A local high school band has the opportunity to play in China, but the Oxon Hill high school students still need to raise $80,000 to go.

For more than a year, the Oxon Hill high school symphonic band has been getting ready. The 55 musicians are hoping to travel this summer to Bejing, China to play concerts in and around the Olympic Games. For them, it's a big deal. "It means a lot to me to go to another county and represent America," said student Jonathan Easter.

"I'm basically the only person [in my family] to go out of the country and do something big as play an instrument," said student Jasmine Chung.

Musically, the kids and their leader say they're ready to go. The problem is they're more than $80,000 short on fund raising for the trip and they only have 12 days to meet the travel planner's deadline.

"I've talked to everybody that I know that I can talk to. I'm all tapped out. There's nothing else I can do," said band director Walter Harley.

The band's fund raising success has ranged from big corporate money to a grandmother's penny collection, but it's not enough.

"It is a lot of money and each individual person can't come up with it so we are looking for a lot of sponsors to help us to go China because everyone knows it's once in a lifetime opportunity," said student Kandace Younger.

If the band can get the money together, they'll be heading off to China on June 19th for about 12 days. One of the highlights of the trip includes the chance to perform a concert at the Great Wall of China.

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