COLUMBIA, S.C. – With Thanksgiving just one month away, USC’s Carolina Band is running out of time to fine-tune its performance – and raise the funds to get there.
For the first time ever, the University of South Carolina’s band has the opportunity to take center stage in New York City at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
“Growing up dancing, opportunities like this are just such a big deal and it makes everything I’ve ever done worth it,” Carolina Coquettes Dancer Zoe May said.
“It’s a once in a lifetime thing,” Carolina Band Trumpet Player Andrew Snyder said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to go back, but nothing’s guaranteed. And being able to be a part of this band is really cool.”
This weekend, they gave a sneak-peak to the home crowd – marching from USC’s campus to the South Carolina State House, performing a practice parade and free concert.
But the trip to NYC is not cheap, as the parade comes with quite the price tag for performers.
“As students, we aren’t going to be paying anything out-of-pocket,” Snyder said. “But it’s still gonna be a big financial burden on the school and the administration around us.”
According to the band’s crowdfunding site, it’s 67% of the way to its goal – that’s $645,000 for housing, travel, food and other related costs.
“The Carolina Band is going to NYC whether we have raised the full amount of the required funds by the date of departure,” Assistant Dean at USC’s School of Music Audra Vaz said. “The Dean of the School of Music and the University are both committed to ensuring that we have the funding either prior to or after the trip.”
As of now, $434,571 have been raised, thanks to 1,570 online donors.
