Alex Weinzierl got the news over Zoom last year.
Weinzierl, a drum major for Marching Mizzou, was attending the ensemble’s end-of-year banquet virtually, with his family sitting around him. That’s when the announcement came: Marching Mizzou will perform at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City Nov. 24, 2022.
Growing up, it was a tradition for Weinzierl and his family to watch the parade on TV. When the video announced Marching Mizzou was selected to be in the parade, it came as a surprise.
“I was excited,” Weinzierl said. “I had no clue it was coming … and I kind of freaked out a little bit.”
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This will be Marching Mizzou’s first appearance in the Macy’s Parade. Only nine ensembles out of over 100 applicants were chosen to perform. Joining Marching Mizzou at the collegiate level will be Benedict College Marching Tiger Band of Distinction and South Dakota State University’s Pride of the Dakota Marching Band.
During the parade, Marching Mizzou will perform “All I Wanna Do” by Sheryl Crow, an American musician and MU School of Music alum. During her time at MU, Crow was a member of Marching Mizzou.
“With a more than 135-year history, Marching Mizzou has a special legacy as one of the finest and most respected university band programs in the country,” Wesley Whatley, creative producer of music and talent for Macy’s, Inc., said in a news release.
In the past, Marching Mizzou has attended the Bicentennial Inaugural Parade in Jefferson City, the St. Patrick’s Festival Parade in Dublin, Ireland, a slew of SEC bowl games, and most recently Arrowhead Stadium to perform for the Kansas City Chiefs home opener. But according to Weinzierl, what sets the Macy’s Parade apart is the number of people watching.
“Just to know the amount of eyes on us is more than anything we’ve ever experienced in Marching Mizzou here is something that we’re not taking for granted,” Weinzierl said. “We’re working really hard to prepare.”
Marching Mizzou has taken many steps to prepare for the 2.5-mile march across the streets of New York City. Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 4-6 p.m., you can hear the sounds of Marching Mizzou as they rehearse.
Marching Mizzou is one of four college ensembles that has partnered with Marching Health this year. According to Amy M. Knopps, director of athletic bands and associate director of bands, Marching Mizzou is dedicated to increasing activity and cardiovascular health so members can successfully meet the physical demands of the parade.
“We are a part of a specific collegiate Marching Health curriculum that we are helping to pilot across the country,” Knopps said.
This season, Marching Mizzou has grown to its highest capacity in history with 350 members consisting of the band, drum line, feature twirlers, color guard and the Golden Girls. Marching Mizzou has no plans to increase capacity in the future.
“That growth has made [Marching Mizzou] more competitive,” tenor saxophone section leader and senior Nate Beattie said. “There’s a lot of potential because every year since I’ve been a part of Marching Mizzou, the standard has gotten higher and higher.”
Last year, Beattie was given the opportunity to spearhead the “Spot” show for Band 136, which featured Spot, the College of Engineering’s four-legged robot manufactured by Boston Dynamics. Spot joined Marching Mizzou on the field, dancing alongside the Golden Girls and marching with the band.
In addition, Weinzierl said Marching Mizzou has gone from accepting everyone to turning away over 100 people this year.
“I can’t wait to come back in five years, even next year, and just see what Marching Mizzou looks like, because I truly believe that we’re going to be one of the best marching bands,” Weinzierl said.
This year’s Marching Mizzou ensemble is known as Band 137, for its 137-year long history.
Knopps said she has plans through Band 150 as of now and that future ensembles will continue to “March Mizzou Forward,” Marching Mizzou’s play on UM System President Mun Choi’s campus-wide strategy MizzouForward. Even though Marching Mizzou won’t be able to apply for Macy’s again for another five years, Knopps hopes it will be able to participate again in the future.
“Coming off of such a historic year going into another historic year, I’m hopeful that we’ll continue to build on our tradition in Marching Mizzou,” Knopps said. “We’ve obviously grown in our 137 years, and Band 138 will continue to be a part of that history, tradition, and the legacy of Marching Mizzou.”
Edited by Emma Flannery | eflannery@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Kyla Pehr and Jacob Richey | jrichey@themaneater.com
Bob • Oct 6, 2022 at 7:51 pm
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