Reed McAmis, director of the North Greene Husky Band, recently had the opportunity to get back in his marching shoes and take part in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California on New Year’s Day. McAmis marched in the parade with over 350 other band directors from across the nation as a part of The Band Directors Marching Band, a band created through the Saluting America’s Band Directors organization.
McAmis said the experience of marching and playing his saxophone in the Rose Parade was something he will not forget.
McAmis graduated from Greeneville High School in 2018, and attended the University of Tennessee Knoxville where he got a degree in music education. He was assistant drum major in the University of Tennessee’s Pride of the Southland Marching Band for two years during his time in college.
McAmis noted that the Rose Parade was the largest stage on which he had performed during his time involved in music, and that traveling for the event was “exciting.”
He said that being able to step out of the director’s chair and back into his marching shoes was a great experience to be able to take back to the North Greene Husky Band.
McAmis said he watched the Rose Parade growing up, but getting to see the parade and its intricate floral floats in person was a whole new experience. He noted that members of the band got special opportunities to see the floats, and how they are assembled prior to the parade.
It rained in Pasadena on the day of the Rose Parade for the first time in about 20 years, but McAmis said that the the weather did not dampen the spirits of those attending the parade or those participating in it. He noted the crowd at the parade was just as big as expected.
“You know, we heard the whole trip how it never rains on the Rose Parade, and of courser our turn it did. It started raining pretty much as we stepped off to start the parade and hit the television spot, and it rained through our TV performance. Then probably about 10 minutes later, it let up and we were dry the rest of the time,” McAmis said. “So really the weather, other than the rain at the beginning, it was nice. It kept it cool. I think it made it a little bit more unique for us and just kind of added to the experience.”
McAmis said that band played an arrangement of Strike Up The Band and When The Saints Go Marching In, Brand New Day from The Wiz and Seventy-Six Trombones from the Music Man.
McAmis said that a colleague that he was a roommate with at the University of Tennessee, Chandler DeArmond who is know the band director at Carter Middle School in Knox County, had marched with the The Band Directors Marching Band before, and told McAmis that he should apply to march with the group in this year’s Rose Parade. The pair applied and learned a little over a year ago that they made the cut for the band.
“You had to apply well in advance,” McAmis said.
He noted that the organization then sent him music, which he learned and rehearsed in the year leading up to the parade. McAmis was one of 10 band directors in Tennessee to take part in the event, and he and DeArmond were the only band directors from east Tennessee.
McAmis said that he would look to be a part of The Band Directors Marching Band again. The organization has also marched in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and is already making plans for future big events.
“Despite the rain, it was still a great trip. We enjoyed it. So we’re planning on trying to go back sometime. It was a great experience,” McAmis said. “I’ll definitely have my name back on the list. It was fantastic.”
Saluting America’s Band Directors is a project of the Michael D. Sewell Memorial Foundation, created in 2017 to carry on the legacy of the late Mike Sewell, longtime band director in the Pickerington, Ohio school system. The project was launched as a way to recognize and salute the extraordinary dedication and accomplishments of band directors everywhere—public and private schools at all levels, colleges and universities, the military and community bands. An all-volunteer advisory team of professionals in management, marketing, music education, fundraising and information technology plans and executes SABD events.
The organization created The Band Directors Marching Band, which has marched in the 2022 Rose Parade and in the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The band consists of band directors and music educators from across North America.
