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February 2009
GW Junior Entertains President Obama, GW at Inaugural Parade
By Julia Parmely As a member of the Cadets Drums and Bugles Corps, one of the oldest musical ensembles in the world, GW junior Joe Lewis has performed in front of thousands. But no experience was quite like performing in front of President Barack Obama in the 56th Presidential Inaugural Parade. At 2 a.m. on Jan. 20, Lewis and his band mates boarded a bus from their practice site in Woodstown, N.J., and traveled to Washington, D.C. After hours of security checks and waiting in the cold outside the White House, Lewis and his corps began to march, performing a medley of “America the Beautiful,” “Yankee Doodle,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and George Gershwin’s “Strike Up the Band.” “It was one of the longest days I’ve ever had, but I was fortunate enough to have a clear view of the president,” says Lewis. “Passing by Obama made it all worthwhile.” Lewis joined the corps in 2006 as a sophomore in high school. Nine-time world champions and 19-time national champions, the cadets meet once a month over the winter to prepare for their summer road tour. Lewis, who plays the baritone bugle, says the corps covers about 20,000 miles every summer. “The corps has been a really big part of my life for a long time,” says Lewis. “There’s no activity like it.” In December, the corps was informed that it was among 1,400 groups in the running to receive one of the 100 coveted parade spots. Chosen in January, Lewis says the corps practiced for four days straight before its inaugural debut. But the ensemble is no stranger to the spotlight: Previous members have performed at the Statue of Liberty rededication in 1986, the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Lewis finished marching around 6:30 p.m., but his day was not done. He raced home, threw on a tuxedo, and joined GW’s Brass Quintet at GW’s Fifth Inaugural Ball, where he performed a brass tune, a ragtime song, and a Latin tango. “The ball was a nice way to cap off the day and something I’ll be able to look back on,” he says. Although Lewis is a seasoned performer, he says his inaugural parade performance is one he will always remember. “I would have never believed when I began playing in the fourth grade that one day I’d play for the president,” he says. “It makes me really glad that I chose to continue my musical endeavors at GW.”
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