It will be a holiday to remember for three teens from the Morrisdale area, who are getting ready for their big debut in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
A few girls at West Branch High School are counting down the days until their big trip to New York City.
They were inspired by a former student who went to the same parade twice.
“There was a West Branch alumna, Jordyn Andrews, who auditioned her junior year when she was in West Branch, and that kind of just started it for us,” says flute player Kasey Smeal.
“They asked me for music that they could learn for their audition, but it was all done of their own. They did their own videos,” says band/chorus teacher Jennifer Sproull.
The teacher didn’t even know a third 16-year-old was entering until she got an excited text message.
“We had to pick a song and audition off of it and just send it in and they picked us,” says clarinet player Vanessa Dale.
“On their website, they had an audition form that you get to fill out and then you put your YouTube link and then they watch them,” says color guard/flag twirler Megan Coval.
The whole experience, including prepping for the parade, takes about a week, and the band teacher has been reading up in a chaperone guide booklet about what to expect.
“We’re going to practice a lot for the parade and we get to do things like see a show on Broadway and we get to go to the 9/11 museum,” says Smeal.
They’ll be in new jersey to meet other members of the Music Festivals honor band from around the country, getting ready for the big march through the streets of Manhattan.
“We have practices to learn the routines and for it to all come together. We get to go sightseeing,” says Coval.
“I’m pretty pumped,” says Dale.
Sproull says it cost each girl about $1,500, and she’s also paying a fee as a chaperone, but she expects the experience to be well worth it.
“They’re three hard-working young ladies, so they’re very deserving of going,” says Sproull.
If you want to see them during the parade, watch for the Macy’s Great American Marching Band.
