Travel plans were being made within hours of the Miami University Marching Band receiving an invitation last week to take part in the Presidential Inauguration Parade.

When band director Dr. Stephen Lytle was notified Dec. 18 of the invitation, he said he knew planning of travel arrangements, hotel rooms and other logistics needed to be started immediately.

Of course, he’s getting to be an old hand at this travel thing.

“The current crop of seniors has been a part of a Bowl game, the Macy’s parade, Carnegie Hall,” Lytle said. “They will have a lot to remember in the years ahead, knowing they were part of something larger than themselves.”

Every state will be represented in the 57th inaugural parade, and Miami is the only band chosen so far from Ohio. The Jan. 21 parade will follow the swearing in of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

The invitation gives Miami another national recognition, said Dr. James Lentini, Dean of Miami’s School of Creative Arts. Especially when you consider that more than 2,800 organizations applied.

“All of this is really special with the kind of national attention we are getting from this,” Lentini said. “I’m happy we can be a part of it, from a patriotic perspective.”

For now, Lytle is focused on planning not only travel and hotel stays for band members, but also determining how many band members will be available to make the trip.

“We are in the early stage of development,” he said Wednesday. “We’ve gotten official notice, but are waiting for the information packet. We’re getting off to a rapid start, lining up transportation, hotel rooms and proper credentials.”

“This is the tip of the iceberg. The devil is in the details,” said Lytle, who took over leadership of the band in 2009. “We have experience with this after the trip to Macy’s (parade) last year and Carnegie Hall this fall. It’s great to have some experience with that.”

Contacting the 250 band members and learning of their availability to travel is also a priority for preparations. Because Marching Band is a fall semester course, some members have other conflicts and may not be available to travel to Washington, D.C.

“Part of the process is to get firm commitments, but our attitude is that we’ll make it happen,” Lytle said.

Lytle said he is not sure if there will be songs the band will be expected to play, but said he plans to stick to the standard Miami music familiar to the RedHawks’ audiences.

“We’ll do some traditional Miami songs. We’ll be sure to play the Miami fight song and get some variety,” he said. “I’ll probably have three or four pieces and rotate them. For the reviewing portion (of the route) we’ll use the fight song.”

Marching band members cross all majors and areas of the university, Lentini said, so those making the trip will be representing the university in a very real way.

“Marching Band, Glee Club and other campus organizations are fraternities unto themselves,” he said. “I want to stress they have majors from all over campus. They are not all music majors. They represent Miami University from a wide variety of campus groups.”