It’s customary for Washington, D.C.-area high school marching bands to participate in the inauguration festivities of all newly elected presidents. Then again, it’s also customary for the newly elected president’s wife to live in the White House, not be a reality TV star, and potentially helped a hostile nation rig a U.S. presidential election. So the cray shall live on!
Despite at least one D.C. high school marching band performing at the last five Inaugural parades, not a single one has agreed to perform for President-elect Trump. And it’s not like high school marching bands are known for their political partisanship. Ballou High School’s Majestic Marching Knights, for example, performed Destiny’s Child’s “Lose My Breath” at George W. Bush’s second inaugural parade in 2005. They also played James Brown’s “I Got You (I Feel Good)” at Barack Obama’s second inaugural parade. But nobody is feeling good this year.
One D.C.-area high school cited a lack of members and another mentioned budgetary concerns, but one band director is not buying it. Here were Howard University band director John Newson thoughts on the matter:
“I think everybody knows why and no one wants to say and lose their job.“
But It Gets Worse
Luke Wiscombe of Music Celebrations International, an Arizona company that helps sponsor band trips for many schools across the country, cited an unusual amount of low-interest:
“We didn’t get the response that we got the last time, with Obama. Some groups responded, but with some groups it was crickets. We’re seeing a little less enthusiasm to be a part of this event.”
This should come as no surprise. For example, more than 2,000 D.C. middle school and high school students staged a mass walk-out last month to protest Trump’s presidential election. Despite his never-ending faults, ethical lapses, and penchant for spending billions of dollars and sacrificing American lives to invade the wrong country, George W. Bush never caused this level of sheer loathing and hatred. Who knows — maybe Putin can do a duet with the President of Taiwan.
Watch the NBCNews Report below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fidrrBhP0sY
Featured Image via screenshot from YouTube video
