Weeks after Florida shooting, school band performs at Carnegie Hall

NEW YORK — Three weeks after a gunman killed 17 people at their high school, students from Parkland, Florida, have followed through with a long-planned Carnegie Hall performance. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Wind Symphony played at the renowned New York venue Tuesday during a concert featuring high school bands.

The concert was scheduled before the Feb. 14 massacre. Among those killed was freshman Alex Schachter, who played in the marching band that includes the wind symphony and other groups.

The 65-player wind ensemble decided to go ahead with the Carnegie Hall show.

It became an uplifting plan in the depths of tragedy. Members say they appreciated spending some time immersed in music.

Tuba player Luis Gomez told WCBS-TV that “music is a coping mechanism” for him and probably others.

Meanwhile, huge signs honoring the 17 victims of the school shooting were displayed in Times Square.