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For the Los Angeles Unified School District All City Honor Marching Band, “band” isn’t just a word: It’s the very act that brought together musical talent from throughout the city to form a student collective worthy of a spot in the Tournament of Roses Parade. And this year’s parade will mark the 40th year since the band defied all odds to wow the crowds on Colorado Boulevard and across the country with their world-class trumpet, trombone, baritone, sousaphone and percussion musicians, not to mention their renowned drum majors.

Before 1972, there was a major obstacle for this band to take part in the Rose Parade: a Tournament of Roses requirement that a student band have at least 100 musicians. Before the Los Angeles Unified became, well, unified, the band could only pull off this feat every other year. But when local school districts combined to become the second-largest school district in the nation, it was the perfect opportunity to bring the best student musicians together to become an annual Rose Parade phenomenon.

“It’s a year-round process getting the band ready,” said Anthony White, visual and performing arts coordinator at the LAUSD. “It’s about more than just the music. It’s about raising public awareness and allowing students to come together and learn from each other, develop leadership skills that will transcend the past.”

The multicultural group drawn from throughout the city enjoys the added benefits of character development and teamwork as they perform venues like Disneyland and the Super Bowl. LAUSD Marching Band directors past and present strive to assure that the program helps develop young people into confident, accomplished adults.

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This year’s Rose Parade will feature 22 bands, with some coming from as far as Japan. But homegrown California bands always seem to hold a special place in parade goers’ hearts. Other local marching bands in this year’s festivities include the Pasadena City College Tournament of Roses Honor Band & Herald Trumpets and the Arcadia High School Marching Band. Together, they’ll ensure that this year’s parade will flaunt some of the most talented marching bands in the world.

Don’t miss your chance to see all of the marching bands at this year’s BandFest Dec. 30 to 31 at Pasadena City College. Tickets are $15 and children under 5 get in free (www.tournamentofroses.com).

Adam Cucurull
Custom Publishing Writer

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