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| Sophomore Charley Gillette qualified to perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade on Nov. 25. |
Drummer performs in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
More than 44 million people watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on television, and millions more crowd the Manhattan streets to watch the parade live. One of the more popular features of the parade is Macy’s Great American Marching Band, made up of the top high school marching band students across the country.
 Sophomore Charley Gillette has been selected out of thousands of high school students to play in the Great American Marching Band, along with around 200 other musicians and more than 50 color guard members and dancers.
Gillette has been playing snare for seven or eight years, about the same time that he first began playing percussion. One of Gillette's favorite parts of being involved in music is the people.
"I've made some of my best friends through drumming, and I'll have those friends for the rest of my life," he said.
Gillette will meet many new people and possibly new friends during the next few days as preparations for the Thanksgiving Day Parade begin. During the trip, the group will visit various tourist attractions throughout New York City and spend much of their time rehearsing their already-memorized music for the parade.
"I'm pretty excited about the whole thing," said Gillette. "I've never been to New York City, so I have a feeling it's going to be really cool just seeing all the landmarks and stuff."
The band is highly selective, with only a small percentage of its performers coming from each state. Hopefuls must make a video audition showing their skills and submit a written application.
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will air Nov. 25 at 9 a.m.
Story by sophomore Chelsea Visser
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