LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Three South Plains educators will march in Thursday’s Rose Parade as part of the Band Directors Marching Band, which recognizes their dedication and achievements.
Morton band director Darryl Schwierjohn, Hale Center assistant band director Erin Hanson and Hale Center elementary music teacher and former band director Robert Frick will perform alongside band directors from across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“So much fun. That’s probably the best part of it, is you just feel like you get to be a kid again,” Hanson said.
This marks the third parade for Schwierjohn, who recalled his first experience in Pasadena.
“Considering that the parade is six and a half miles long, it was an experience to be ready for something that I hadn’t done in a long time,” Schwierjohn said.
The veteran educator said the experience allows directors to connect with colleagues from different regions.
“You get to meet people from all over the United States that you’ve never met before and get different perspectives on how band is different in different states and how people teach. And also learn that band directors are just as talkative as their students,” Schwierjohn said.
Schwierjohn met Hanson two years ago while both marched in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Now they will march together again in the clarinet section, while Frick will perform with the tubas.
“I think one of the biggest things that band directors would regret if they regretted anything was that they don’t get to perform or play their instrument in a group as much as they used to be able to,” Frick said.
Hanson said her students have shown excitement about her participation.
“Our students have been really excited and have been asking a lot of questions. Like, now, when is it? And where are you going? And what, what’s that music you’re practicing? And, you know, so things like that, just leading up to it, they’re, they’re excited for us,” Hanson said.
Schwierjohn says getting to don his band uniform once again is a good reminder that a love of music, and performing it, can last a lifetime.
“One of the things I always mention to my students is, while you can play sports, you don’t see 60-year-old people who are in the NBA or the NFL. But you can play music all the way through your life. I mean, we have people in the band who are first-year teachers through teachers who have retired and are still doing it and still playing. And so it’s a lifelong journey,” Schwierjohn said.
The Rose Bowl Parade will air on KCBD NewsChannel 11 from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday.
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