Culture
Regional high school band directors selected to march in 2026 Rose Parade
By: WOUB Culture Team
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PASADENA, California (WOUB) – Two Southeast Ohio music educators will represent the region on a national stage when they march in the 2026 Tournament of Roses Parade® on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, CA.
Terry Robb, a retired band director from the Nelsonville-York City School District, and Aaron Backes, band director for the Athens City School District, have been selected to perform with the Band Directors Marching Band, a group of more than 350 current and retired band directors from across North America. The ensemble will accompany a float along the parade’s 5.5-mile route on January 1.
Robb will perform on mellophone, while Backes will play alto saxophone. The band’s participation is part of the Saluting America’s Band Directors project, which highlights the role of music educators under the theme, “America’s band directors: We teach music. We teach life.”
According to the organization, the project aims to recognize the lasting impact band directors have on their students and communities. Collectively, the educators participating in the ensemble have mentored and taught hundreds of thousands of students throughout their careers, shaping not only musicianship but life skills such as discipline, teamwork and leadership.
The Band Directors Marching Band will perform alongside a themed parade float titled “Banding Together,” which honors the students, teachers and communities that support music education through collaboration and shared effort. As part of the project, Saluting America’s Band Directors held an auction allowing a bidder’s school colors to be featured on the uniform of a football player depicted on the float.
Robb won the auction, resulting in the football player’s uniform reflecting the colors of the Nelsonville-York City School District. The uniform will feature brown, white and orange, with “NY” on the front and “BUCKEYES” and the number 75 on the back—symbols intended to represent Nelsonville and Southeast Ohio more broadly.
The band will be directed by nationally recognized music educator Jon Waters, who will lead rehearsals and performances during the group’s time in Pasadena.
Saluting America’s Band Directors is sponsored by the Michael D. Sewell Memorial Foundation, based in Pickerington, OH. The foundation was established to honor the legacy of Mike Sewell, a longtime music educator who dedicated nearly four decades to school and community music programs in Pickerington and throughout Central Ohio.
The Tournament of Roses Parade®, commonly known as the Rose Parade®, is an annual New Year’s Day tradition watched by millions of viewers nationwide and around the world.