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Isle marching band
passes muster
Kauai's musicians get
public practice before
the Rose Bowl parade
LIHUE » Tournament of Roses President Dave Davis said he didn't realize the impact that inviting an all-Kauai band to march in the New Year's Day parade would have on the island until he visited during the weekend.
Davis and his wife, Holly, watched the Ku Kilakila All-Island Marching Band make its debut in two major public performances last weekend: the Kapaa High School Homecoming halftime on Friday and the Veterans Day Parade on Saturday.
"We suffer from a degree of myopia," said Davis, who has been with the Tournament of Roses Association for 37 years. His father was with the association before him. "We look at everything in terms of how it will look in the parade."
"We don't realize the impact we make on communities until we make trips like these," he said.
Kauai has three high schools -- Kauai High, Waimea High and Kapaa High -- and the rivalry doesn't end at graduation. For Kauai residents the high school they attended is an identification that lasts a lifetime.
The All-Island Band marks the first time in Kauai's history that students from all three high schools -- plus several small private schools -- have been joined for a common goal: marching in the 116th edition of the Rose Bowl parade. And the parade theme is appropriate for a small island: "Celebrate Family."
About 300 musicians, hula dancers and warriors, along with about 200 parents, will travel to Pasadena on Dec. 27 to march 5 1/2 miles through Pasadena on Jan. 1.
"It's really a coming together of the whole island, " Davis said. "Initially, I'm told, on breaks the kids segregated themselves by school. In Pasadena, youngsters from all schools will be rooming together."
The Davises spent their honeymoon on Kauai 37 years ago and have returned frequently. But this was their first real interaction with Kauai residents in which they were not tourists.
Holly Davis keeps score, and today is the couple's 125th day on the road since Davis became president of the association in January. His term lasts one year.
The task is gigantic: The Tournament of Roses Association operates both the New Year's Day Parade and the Rose Bowl on the same day. The association built Rose Bowl Stadium and gave it to the city of Pasadena. It is the home field for the UCLA football team.
Davis said he was impressed with both the dedication of the parents and the hard work -- and humility -- of the young musicians and dancers.
"When I told them 1 million people would be lining the parade route through Pasadena, their eyes got big," Davis said. "When I told them that between 300 million and 350 million people all over the world would be watching them, their eyes got really big."
Kauai has a long tradition of producing top-notch concert bands, but marching bands have not had much of a role in high school music programs. The Ku Kilakila band marched together for the first time in June.
"The quality of the music is very good," Davis said. "The marching is coming along nicely.
"A marching band is never a totally finished product, and the parade isn't demanding in terms of technical skills."
The final verdict: "I think they're doing fine."
