CGHS Marching Band Prepares for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
History Credited for the 2014 Macy’s Parade Bid
By Tonja Talley
Pictures provided by John Simon
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade proudly links itself with family tradition. The mere mention of the parade brings back memories that span 87 years. Generations have been captivated through the decades by the sights and sounds of floats bursting with color, skyscraper-tall character balloons, flamboyant Broadway entertainers and prestigious bands from around the nation. Even the youngest of generations scream with glee at the arrival of Santa Claus.
For Kevin Schuessler, the words, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, have long represented something more than a tradition. The Center Grove music department chairperson says the Macy’s Parade has been a dream for him, a goal for his marching band to achieve.
During the final spring band concert performance of the 2012-2013 school year, Schuessler’s dream started evolving into reality. Wesley Whatley, creative director for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, flew to Indianapolis to attend the Center Grove performance. He brought with him an invitation to perform in the 2014 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “The Center Grove High School Band program continues to prove itself over and over as a program committed to excellence both on and off the field. We look forward to having the talented band bring excitement and joy to millions on Thanksgiving morning!”
When asked how the band won the bid, Schuessler credited the history of the band’s quality. “Established in the mid-70s, Tom Dirks, former director of the band, had a great vision for quality, and he built the program from the grassroots. [This quality] has been in our fiber for the last 30 some odd years now.”
A large application pool of 175 entrants competed for the 2014 parade’s 10 marching band slots. According to Josh Torres, percussion director for Center Grove, what the finalists needed to possess and portray to the Macy’s Parade Band Committee (MPBC) was some kind of uniqueness. “Center Grove could easily do this by pointing to its history.”
The Trojan band’s history includes championship wins at both the state and national levels. Torres also mentioned performances at top events, such as the Fiesta Bowl Parade, the Indianapolis 500 Festival Parade, the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the 2012 Super Bowl Halftime Show with Madonna, to name a few. “By packaging these events together, we could show the MPBC that Center Grove can go on the national stage and be successful with what we do.”
The application process also required a video of the band performing a routine. Schuessler and his team decided to use the video of the final performance from the 2012 Bands of America Grand National Championships. The production entitled, “The Guardians,” brought Center Grove a ninth place finish nationally.
Schuessler enjoys performances orchestrated in unique ways. “I love leaving the audience questioning our productions,” said Schuessler with a mischievous smile on his face. The 2012 production was no exception. According to French lore, gargoyles protect those that they guard from any evil or harmful spirits. According to senior drum major Megan Mann, in “The Guardians,” the Color Guard utilized ladders and costumes to represent gargoyle statues beautifully. As the story unfolds, these statues transform themselves into real gothic birds. They “fly” in and out of the group (the band) in an attempt to guard them from evil. However, a struggle breaks out, and in the end, the group turns into statues themselves.
The Trojan band’s efforts have placed them in excellent standings but not without a lot of practice behind the scenes. Every May, a brand new season begins for the marching band. The future high school freshmen join the band in a two-week practice session. “For the Color Guard, we teach the techniques of marching, basic flag handling and slowly work on the delivery of choreographed and memorized drills,” said senior Emma Kevlin. “For me, practices average out to be 20 hours a week.”
Two weeks before the new school year starts, the members of the band return to practice from 9 am to 5 pm each Monday through Friday. Once school begins, the practice schedule changes to approximately three hours a night with performances on the weekends.
The band members work slowly and meticulously in practice. They memorize an average of 96 sets for one production. “We first start off memorizing the choreographed sets of the piece and then bring in the memorized music,” said junior Chris Crowder. “As drum major, I act as a conductor to let band members know which set we are practicing.”
The fiber of this marching band stems from their hard work and dedication as a team. “What amazes me is we are a band of approximately 140 members,” Crowder remarked. “Yet we can perform in front of a crowd of 100,000 and compete with bands twice our size.”
The history of quality lives on.
Tonja Talley has called Center Grove home since 1993. An 11-year bi-lateral lung transplant survivor, Tonja enjoys speaking on behalf of the Indiana Organ Procurement Organization. She also volunteers for the CF Foundation, byTavi, and her church.
