Green Valley High band raising money for New York trip

By Erin Dostal

Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010 | 2:43 p.m.

Green Valley High School’s band students should have a lot to look forward to this November.

The school’s symphonic band and orchestra will perform at Carnegie Hall for the second time in four years, just days after the 140-member Green Valley High School Marching Band will march in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

But before the crew of 200 students and their chaperones embark on their five-day trip, they’re hoping to raise $250,000 to help pay for their flights, hotel stays, food and other activities, said Director of Bands Diane Koutsulis.

The flights are booked, Koutsulis said, because the group had to book them in advance. Parents are supportive, she said, but every bit of money from the community will help offset the cost of the trip.

The trip will cost about $300,000 for all students, she asid.

“We’re hopeful that the community is supportive of what we’re doing,” Koutsulis said. “The kids have been paying into the trip since last spring.”

Koutsulis said eight bands are selected each year to march in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “It’s a huge honor,” she said. “When students are working really hard, it’s great to have something like this."

This won’t be the first time the marching band has been honored by being able to perform for a national crowd. In January 2009, the band traveled to Washington, D.C., to play at President Obama’s inauguration.

Last spring, the school’s jazz band played at the Birdland jazz club in New York City, Koutsulis said.

The symphonic band, which has about 50 students, and the 40-member orchestra were asked to play at Carnegie Hall this year because of their performance at the prestigious venue in 2006. The officials at the hall liked the high school’s band so much they asked them to come back and play again, Koutsulis said.

Koutsulis said many students have paid into the trip with their earnings from summer jobs. The band also has sold advertising space at its concert programs, she said.

The band director said she thinks band trips help expose her students to cultural opportunities outside Las Vegas. Since Koutsulis began teaching at Green Valley High School 20 years ago, her students have traveled to London, New York City, Paris and Rome.

“New York City is the center of theater,” she said. “Carnegie and the New York Philharmonic are really great things. I know a lot of students wouldn’t have that opportunity if they didn’t travel with the band.”

To donate money to the trip, visit www.showtix4u.com. Kousulis said donations also are accepted at the school.

“It’s a really cool thing for Las Vegas,” she said of the trip. “You hear about a lot of things in Las Vegas. You don’t usually hear about young people doing great things.”