On Tuesday April 16th, the Netherlands Royal Marine Band played with the Tallwood Band in Tallwood’s very own auditorium. This was part of an advertisement for the International Tattoo, the crown jewel event of the Virginia Arts Festival.

The International Tattoo is an exhibition of military bands from around the world. This year, Tallwood students got the chance to play a song with one of the acts. In order to prepare, they had a rigorous month of training and rehearsals to play alongside some of the greatest musicians in the Netherlands.

“We had to match their tempo, of course. I believe it was their first time playing the piece we were playing, and they were playing exactly how we were playing it. It was pretty bizarre,” said Raysean Stovall, Tallwood Senior when asked about playing with the band.

Meeting the Netherlands Royal Marine Band gave students a chance to practice some of the skills they learn while at Tallwood. From practicing their languages to learning about music, the Netherlands Royal Marine Band gave students a chance to experience what it’s like in the big leagues.

“We had a little Q&A session before [the concert],” said Maddie Szerokman, Tallwood Senior in reference to the band. “They’re actually pretty funny people and they’re really easy to get along with. I had a really easy time communicating just because of the languages I take.”

Both students mentioned that having taken German in the past helped them communicate easier with members of the band. This is credited to the similarities between the German and Dutch languages helping to bridge the gap in communication.

“When you’re playing next to professional military bands who play for royal families, it’s a little intimidating but it’s still really fun,” said Maddie, summing up how the Tallwood Band felt about playing alongside the Netherlands Royal Marine Band.