Brock Persson is the Todd County School District band director. Ron Stary has retired from full-time teaching, having led bands in Brookings, S.D., and Montevideo, Minn., and now teaches part-time in Watertown. The Watertown Public Opinion recently covered his participation in the Rose Parade.

The Band Directors Marching Band was made up of more than 200 individuals from 50 states and Mexico. The Showmanship Award-winning parade entry’s theme was, “America’s Band Directors: We teach music. We teach life” and made parade history as the first Rose Parade entry consisting of both a float and a marching band together. It was also the parade’s first known marching band in which all members were band directors.

“You hear of Hall of Fame coaches and athletes, you have All Star games for sports; you don't usually find an All Star ensemble of musicians from all 50 states and Mexico,” Persson said. “To quote a fellow band director, John Cisetti, ‘the band makes me strong.’ I was proud to represent my students, my community, Todd County School District, and the state of South Dakota.”

Since much of band directors’ work focuses on preparing students for concerts and recitals, Persson said it was energizing to join colleagues in picking up their own instruments and playing his sousaphone.

“This project reconfirmed my belief that music changes lives,” Stary said. “It makes us better humans, better thinkers, better contributors to society, and has provided me with a great career and life for my family.”

Stary said a mother of a former student recently told him that her son had called from graduate school during a difficult time to tell her, ‘Thank you for making me stick with band.’ The young man could see how the discipline and perseverance made him more successful at grad school, where he is pursuing an advanced degree in engineering.

The band performed several pieces of music for the Rose Parade and other area performances, including the Band Fest at Pasadena Community College. These included a special arrangement of Meredith Willson’s “Seventy-Six Trombones” by Lisa Galvin called “Salute to America’s Music Makers,” “The Stars and Stripes Forever” by John Philip Sousa, “Strike Up the Band” by George Gershwin, and “Sing, Sing, Sing” by Louis Prima.

The float featured flower tributes and memorials to participating directors’ mentors and directors who have passed away. The directors participated in service projects, including a book drive, and got to meet distinguished band directors Alfred Watkins and James Swearingen.

“The experience also gives us a larger support system nationwide,” Persson said. “We now know new people to talk to for literature advice, equipment advice, and about the overall wellbeing of individuals.”

Persson enjoyed seeing new landscapes, with seemingly endless miles of twisting highways, large buildings, landmarks including Warner Bros., Walt Disney Animation Studios, Santa Monica Boulevard, and cities like Ventura and Pasadena.

Band members were selected by a committee of the Michael D. Sewell Memorial Foundation. The foundation is based in Pickerington, Ohio, and was the sponsoring organization behind the project. The foundation was created to recognize and carry on the work of the late Mike Sewell, who dedicated his life to the school and community music programs in Pickerington and the Central Ohio area for more than 38 years. More information about the event can be found on the Saluting America's Band Directors website.