It’s the place where Elvis got “All Shook Up” and Minnie Pearl made wearing tags on one’s hat fashionable.  Nashville has been considered Music City since President Andrew Jackson’s guitar-shaped driveway before West Virginia was even a state.  Now, Bridgeport High School Band will be part of the music history as they travel to Tennessee this month.

 

Nearly 70 members of the marching band and the jazz band will perform and tour Music City from October 11-14 on the band’s first trip to Nashville in recent history.  They will be performing at the legendary Grand Ole Opry performance plaza and touring the famous Opryland Hotel.

 

One of the highlights of the trip involves the Jazz Band recording at RCA Studios, where they plan to show their West Virginia pride as they perform “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”  Additionally, they will be performing at BB King’s Blues Club, standing in the very spot that countless musicians have played before them.

 

“There is so much music history in Nashville,” said Drum Major Joplin Kehrer.  “This is an opportunity to be a part of that history and to share our musical talents with a city that truly embraces it.”

 

Posing with Elvis’ statue, touring the Country Music Hall of Fame, watching a show at The Grand Ole Opry and visiting the National Corvette Museum are all highlights of the trip.  Band Director Chris Hayslette chose Nashville because it offers so many options for entertainment and it is not one of the usual places the band performs. 

 

“Last year, we didn’t have a band trip, so this year, the students are really excited to visit a city most of them haven’t been to before,” said Hayslette.  “This new experience will offer students the opportunity to participate in a concert band clinic at Vanderbilt University, record in legendary studios, and tour famous landmarks.  They will also have some down time to check out the American Picker’s store, learn a group line dance, and hear some of the most talented musicians in the country.”

 

The group plans to take their group picture in front of Nashville’s Parthenon Art Museum, the only replica of the Parthenon in Greece in the country. 

 

“We want to preserve the memory of this trip with a group photo, since many of the members will be graduating this year,” said Hayslette.  “The bands really have a great bond and trips like this make that bond stronger.  Although the bus trip is long, the trip should be one we’ll never forget.”

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows the band prior to the BHS football game with Buckhannon-Upshur, while members perform at halftime of the same game in the bottom photo. Bottom photo by Joey Sigornelli of www.benqueenphotography.com.