The Beat Goes On Marching Band

The Beat Goes On Marching Band We are having the time of lives, marching and performing in parades all over Oregon and beyond! People tell us we're the best part of the parades!

If you used to perform in a marching band, join us! Go to: http://thebeatgoesonmb.org/forms/enroll.htm The Beat Goes On is an all-adult marching band committed to delighting Northwest and National audiences while reliving the best parts of the marching band experience. The band is known for its feel-good attitude, emphasis on audience interaction, and spontaneity on the street and on stage. Tho

ugh 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 Lady Gaga than John Phillip Sousa! Band members hail primarily from the Pacific Northwest but come from as far away as Ohio, Florida, Arizona, and California for special events. HISTORY OF YOUR SCHOOL OR GROUP
The Beat Goes On Marching Band was formed in October 2011 as a reorganization of a previous group (the Get a Life Marching Band) under new leadership. In its former incarnation (also under the direction of current TBGO director Stephen Tolopka), the band performed at numerous national events including the Fiesta Flambeau Parade (San Antonio, TX); the Krewe of the Knight of Sparta Mardi Gras Parade (New Orleans, LA); the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Parade (Washington, DC); and the 2009 San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade where the group was awarded First Place Adult Marching Band. As The Beat Goes On, the band has appeared in the Seattle Seafair Parade (with best-selling author Robert Fulghum on cymbals); the Rogers Santa Claus Parade in Vancouver, BC; the Pendleton Round-Up Westward Ho! Parade; the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (the world’s largest gathering for women in information technology); aboard the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line ship Monarch of the Seas; and at C.R. Walker High School in Nassau, Bahamas. In July 2013, the band won fifth place in its division against stiff (and much younger!) competition in the prestigious Calgary (Alberta) Stampede Parade and appeared at the Premier’s Breakfast by invitation of the Honorable Alison Redford, Premier of Alberta.

Memorial Day 2026 parade and concert stops at Touchmark in the West Hills
05/25/2026

Memorial Day 2026 parade and concert stops at Touchmark in the West Hills

04/19/2026

There is something incredibly special about band kids.

The hours of practice that begin in elementary school. It’s the squeaking and squawking of a new alto or the flutter of early flute days, high-pitched honks from a trumpet, constant and consistent tapping . . . drumming on everything. And gallons of spit too, until one day a few years down the road, you realize all that practice time has turned into an incredible melody and skill.

The alarm that goes off at 5:35 a.m., and before most people are awake, band kids have sleepily found a quick breakfast bite, grabbed their backpacks, and headed to the school to ready their instruments, get warmed up, and hustle across the field before the morning dew has dried. Pre-dawn orders are shouted by coffee-toting band directors, and the section leaders dutifully carry the responsibility to lead the
group.

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Parade and concert at the French International School of Oregon (Photos courtesy of the school)
04/11/2026

Parade and concert at the French International School of Oregon (Photos courtesy of the school)

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
03/31/2026

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

03/28/2026

A fun clip from band's participation in the Portland Irvington neighborhood's St. Patrick's Day parade, 2026

Band parades through Oregon State Fair and performs on main stage - Summer 2025:
03/28/2026

Band parades through Oregon State Fair and performs on main stage - Summer 2025:

Pacific City parade , 2025:
03/28/2026

Pacific City parade , 2025:

Palm Springs parade , December 2025:
03/28/2026

Palm Springs parade , December 2025:

03/28/2026

One more from this year's Mardi Gras parade in Portland !

03/28/2026

Here's a clip from the band's participation in the 2026 Mardi Gras parade in Portland (Courtesy of Max Bernstein's son)

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Portland, OR

Telephone

+15032923996

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