When freshman flutist Ethan Bowe saw auditions were open for a solo in the marching band show, he thought, “Why not?”
He got the part. And now Bowe will be one of more than 200 students marching in the 137th annual Rose Parade with the Greendale High School marching band. The ensemble will also perform its field show during a separate competition known as Bandfest at Pasadena City College’s stadium.
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Nearly 900 students attend the high school south of Milwaukee. Almost a quarter are in the marching band. They practice every weekday during class and also on Tuesday evenings, sometimes in unwelcoming conditions.
“It’s been cold. It’s been wet,” Bowe said. “But under all that, it’s fun, and it’s just cool being able to do it.”
This won’t be Greendale’s first time on national television. The band previously performed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in 2016 and 2023 as well as in the 2020 Rose Parade.
Band director Tom Reifenburg has led the group to 20 consecutive state championship titles. Reifenburg says everything has ramped up for the Rose Parade since they finished the competition and football seasons. Most of the practices involve marching in a parade formation and playing NSYNC’s 2000 hit “Bye, Bye, Bye.”
“You’re never offstage,” Reifenburg said. “It’s 5.5 miles, two hours or so that you have to be on the entire time.”
The road to Los Angeles also calls for fundraising tens of thousands for the trip. Donations from Greendale and around Wisconsin have helped ensure each student is able to participate.
“We put a little bit of ‘On, Wisconsin!’ at the end of the song that we’re playing on the parade route,” Reifenburg said. “So if people catch that, we love representing our state.”
Not everyone in the marching band plays an instrument. Some spin and flip flags in the color guard. Others sing, like sophomore Clara Svoboda. Reifenburg met Svoboda when she performed in a musical at the high school.
“Mr. Reifenberg played piano in the pit for a show that (we) did,” Svoboda said. “Then he reached out to me after that and said, ‘I like your voice. Can we talk about adding you into the band show?’”
The show this year is called “Snow Angel.” It incorporates songs from the movie “Frozen,” with classical pieces and Beyonce’s 2009 single “Halo.” The young vocalist says she’s nervous when performing.
“But I just have to take a deep breath and go,” Svoboda said.
The Rose Parade happens before college football’s Rose Bowl and runs from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. Central time on Jan. 1.
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