The 153-member band will play a medley of patriotic anthems Tuesday in Times Square as part of the Band of Pride, a mass concert involving a dozen high school bands.

The Neenah band then will perform Wednesday while marching down Fifth Avenue as part of New York City's Veterans Day Parade.

"I am so excited I can't even describe it," said Ackman, a senior. "I am stoked. I am counting down the days. I have been for a month."

Neenah senior Taylor Davis, a percussionist, shared similar feelings after watching a video of the parade, now in its 90th year.

"It's going to be great to march down Fifth Avenue," Davis said. "It just looks like such a big place with all the people there. It looks so professional."

The Neenah High School band has established a tradition of performing at big-time events.

The band participated in NYC's Veterans Day Parade in 2003 and 2006. The band also performed at the Indianapolis 500 in 2005 and was one of five high schools to join forces to play during halftime of a Green Bay Packers game at Lambeau Field last year.

Gary Lemieux, co-director of the band with David Dunning, said marching in New York City would be an unforgettable experience for the students.

"They will only be marching up Fifth Avenue with their high school band once in their life," he said.

The Neenah group — 153 sophomores, juniors and seniors and 37 teachers and chaperones — will leave on four coach buses Sunday afternoon and return Thursday.

In New York City, they will attend the Broadway musical "In the Heights," tour Radio City Music Hall and visit the American Museum of Natural History.

Lemieux said the trip is among the best educational experiences offered by Neenah High School. "It's a pretty special opportunity for the kids," he said. "It's more than music."

Ackman said she worked this summer to earn money for the trip, which costs about $800 per student. She thinks the mass performance at Times Square will be the highlight.

"It's such a prominent place," she said. "Everyone knows of Times Square."