The Hampton University Marching Force band will show off the school’s signature sound to more than 53 million people next year.
The band received word of its selection to participate in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2020 during an assembly Monday morning.
Director Thomas Jones gathered much of the band — some were preparing for finals — for what he called an end-of-term celebration. After a brief performance in the student center, he came clean.
“I have a confession to make,” Jones said. “I haven’t been completely honest with you.”
He introduced his band to Susan Tercero, executive producer of the parade, who lauded its performance before getting to the gist of her visit.
“I represent an organization that goes across the country looking for the finest marching bands in the land,” she said. “Did I come to the right place? …
“For the first time, Hampton University will represent the state of Virginia and perform in New York City for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2020,” she said to a mix of shocked faces, cheers, applause and, likely, several tears.
The band capped off the news with a cheer of the signature “Let’s have a parade” that will kick off the 94th parade next year, along with another performance and streams of confetti.
The Marching Force, which will grow to more than 200 members next year, will be one of nine bands performing and one of two universities represented. Tercero said applications numbered over 100.
Jones has been at HU for about a year and a half, and during that time the band has participated in the 16th Annual Honda Battle of the Bands and will participate in the 2020 Rome New Year’s Day Parade in Italy.
He’s participated in the Thanksgiving Day Parade twice before with the Brooklyn Steppers in 2005 and North Carolina A&T State University in 2012.
The parade will be broadcast to over 50 million people, Jones said, with another 3.5 million lining the two-mile parade route.
The next 18 months will be spent figuring out how to maximize the minute or so they’ll be shown to the audience. Music will be carefully selected to help the band and dancers move quickly along the parade route. A mock grid of the Herald Square area will be used for practice.
It’s all about making the most of the opportunity, Jones said.
“A lot of students in high school and college, they dream of going to big parades like this, being seen on TV,” Jones said. “It’s one of those things growing up, you see that every Thanksgiving, you sit down with your family.
“Very rarely do students get a chance to be like that could be me. For them, it’s going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”