Many American families have an annual tradition of watching the Macy’s Parade on Thanksgiving Day. The extravaganza came back in full force this year, after having been cancelled last year due to the pandemic. Of the numerous high school bands that marched in this year’s parade, one was the Thundering Mustangs Marching Band from Trabuco Hills High School located in Mission Viejo, California. The group was led by Directors Brad Pollock and Quincy Nguyen.

Instrumental Music Instructor Brad Pollock of Trabuco Hills High School in Mission Viejo, California, led students in their performance at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this year. Photo credit: Trabuco Hills High School.

The Thundering Mustangs were invited to participate in the Macy’s Parade due to their “unorthodox” routines. The students spent countless hours working on a program that broadcast well and engaged the crowd. In addition to their Macy’s honors, the group has brought home the Western Band Association Championship 10 out of 27 years. They performed two years ago at the National Independence Day Parade in Washington, DC.

Brad Pollock became the new Director of Instrumental Music at Trabuco Hills High School in April, 2020. He is originally from Chicago, Illinois, and previously taught music education in Texas and Colorado. For the last 20 years, he served as the Band Director at Nogales High School in La Puente, California. He holds music education and performance degrees from the prestigious Berklee College of Music and Azusa Pacific University.

Trabuco Hills High School music educator Quincy Nguyen has directed the Thundering Mustangs Marching Unit for seven years. Photo credit: Trabuco Hills High School.

This year is Quincy Nguyen’s seventh year as the Marching Band Director for the Trabuco Hills High School Thundering Mustangs Marching Unit. He has been working at Trabuco Hills since the Fall of 1996.

When he was a teenager, Quincy was a student in the Trabuco Hills High School Instrumental Music Program. After graduating high school, Quincy was invited back to be a Marching Instructor.

Quincy attended the University of California, Irvine (UCI), from 1996-2000. In 2000, he graduated cum laude with his Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences and a minor in Management. While at UCI, he was a Golden Key National Honor Society Member and on the Dean’s Honor List for six quarters. In June 2004, Quincy earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration from UCI. During his college years, he was a bass clarinetist for the Saddleback College.

In addition to his work at Trabuco Hills High, Quincy also served as a marching instructor for the Impulse Drum & Drum Bugle Corps. The Corps an Open Class competitive junior drum and bugle corps. Based in Buena Park, California, Impulse performs in Drum Corps International competitions, and garnered World Champion honors in the 2006 DCI Division III World Champion.