Director of Bands Dr. Bert Johnson led his students from Lincoln Way High School (Frankfort, Illinois) in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this year. Photo credit: Lincoln Way East Music Department.

Watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade has become an important tradition in many American homes during the Thanksgiving holiday. After having been cancelled due to the pandemic last year, this year’s festivities featured amazing performances from several outstanding marching bands from around the country. One of them was the Lincoln Way High School Band from Frankfort, Illinois, under the direction of Band director Dr. Bert Johnson.

Bert’s award-winning band is comprised of students from across the Lincoln Way High School District 210. The group garnered the Illinois Marching Band Championships Class 6A Champion and Grand Champion. They also earned a Bands of America (BOA)  Regional and Super Regional Finalist and a participant in the 2019 Tournament of Roses Parade.

Bert earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education in 1999. He earned his Master’s degree in Educational Administration from the University of Michigan in 2007. In 2015, he completed his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy at Loyola University, Chicago. In addition, he also holds both a principal’s and superintendent’s licenses for the state of Illinois.

Bert Johnson is a member of the National Association for Music Education (NAFME), the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA), the Jazz Educators Network (JEN), and the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA). He has served as Jazz Division Chair for the ILMEA District 1 schools and is member of the Advisory Council for the Music Educators Development Division (MEDD) for ILMEA. In addition, this accomplished educator is a regular presenter for ILMEA. He most recently presented at the NAFME national conference regarding “evaluation and accountability in the music classroom.” He has been selected as a Golden Apple Nominee twice, and in 2007 he received the Illinois Jaycees award for the the “Top Ten Outstanding Young People of Illinois.”

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.

Centerville High School Director of Bands Brandon Barrometti will lead his students in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade later today. Photo credit: Centerville High School.

Like many people around the country, I’ll be watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade later today. At least six marching bands comprised of high school students will be performing in the parade. One of these is the Centerville Jazz Band from Centerville High School in Dayton, Ohio, performing under the leadership of Director of Bands Brandon Barrometti.

Brandon has worked at Centerville High since 2007. Prior to teaching in Centerville, he was the Assistant Band Director at Stephen F. Austin High School in Sugar Land, Texas. He taught there from 2005-2007.  While at Austin High, he participated in the 2006 Music for All National Concert Band Festival with the SFA Honors Band.

Brandon earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He earned his Master’s degree in Music Education and Conducting from the University of Houston. He was also involved with The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps for nine seasons from 1999-2007. During his time as a marching member (1999-2002), he was named the Corps’ Rookie of the Year, the Steve Brubaker Scholarship Recipient, and the Cavalier of the Year. In addition, he was the Drum Major for the 2002 Corps. As a brass instructor (2003-2007), he was a part of a team of educators and mentors who are recognized as having a profound impact on the drum corps activity. The Cavaliers were named the Drum Corps International World Champions 5-times during his marching and teaching career (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, & 2006), and received the Jim Ott Award for High Brass Performance twice (2002 & 2006) .

Brandon is a member of the Ohio Music Education Association, the Texas Music Education Association, and the National Association for Music Education. He is also an alumni member of Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity.

For his work with young people, Brandon has earned many awards. In 2010, he garnered the Black and Gold Award of Excellence by his peers at CHS. He was also inducted into the Centerville Education Foundation Hall of Fame in 2017.

There’s plenty of excitement in the air as parade fans get ready for the return of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade festivities tomorrow. The parade was cancelled last year due to the pandemic. Among the young people scheduled to march in the parade this year are the Marching Bulldogs from Brownsburg High School in Brownsburg, Indiana. These capable student musicians will perform under the leadership of three Band Directors: Tracy Runyon, Chris Kaflik, and John Marque.

Every year, several hundred bands from across the country apply to appear in the parade. The selection process is rigorous. Each band must submit a resume, a list of staff and band accomplishments, a video performance, and three recommendations from other band directors. “We are not only representing Brownsburg,” says Tracy Runyon, “but also the whole state, as we are the only band in Indiana who will be performing.”

Tracy, Chris, and John will be escorting the entire band to New York City. This includes 205 students, 20 staff members, in addition to parents, siblings, other relatives and friends. This brings the grand total to 465 people heading to the Big Apple.

Brownsburg High School Instructors, from left to right, John Marque, Tracy Runyon, Chris Kaflik, will lead their student musicians in this year’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Photo credit: Towne Post Network.

Tracy Runyon joined the Brownsburg staff in 1997. He teaches band, jazz band, and marching band, and assists with the middle school bands. Tracy earned his Bachelor’s in Music Education from Indiana State University and his Master’s degree in Music Technology from Indiana University.

Chris Kaflik joined the Brownsburg staff in 2016. He teaches band, color guard, jazz band, and marching band, and assists with the middle school bands. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Ball State University.

John Marque joined the Brownsburg staff in 2016. He teaches percussion grades 6  through 12, jazz band, concert band, percussion ensemble, and marching band. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from Miami University in Ohio, and his Master’s degree in Music with an emphasis in Jazz Studies from Indiana University.

Stephen A. Howard, Director of Bands for the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders in Austin, Texas, will lead his “Marching Stars” in the 2021 Thanksgiving Day Parade. Photo credit: the Ann Richards School.

Like many people, I make it a tradition to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thanksgiving Day. The parade will make a triumphant return this year, after having been cancelled last year due to the pandemic. For me, one of the highlights of the annual event is watching the young people from all over the country as they perform in a variety of high school marching bands. This year, the marching band from Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders in Austin, Texas, under the leadership of Stephen A. Howard will perform in the parade.

The Ann Richards School is a public all-girls school in the Austin Independent School District that serves grades 6-12. The school’s “Marching Stars” are the nation’s only all-female Marching Band. Under Stephen’s leadership, the Marching Stars have been named a Bands Of  America (B)A) Regional Class Champion four times. In addition, the Ann Richards Color Guard program has earned accolades in the Texas Color Guard Circuit, including being named the 2017 Scholastic Novice Champion, the 2018 Scholastic Regional A Bronze Medalist, and the 2019 Scholastic AA Silver Medalist.

Prior to working at the Ann Richards School, Stephen was an Associate Director of Bands at James Bowie High School in Austin, Texas. At Bowie, he earned Division 1 ratings with the Freshman Wind Ensemble and Concert Band, and Wind Ensembles 2 and 3. The Bowie High School Outdoor Performing Ensemble also garnered success during Stephen’s tenure, being named a UIL 5A State Finalist in 2008, 2010, and 2012, a Grand National Finalist in 2009 and 2012, and a consistent BOA Regional Class Champion and Super Regional Finalist. His Winter Guards competed at the Texas Color Guard Circuit State Championships, where both the JV and Varsity teams were named class champions in 2014. The Varsity team went on to appear in the Scholastic Open Class Finals at the WGI World Championships.

For his work with young musicians, Stephen has earned many impressive honors. In 2015, he was awarded the Randy Julia Service Award from TCGC. In 2018, Mr. Howard was recognized as an Educator of Excellence by the Young Women’s Preparatory Network. He is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, the Texas Bandmasters Association, the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, and is an active adjudicator in the Marching Band and Winter Guard world. He is a past President of the Texas Color Guard Circuit.

Stephen is a native of Richmond, Virginia. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music from Radford University in Radford, Virginia, where he concentrated in both Instrumental and Vocal Music Education. He earned his Master’s degree in Music from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, where he studied Instrumental Conducting.