Mr. Shelman Miller, band director at Columbia High School, has been selected to participate in the Band Director’s Marching Band as they perform in the 97th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 23, 2023. This national honor reflects the excellence Mr. Miller brings to his practice as a teacher and band director.
The Band Director’s Marching Band is part of the Saluting America’s Band Directors (SABD) project which sought to bring together band directors and music educators from across North America. The project is sponsored by the Michael D. Sewell Memorial Foundation which was created in 2017 to carry on the legacy of Mike Sewell, a longtime band director in Pickerington, Ohio. The marching band is led by renowned band director Jon Waters.
Mr. Miller found out about the prestigious event via a social media post made by a fellow band director and immediately began the online application process. Also a member of the Atlanta Centennial Olympic Marching Band in 1996, he says “this felt a little bit like coming full circle.”
Each individual musician will receive the music well ahead of time so there is ample time to practice and memorize their parts. They will then travel to New York about a week ahead of the parade in order to spend the majority of the intervening days in rehearsals with the rest of the band.
“The only thing I’m not looking forward to is being cold,” says Mr. Miller with a smile, “I don’t like being cold.” However, he is quick to add, “I’ll get over it kind of quick!”
The highly anticipated Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade usually contains over 6,000 participants from around the country and is viewed online and on television by tens of millions.