AMHERST[1] — By Thanksgiving afternoon it was all over but the bus ride for 393 members of the University of Massachusetts[2] Minuteman Marching Band. Still, as they returned from their gig at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade[3] , many of them held on to memories that will last forever.
“It was amazing, unbelievable,” said drum major Jake Balcanoff before running out of adjectives. “It went by quicker than I thought. It was really cool to see everything.”
What the band saw was what millions of viewers see on television every year, except that it was up close and personal. From the floats to the lip-synched Broadway numbers, the Macy’s parade is a tradition in many an American household.
The UMass band was one of 11 that marched in the parade, and the only one from New England. It was also one of two college bands on the venue.
Senior Hillary Bylicki, a 21-year-old clarinetist from Ludlow, said the group made its way to New York on Tuesday and got to do some sightseeing before being served Thanksgiving dinner at their hotel. The lead-up was just a taste of the excitement the band felt from being in the parade.
“It was surreal,” Bylicki said. “I didn’t know what to expect. It was incredible to be part of it.”
The band played briefly in front of the department store as part of its 2.5-mile tour of New York. Its repertoire included the UMass fight song, aptly named “Fight UMass,” and “God Bless America.”
The most uncomfortable part of the experience, band members said, was waiting their turn to perform in the cold. Fortunately, band parents had purchased hand- and seat-warmers for just such an eventuality.
“At first it was really cold, but once we got moving it was a lot warmer,” said Balcanoff.
Despite their musical duties, the band got to appreciate the floats and balloons up close, Bylicki said.
The UMass band has played at three presidential inaugurations. In 1998, it won the Louis C. Sudler trophy, which honors the top collegiate band in the country. Still, with an estimated 3.5 million people watching along the route and 50 million more at home, Macy’s is its biggest gig to date.
"In a word, it was 'spectacular,' " said band director Tim Anderson. "It was even better than we dreamed it would have gone."
Anderson said his personal highlight was playing the UMass fight song just as the band happened to pass a contingent from UMass along the parade route.
"People got so excited," he said "It was like clockwork."
References
- ^ AMHERST (topics.masslive.com)
- ^ University of Massachusetts (topics.masslive.com)
- ^ Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (www.masslive.com)
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