The Presidential Inaugural Committee selected the Madawaska band to perform in the 58th Presidential Inaugural concert on Jan. 19 at the Lincoln Memorial.
Meiklejohn said the band is excited about making the trip and representing Maine at the event. There are 28 students in the school band this year.
Despite the divisiveness the 2016 presidential election created, Meiklejohn said the chance to perform at such an historic event is hard to pass up. “Everybody is looking beyond the politics of the election,” Meiklejohn said via telephone last week, adding that “it’s nothing new” for a presidential election to be contentious.
President-elect Trump will officially take the oath of office at noon, Jan. 20, outside the U.S. Capitol, as required in the Constitution.
Meiklejohn, who started at the Madawaska School Department in October, is no stranger to presidential inaugurations, however. As a member of the Kennebunk High School band in 1989, he traveled to Washington D.C. in 1989 to perform at the inauguration of President George H.W. Bush.
“As I was looking through some boxes in October, I found an old picture from my [Washington, D.C.] trip,” he said. Meiklejohn decided he’d apply on behalf of the Pride of Madawaska Band for the upcoming inauguration and see what would happen. “I thought is was a long shot.”
Some media reports have made note of the lack of “A-list” celebrities scheduled to perform at any of the inaugural events, and whether or not that reflects a continued polarization around Trump. The official inaugural website, www.58pic2017.org, lacks specifics about what acts will be performing.
Meiklejohn said he hasn’t heard any expressions of concern from students or parents regarding controversy surrounding Trump. “It’s not a political event. It’s a tradition.”
At least one school marching band from the Washington D.C. area has participated in the past five inaugural parades, according to a Dec. 14 report on the NBC4 News website. This year, however, none have applied to take part.
Unlike famous artists who an incoming administration may invite to perform for inaugural events — and who may choose to decline such an invitation to make a political statement — school bands like Madawaska’s must apply and then be selected, Meiklejohn explained.
Taking a a middle-of-the-road view, Meiklejohn said, “Our participation is not political, it’s civic. Every four years, like clockwork, our government has this transition. It’s about democracy.”
“As educators, we should always encourage students to expand their view of the world. What a great opportunity this is for our musicians to visit Washington DC during an inaugural event,” said School Superintendent Gisele Dionne. “The Maine State Society, a group of Mainers in Washington DC, with connections to Maine and even the St. John Valley, is helping us with logistics.”
The group is expected to travel via chartered bus and will also have an opportunity to visit some of historical sights, Dionne said.
The inaugural festivities on Jan. 19 are scheduled to include a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and the “Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration” at the Lincoln Memorial. The inaugural parade traditionally follows the swearing-in the following day.
The inaugural committee is not providing funding for the selected bands, leaving the Pride of Madawaska Band needing to raise the estimated $20,000 it will take to send the band members, chaperones, and all their equipment to the Washington D.C. event.
“It’s a difficult situation for them to be in,” Meiklejohn commented, referring to school administrators who are currently in the midst of a budget crisis.
Although the school was notified before Christmas that the band had been selected, the committee asked that the announcement not be made public until after the New Year. Since learning of the selection, however, band members and school officials have been soliciting monetary support.
“We have already raised a substantial portion,” Meiklejohn said. “We are focusing on donations from businesses and individuals.” With such a short timeframe, Meiklejohn said things such as bake sales would likely have proved ineffective.
The school department has set up a fundraising website at www.myschoolbucks.com. Those interested in making a donation can do a search for MMHS (Madawaska Middle High School) on the site.
So far, approximately $12,000 has been raised through individual donations ranging as high as $100 and $500, and through large business donations. United Insurance in Madawaska donated $2,500, Dionne said.
Donations have also come from as far away as California.
As for the songs the Pride of Madawaska Band will play at the inauguration, Meiklejohn said final approval will come from the inaugural committee. The band director said he submitted, among other songs, Maine’s “Dirigo March” and the well known “Main Street America March.”
“It’s a sort of ‘Taking Leadership to the Streets of America’ theme,” said Meiklejohn.
The Madawaska band is one of 12 school bands that will play at the Inaugural Concert at the Lincoln Memorial on Jan. 19, and the only one from Maine, according to Meiklejohn.
The band director considers the selection of a band from the St. John Valley as “representing small town America.”
“There are always lots of celebrities at these events,” Meiklejohn said. “But here we are. A small band from a small town in a small state.”
