Pearl City High School Marching Band to represent Hawaii in Chicago parade

HONOLULU (KHON2) – For the first time, a marching band from Hawaii will be traveling all the way to Chicago to represent Hawaii in this year's Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Parade.

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It is pretty much the kick off to holiday season in Chicago.

So, to find out more about this, we are here with the Pearl City High School Band Director, Dr. Chadwick Kamei.

I hear you do trips every couple of years.

What is the big thing for you that your students get to have this experience of traveling across the lands to be able to play music?

"Its great for the kids just to get out of Hawaii, being able to experience different sides of the world, a different side of America, and being able to experience different climates," says Kamei.

"They are going to be really cold seeing all the snow. Its going to be really good just opening their eyes to the wider world, so its going to be great for them."

Speaking of the members and students who will be experiencing this, we are here with senior Maiah Oba.

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Maiah, what instrument do you play?

"I play the mellophone which is basically the French Horn but in marching band, so this is the mellophone and I really love playing it," says Oba.

"Its a great instrument and it really defines me because I am really short. I a 4'10" but its a really loud instrument so I get to blast and play. Its very fun."

So, what does music mean for you?

"To me, music doesn't mean just playing it. Music if therapy for me," says Oba.

"When I play music, I don't think about anything else. I just immerse myself with the sound of music and I really don't think about anything else but playing. The beats, the rhythm. Its really great."

Another band member we have is senior Christy Lau.

Christy, what instrument do you play?

"I play the flute. I play this both in marching and concert band," says Lau.

What do you take out from marching band aside from playing music?

"Besides music, I feel that it really helped me to grow as a leader because I have to lead a section of eighteen other flutes, so its a lot of time management and working with different kinds of people," says Lau.

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Last but not least, we have the gentleman who is leading the pack, senior Payton Jordan Dobson.

What are you holding?

"This is called a mace," says Dobson.

"This is what we use in our parades and this is what it shows for our visuals and we can use it to signal the band to start the song, we can use it to stop our marching, and we can use it to end our parades."

Being able to represent Hawaii in Chicago for the first time in this event, what does that mean for you?

"I am very excited. It means so much," says Dobson.

"This is my first year as a drum major and first year going to Chicago and first year going with the school marching band on a trip, so its very exciting. Very excited to experience Chicago, excited to play and see the other marching bands, and I really hope that we can spread as much Aloha as we can."

Again, that is going to be this year's Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Parade.

This is taking place November 23rd down North Michigan Avenue.

We may not be able to catch it live here in Hawaii, but we can catch the replay of the live-broadcast following the parade all the way to the ending of the year.

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