Three Buckeye Trail band members selected to perform with D-Day Band in France

Heather Sevigny
Updated ·2 min read

LORE CITY ? As honors band season and the school year comes to a close, three students at Buckeye Trail are gearing up for the experience of a lifetime in France.

Kaila Paden, a senior percussionist, Carter Carpenter, a junior trombone player, and Megan Yeckley, a sophomore clarinet player, will play in the All-American D-Day Band, paying tribute to D-Day.

June 6 will mark the 80th anniversary D-Day, when the United States and its allies landed along the coast of Normandy during World War II, which ultimately led to the liberation of Europe.

Kaila Paden and Carter Carpenter were two of three Buckeye Trail students selected to participate in the All-American D-Day Band. Megan Yeckley, not pictured, was also chosen for the honor.
Kaila Paden and Carter Carpenter were two of three Buckeye Trail students selected to participate in the All-American D-Day Band. Megan Yeckley, not pictured, was also chosen for the honor.

The students were each nominated by their band director Doug Hanna. Each then had to secure an invitation to apply and submit an application and audition video before being chosen. Roughly 200 students from across the nation were selected for the honor.

"Going into it I didn't have too many goals. I was more like, let's just do it and see if I get in, and I got in. I was like, 'Wow! I'm going to France!'" Carpenter said.

Megan Yeckley, a sophomore clarinet player, was chosen for the All-American D-Day Band. Yeckley says, "Honestly, the fact that I'm even able to be in the band as a sophomore is truly unbelievable. Plus, being able to perform in France with people from all over the world is hard to mentally grasp. Out of everything, I'm probably most excited to be able to talk to people who we're alive during D-Day. I'm really interested in hearing their stories and thanking them for serving our country. I'm also pretty excited to see the Mona Lisa in person."

"I knew we had talent here," Hanna said. "I believe anywhere you go band students are some of the hardest-working kids a lot of times. In this rural district, where we don't necessarily have a cultural center close where kids can be taking private lessons every week or go see professional organizations perform, I think it's pretty neat to get three in the area, let alone three in the same school for something like this."

The trip is scheduled for June when the students will travel to Washington D.C, before heading to France for their performances.

According to the All-American D-Day Band website, "As musical ambassadors to France, the All-American D-Day Band will perform the ceremonial music for the officially recognized commemoration and wreath-laying ceremonies at the Brittany and Normandy American Cemeteries and Memorials. In the historic village of Sainte-Mère-église, the band will perform in the International Salute to Liberation and lead the D-Day Memorial Parade."

The downside of such an opportunity for these students is the cost and the tight timeline to come up with funding. The initial down payment for the trip is $2000, with the total cost of approximately $5,000 per student.

Hanna is positive the students will be able to come up with the funds.

Those organizations or individuals wishing to contribute to the students' trip can do so by visiting the GoFundMe page, reaching out to Doug Hanna, or by calling the high school at 740-489-5005.

In addition, the entire band will also travel to Chicago over the St. Patrick's Day weekend to sightsee and march in the 2024 Chicago St. Patrick's Day Parade. A performance by the Blue Man Group, dining at Medieval Times and visiting the Museum of Science and Industry will round out the trip.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Buckeye Trail band students selected to perform in France

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next