Macy's Great American Marching Band

Macy's Great American Marching Band comprises the top high school music students from every state in the union. Directed by Dr. Richard Good of Auburn University and hosted by Music Festivals, this group marches annually in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, usually as vanguard in front of the parade's NYPD Highway Patrol motorcycle escort, making its premier in the parade's 80th Anniversary. It is open to all students grades 9-12 through auditions and/or special invitation based on participation in noteworthy programs such as a state's All State Honors Festival or the George N. Parks Drum Major Academy at West Chester University, supported by Vivace Productions. Directors who have conducted the band include Barry L. Houser of the Marching Illini.