Rosemount High School's marching band prepares for Tournament of Roses Parade
ROSEMOUNT, Minn. – It's going to be lights, camera, action next month for a Minnesota marching band performing on one of the world's biggest stages.
The band from Rosemount High School will put its talents on display for the world to see at the Tournament of Roses Parade in Los Angeles.
"The anticipation is so big that you don't really know how to prepare for it sometimes," said Grace Brandt, a senior conductor.
Rosemount is one of six high school bands selected for the parade out of hundreds of applicants.
"They support each other. They help each other," said Leon Sieve, one of the band's directors. "There's such a sense of community with them and our parents and our school district."
For Brandt and Jaxon Jones, another senior conductor, the performance will be crowning culminations of careers.
"Even going into marching band as like a ninth grader, I never would've expected it to like go this far," Jones said. "Now that we're here, it's really cool."
Brandt says it's the perfect senior year.
"We're ending with this big bang," she said. "We're on TV with everybody. It's like really exciting."
Marching in the Rose Parade is truly a feat of athleticism.
"It is long," Sieve said. "The parade route is almost 6 miles, so the kids will be playing two-and-a-half hours and marching for two-and-a-half hours straight. That's the endurance part that we have to really work on and get ready."
They'll be ready, because the 235 students aren't just a band. Jones and Brandt both used the word "family" to describe the group.
"We spend so much time together," Brandt said. "Everyone is like closer than just friends are."
This will be Rosemount's second time marching in the Rose Parade. Residents are planning a watch party on Jan. 2.
