What does it take to be a musician? Is it the time and sacrifice put into music or natural talent? Being a musician takes a lot more than most people think. Musicians pour their heart and soul into their passion, they sacrifice so much to become great yet not all of them can be great.

“In order to play at the top levels, it is extremely difficult and it takes more dedication and more time than most people would be willing to give,” Ellie Simon (11) said.

Simon and her fellow bandmates Brooklyn Donohue (11) and Zachary Koepke (12) have impressive opportunities coming up as they have been invited to play at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Simon is also participating in the Rose Bowl Parade on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, Calif.

“I chose to participate in these large parades for the valuable experience they offer, including the unique opportunity to be on national television twice in a short time,” Simon said. “This memorable experience will serve as a great conversation starter for years to come and allows me to collaborate with talented individuals who share my passion for music. Overall, being part of these parades provides an incredible playing experience that goes beyond what is typically found in a high school setting.”

However, there are a lot of challenges with participating in these parades. You have to dedicate more than just time into the music, you have to dedicate your heart to everything revolving around the parades.

“Memorizing music in such a short amount of time was the hardest part about preparing for the parade,” Donohue said. 

“Being in two parades sounds amazing until you realize just how much music you signed up for,” Simon said. “First, I had district auditions that I was focused on for months. The audition was a couple weeks before the Macy’s parade, and I was very excited after the audition was over because that meant that I didn’t have to learn the music anymore. However, I found out that I made it in, which means that I will have to continue to focus on my audition music for state, which will happen the week after I come back from New York. Immediately after the state audition, I have the Rose Bowl parade, and immediately after that parade, I have district band rehearsals. That is a lot of music that I have to practice in such a short amount of time.“

Just one thing Simon loves from being in the marching band is that one moment her freshman year.

“Something that I love about marching is the adrenaline rush. I vividly remember playing a loud note while on the field for the first time my freshman year. It was the first time I had ever played such a high and loud note, and mixing that in while running around on the field gave me butterflies that I couldn’t explain to anyone else, and ever since then it’s just given me the love for marching music throughout the years.”