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Welcome !
The Beat Goes On is an international award-winning all-adult marching band committed to delighting Northwest, National, and International audiences while reliving the best parts of the marching band experiences we fondly remember and creating indelible memories.
Founded in October 2011, the band is renowned for its upbeat attitude, feel-good musical selections, and emphasis on audience interaction. Though its musical tastes are eclectic, TBGO features a high-energy, brassy, rock and roll style – we may be a marching band, but we're more likely to play Bruno Mars than John Philip Sousa!
The band has performed at a 25 mile floral parade in the Netherlands, alongside Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower, on the floor of the Oregon House of Representatives, aboard a Caribbean cruise ship, in the courtyard of an 18th century castle, atop the Great Wall of China — and at hundreds of civic, corporate, and private events across the Pacific Northwest. Why not bring TBGO to your event next?
Meet the Band
- Book TBGO
Whatever your event, The Beat Goes On Marching Band can customize a performance that suits your needs. We've performed indoors and out, on the street and on stage, at civic and corporate functions, at fairs and festivals, for patriotic and holiday events, with as few as twelve members and as many as one hundred. We've played picnics, parades, parties, pep rallies, festivals, field shows, homecomings, barbecues, birthdays, anniversaaries, retirements, conventions, weddings, and even funerals.
TBGO's feel-good style carries over into stage shows that feature high energy, stories about the band and its music, low (but G-rated!) humor, audience sing-alongs, and tunes that show off more of our musical range. Fees for an event typically range from $300 to $1500 depending on the type of event; TBGO also books a limited number of pro bono events each year. For parades and similar civic events, one fee covers both the parade and a post-parade stage show of 30-45 minutes as a bonus.
Book the Band
Our goal is to send each audience member home with a fun special memory. We have a passion for what we do, and we'd love to share the zaniness with you – "We have to get older … but we can be immature forever!" Contact us to discuss how to bring "More Smiles Per Mile" to your special day!
- Join TBGO
Were you a member of a high school or college marching band? If you're at least 18 years old or a high school grad and ready for fun and new friends, The Beat Goes On Marching Band would love to put you back on the street. Featuring a high-energy, brassy, rock and roll style that's more Bruno Mars than John Phillip Sousa, Portland's busiest all-adult marching band performs 30-35 times each year throughout the Northwest and travels annually to major regional, national, and international events. We rehearse about twice a month on Sunday afternoons.
Our calendar stays full because we love to perform, but also realize that "all-adult" means that our members have other priorities in their busy lives. Nobody makes it to every event and rehearsal; we encourage people to come to come as often as they can and try to make it so much fun they don't want to miss out!
Join the Band
In addition to its musical ranks, the band sports a twirling squad, dance team, and flag-spinning color guard. Got a spouse who doesn't play but would love to be part of the band with you? Our Support Team carries banners and flags, keeps the band watered during parades, and has all the fun of being on the street accepting the cheers of the crowd.
Out of practice? No problem – so was everybody else when they joined the group! We're a friendly bunch, and you'll enjoy playing your way back into shape.
- Support
The Beat Goes On Marching Band wants to bring miles of smiles to the good folks Down Under in November 2020, and is seeking funds to help defray travel expenses. Your donation now will enable the band to transport its members, instruments, and equipment in the most economical way so TBGO can do what it does best: entertain the world and represent the USA.
The Band has been invited to participate in the National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant in Adelaide, South Australia in November 2020. Getting 120 people and their equipment across town can be daunting. Imagine getting them across the Pacific! Funds raised during this campaign will be used to help cover travel expenses to and from Australia for the band, their instruments and equipment so that The Beat Goes On can proudly represent the USA and its beautiful native Northwest.
The band crosses generations: members range from just a few years out of high school or college up to age 86. We're occupationally diverse, with careers including engineers, educators, accountants and bookkeepers, clergy, railroad and airline workers, shopkeepers, theater ushers, and health care workers, among others. Many members are retired or on limited or fixed incomes. But we strive to provide travel and performance opportunities to all band members, regardless of income. And you can help.
Your gratefully appreciated donation will enable TBGO to provide travel assistance to its members. More assistance means more musicians can afford to make the trip, allowing us to put our largest and best-sounding band on the streets of Adelaide to proudly represent the United States. Whether you are able to make a donation or not, your valued assistance in passing notification of this campaign forward would be of tremendous help.
