parade Website, Twitter, YouTube & Facebook pages.

The parade will begin at 12:00 noon (London) / 6:00 AM (CST). 

Happy Birthday Ella, Madeleine and Josephine!

We are celebrating THREE DGN Band Birthdays today! Very best wishes for a wonderful birthday in London are extended to Ella D. (center), Madeleine S. (left), and Josephine J. (right).

December 29, 2018

Congratulations to the DGN Wind Ensemble for a truly inspiring and musically rich performance this evening in London's Cadogan Hall! We are proud of you!

A special thanks is extended to the members of the Gaudete Brass Quintet for their collaboration on Leonard Bernstein's MASS. It was an honor to share the stage with you.

Earlier in the day students enjoyed a Blue Badge Guide of London! Many photos may be found HERE. 

December 28, 2018

We had a great day of touring, capped off with a very productive music rehearsal! Highlights included a visit to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, as well as the Tower of London. Our student musicians are finding their touring-stride and representing DGN with pride.

Photos HERE.

Tomorrow we are looking forward to another "Blue Badge" tour or London, and then the Wind Ensemble's concert at Cadogan Hall.

A live stream of the Cadogan Hall concert is scheduled for Saturday, 1:30 PM (CST), HERE. We will be the second of four music ensembles performing tomorrow, and our portions should commence at approximately 1:50 PM.

December 26-27, 2018

Our faculty and staff are incredibly proud of the tour musicians for the maturity and poise each student displayed during our flights to London. Flight crews and fellow-passengers were extremely complimentary of the way in which students carried themselves.

All three flight-groups were checked-into the hotel by early afternoon and student attended an orientation meeting. In the late afternoon we took our first trip on the Underground to Green Park, and then walked the parade route with an Audio Guide historical commentary. Upon return to the hotel we enjoyed a nice dinner before turning in EARLY for some well-deserved sleep.

As a reminder for families back home, most of our photography will be posted to the Photo Gallery, so please be sure to check THIS PAGE:

https://tinyurl.com/DGNBandLondonPhotoVideo

Happy Birthday Aaron!

Hey Band! (Hey What?!) It's Aaron H.'s birthday today! It's true that with the trans-Atlantic flight his birthday will be a little shorter this year. But at least Aaron will wake up the next day in London!

Hope your birthday is smooth sailing, Aaron!

Departure Day!

Departure day is finally here! We hope you got a good night's sleep, and are excited to begin our adventure.

Family & friends, we have created a Google Photos site where we will upload images and/or short video clips from the tour each day. You may access that folder HERE.

We encourage you to bookmark this link or access it from the Photo Gallery button on the left side of this page.

https://tinyurl.com/DGNBandLondonPhotoVideo

The Suburban Life newspaper has published an article this morning about our tour HERE.

One Day More! (Final Pre-Departure Info)

Anyone who has seen the musical or heard the soundtrack to Les Miserables knows "One Day More." (And if you don't know it yet, you will soon since we're all heading to the West End to see the world-wide hit musical while we are in London!) But it seems a fitting title for our final "reminders" Blog post.

One final packing idea: this one is for students in Wind Ensemble. If you believe that your black marching band shoes would work for your formal concert attire in London, using those shoes might save you space in your suitcase because you would not need to take a second pair of black shoes. This idea may, or may not, work for you.

Ambassadorship: We are incredibly proud of the Trojan Marching Band membership, and are confident you will represent DGN, District 99, our local communities, the State of Illinois, and the United States in a very mature and dignified manner. The impressions you will make on others begin the moment you arrive at North High, and continue with every personal interaction you will have with bus drivers, airline employees, TSA personnel, tour guides, hotel management, and one another.

Clothing for Travel: Please remember to wear your Tour T-shirt for travel, along with nice jeans (no significant rips, etc.) or khaki style pants. Gym shorts, gym clothing, work-out clothing, etc. is not appropriate for travel days. Please wear your most comfortable walking shoes or gym shoes. You are asked to wear a t-shirt under your tour t-shirt. You might consider putting a sweatshirt in your carry-on bag to wear on the plane after dinner; sometimes the cabin temperature feels cool when you're trying to sleep.

