Carmel band to play at bowl game

While most of us are cursing the subzero wind chills, others have their minds on sun and surf.

Fifty-six members of the Carmel Catholic High School marching band will be heading to sunny Florida to perform during halftime at the Outback Bowl on New Year's Day.

The group be part of a "mass band" made up of dozens of high schools. There may be close to 1,000 students playing at one time.

They'll be performing in front of nearly 65,000 - thousands of whom will undoubtedly be from the Chicago area as the game pits the Northwestern Wildcats against the Auburn Tigers.

Carmel's Director of Band Activities David Wiebers said synchronizing with such a large group will be a challenge.

"They sent us a DVD with instructions that we need to review ahead of time. We'll also arrive a couple of days before the performance for rehearsal," Wiebers said. "We average about 100 students in our band, so this will be an experience. The kids are really excited."

The group will perform immediately after a number of college bands play, Wiebers said. The high school students will wear their own uniforms making for a colorful display that will likely cover most of the field.

At least 10 adult chaperones will be making the 22-hour bus ride along with the kids. The thought of spending that much time in tight quarters with a bunch of teens might seem daunting, but Carmel band mom Betsy Donegan says she's pumped.

Her daughter Erin plays the trombone.

"These kids are just wonderful. They are so nice, so much fun and hardworking, too," she said. "It's really going to be a lot of fun."

The offer to play was open to all band members, but about half will be making the trip. Wiebers said the musicians have to pay the nearly $1,300 cost out-of-pocket, which reduced the number.

This isn't the first time Carmel students have traveled away from Mundelein. The band played on a cruise ship in the Bahamas in 2001 and went to New York City for a jazz competition in 2006, Wiebers said.

The Outback Bowl was formerly named the Hall of Fame Bowl, until Outback Steakhouse became the sponsor in April 1995. The game will be nationally televised.

Trumpet player T.J. Barber said he thinks playing alongside the hundreds of other high-schoolers will be invigorating. He's also looking forward to watching the more experienced musicians perform.

"I love seeing the college bands play," said the senior student. "Just watching them makes me want to strive to play even better."