Students of the Week: Gina Aki and Ryan BrehmerColony High School

Congratulations to Colony High School senior Gina Aki and junior Ryan Brehmer, the MSBSD Students of the Week.

A dream of Gina’s since she was a child was to march in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. She saw an online audition ad for the Remarkable American Marching Band. Begun by Macy’s in 2006 to give students a chance to participate in the parade, Gina and Ryan, representing Alaska, join elite players from all 50 states and the District of Columbia — in all, about 250 students.

Also a fan of the parade, Ryan said, “I absolutely wanted to go, but I didn’t even know there were auditions or there was a possibility that I could march in the parade.”

Gina encouraged Ryan to audition with her.

Colony High School band director Jamin Burton recommended his students for the audition. Selected by a panel of university professors, there are students from all across the United States. Earning their way to make the trip, Gina and Ryan played all summer long at the Anchorage Market for tips.

“We spent hours there each day, playing and hoping for tips,” Gina told the Frontiersman. This is Gina’s second trip to New York City and Ryan’s first.

“I want to see the big buildings,” Ryan said.

The 85th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade begins at 77th Street and Central Park West, and ends at 34th Street and 7th Avenue at Macy’s Herald Square. According to the Macy’s Great American Marching Band information, the band is first this year, so if the parade is on time, it should hit Herald Square at 10 a.m. EST. NBC affiliate, KTUU, Channel 2, Anchorage, will air coverage of the parade from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The conductors, Dr. Rick Good and Dr. Jon Woods, haven’t given this performance a title other than “Macy’s 2011.” One selection this combined band will feature is “Imagine Fanfare,” a world premiere created by a teen composer.