Arrival at DGN: Please have your ride park in a way that their vehicle will not interfere with loading the bus bays, or our departure. Hug your family good-bye, load your bags, and check-in with your Flight Chaperone. Once you have handed the chaperone your passport, you should get on the bus. Please do not "hang out" with family members outside the bus. Once we have everyone, we will have the buses depart for O'Hare; if that's a few minutes early, great! ("If you're on time, you're late.")

Your Bags: You, and only you, are responsible for your bags at all times. That means you make sure that the larger suitcase is loaded under the bus, and that your carry-on (i.e. backpack or instrument) is with you on the upper level of the bus. Please double check to make sure that each bag or carry-on instrument is labeled with a name-tag that includes your contact information.

Passports: When you arrive at DGN for departure, your Flight Chaperone will collect your passport before you load the bus. The chaperone will hold the passport for you at all times, except when you need it inside the airport. 

Unloading at O'Hare: Remember that you, and only you, are responsible for your bags. No one is going to move your bags for you. Student leaders may help the bus driver and chaperones pull bags out from under the bus, but each and every student must make sure they have their bags. Make sure you don't leave anything on the upper level of the bus either. Once the bus pulls away, we will not see it again.

Checking In with Airlines & Security: It's very important, when your group arrives at O'Hare, that you stick with your Flight Chaperone during the check-in process. Your chaperone will hand you back your passport for the check-in, and you will keep it with you until you complete the security screening process with TSA. Remember, there are no beverages allowed in your carry-on bag as you go through security. 

On The Plane: Please remember that all students must sit in their pre-assigned seats for take-off, unless a staff member asks a student to make a minor adjustment. As soon as you are seated on the plane, adjust the clock on your phone or your wrist watch to reflect local time in London. (Set the clock six hours forward.) You should start thinking that the end of the day is near, and trick your mind into feeling like bedtime is near. After dinner is served, and the crew turns off the interior cabin lights, try to get some sleep. Even if you cannot sleep for several hours at a time, grab as many zzz's as you can. You might be tempted to watch movies, or visit with your neighbor, but those who get some sleep will be far happier travelers upon our arrival in London. 

Technology: You will be asked to put your phones, tablets, etc. in "Airplane mode" prior to take-off. If you plan to only use your device on WiFi networks in England, this is a good opportunity to turn OFF your cellular data and your phone's roaming capabilities. If you forget to do this, your phone will connect to cell towers when we land, and that will cause you to start using data. This is fine, provided you have made arrangements with your carrier to use the phone in England. But for those students planning to only use their devices at the hotel (WiFi), don't forget to shut down the cellular data capabilities of the phone.

Merry Christmas to those celebrating the holiday today, and we look forward to beginning the travel adventure with you tomorrow!

Two Days (BBC Breakfast and Last Chance for Museum Tour Choice)

Before we share some big news, we need to attend to some important business. EVERY student must pre-select the museum they wish to visit. Most travelers have done this, but 37 students have not. If you see your name in the list below, please CLICK HERE, and take care of this immediately. This is your last chance; if you do not complete the form today (December 24) you will forfeit your choice and our staff will assign you to a museum visit. 

Bellie, Blumka(J), Bromfield, Covey, D'Ambrose, Derylo, Fosket, Gonzalez, Gorman, Hallberg, Howard, Huffman, Isaacson(J), Isoniemi, Jacobsen, Janka, Jasinski, Krejca, Larsen, Maison, Martello, McCool, McDermott, Moca, Murphy, Ohk, Powers, Ragnini, Rohde(J), Rohde(L), Stein, Sturm, Swenson, Talag, Tingzon, Utterback, Zindle

Having seen advance video of our band's TV-Zone preparations, LNYDP organizers contacted DGN and asked the Trojan Marching Band to be featured on "BBC Breakfast," a live television broadcast akin to the Today Show, or Good Morning America, in the United States. Click HERE for the BBC Breakfast website. Our appearance is currently scheduled for January 1st, and will be filmed live in London's Trafalgar Square. BBC One live programming is typically blocked for viewing in the United States, so families should not expect to watch our appearance as it happens. (You wouldn't want to, because it will be at about 3 AM in Illinois!) We will work to share a recording of the segment with families after it is released by the BBC to international audiences.

Congratulations to our Trojan Marching Band members for garnering this invitation. Only two of the bands performing in the parade have been invited to be featured, and we've been told we have been given a "prime spot." This is, no doubt, a reflection of the great work accomplished by our student musicians prior to departure. Bravo to all!