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The Beat Goes On is an all-adult marching band committed to delighting audiences while creating indelible memories. The band is known for its feel-good attitude, emphasis on audience interaction, and spontaneity on the street and on stage. Though our musical tastes are eclectic, TBGO features a high-energy, brassy, rock and roll style — we may be a marching band, but we're more likely to play Bruno Mars than John Phillip Sousa!
Among its many appearances TBGO has performed in Alaska's largest parade, the nation's oldest Fourth of July parade in Rhode Island, on the floor of the Oregon House of Representatives, in a 25-mile floral parade in the Netherlands, in front of the Alamo, in a cruise ship's main showroom, at an 18th century European castle, atop the Great Wall of China, and all around the Pacific Northwest.
If you are over the age of 18 and play (or used to play) a band instrument ...
Come Out and Play!
FACEBOOK
JOIN THE BAND
Come out and play! New members eagerly welcomed; click here for more information.
UPCOMING AND RECENT EVENTS
February 21, 2023:
Portland Mardi Gras Parade - Portland, OR.
March 3, 2023:
French American International School - Portland, OR.
March 12, 2023:
35th Northeast Neighborhood St. Patrick's Day Parade - Portland, OR.
April 13, 2023:
Oregon Dental Association - Portland, OR.
See our full list of performances here. Learn how to bring TBGO to your event.
WHAT'S NEW
Strutting our stuff in the 35th APS Electric Light Parade in Phoenix, our first trip to Arizona!
This was the band's first travel event since 2019.
Nice to be back in action again!
We got to be part of the 2022 Tree Lighting in Pioneer Courthouse Square.
Sure was wet, but boy what a crowd!
TBGO has been down but not out during the pandemic. Check out our virtual band and other videos.
There's nothing cheerier than the sound of jingling bells during the holiday season!
Here's our rendition of a holiday classic "jingling all the way".
December 2021 was a great month for TBGO and Jingle-Bell Rock;
in addition to this video we played it live in two shows in Pioneer Courthouse Square AND
as part of KGW's broadcast of the 2021 lighting of Portland's official Christmas tree.
Need even more jingles? You can see the KGW performance just below.
The 2021 lighting of Portland's official Christmas tree in Pioneer Courthouse Square was
a virtual sing-along affair broadcast on KGW Channel 8.
TBGO was delighted to be part of the festivities, hosted by Pink Martini's Thomas Lauderdale.
Here's our segment of the broadcast performing Jingle-Bell Rock.
Thank you to KGW for uploading the show!
They say if you remember the 60's you weren't there, but WE remember some pretty great tunes from Spy Shows.
Here's a mashup of four of our favorites: The Pink Panther; James Bond Theme; Secret Agent Man;
and Mission Impossible.
If you'd like to buy a drink for the band, we prefer our martinis shaken, not stirred.
The Go-Go's hit #1 with their debut album
and are still the only all-female band writing its own material and playing its own instruments
to top the Billboard album chart.
Here's one of their (and our!) favorites.
Portland's best-traveled adult marching band "boldly goes where no band has gone before".
Did you miss our Portland'5 August 14, 2019 show on Main Street? Catch up with this video replay!
We're home from our July 2019 Alaska tour, including performances in Fairbanks, Anchorage, and aboard the Island Princess. As you can see above, we won Best Marching Band in the Golden Days Parade in Fairbanks. Huzzah!
Halftime Magazine reports on TBGO's first-ever trip to Europe in 2018 for Bloemencorso Bollenstreek, playing day and night parades plus shows at an 18th century castle near Utrecht and along the shore of Switzerland's Lake Lucerne.
SPONSORS & PARTNERS
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We're grateful that the Intel Involved Matching Grant Program is a long-standing major supporter of TBGO. Thank you Intel Foundation! |
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A big THANK YOU to Moda Health and Delta Dental for continued sponsorship that helps make it possible for us to travel to world-class events. |
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Huge thanks to friend-of-the-band Jordan Schnitzer for a generous donation. You rock!!! |
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Thank you to Fred Meyer for generous support via the Community Rewards program. Learn how to support TBGO with your Fred Meyer purchases. |
| ANGEL DONORS | A big shout-out to all the private donors large and small who help keep The Beat on the street! |
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Thank you to Amazon for support via the Amazon Smile program. Learn how to support TBGO with your Amazon purchases. |