Band directors ready for Rose Bowl

NORWALK — The motto of the group speaks volumes. "We Teach Music. We Teach Life." Those six words grace the letterhead of all mailings from the Saluting America's Band Directors office, based in Pickerington. That group will form up for a third national appearance, this one at the 2026 Rose Bowl festivities on Jan. 1 in Pasadena, Calif. Two area band directors, Edison's Denise Reilly, now retired, and Western Reserve band director Mary Ana Hicks, have been invited to participate in events both before and after they march with the 800-member group in the nearly seven-mile Rose Bowl Parade trek. John Cisetti, also a retired band director whose 40-year career was spent at the small community of Louisburg, Kan., is the assistant to the parade band director of the group. He is also the media contact person, just one of the many positions he holds in the Sewell Foundation since he took his band to the parade in 2018. Cisetti retired one year later, and then became active in the Foundation. After marching and playing in the two previous appearances of the group, he will be riding on the group's float on New Year's Day. Cisetti speaks highly of Reilly. "Once again, Denise is at the forefront in our group based on her continuing interest in our projects and continuing goals," he said. "She has an outstanding resume. Her passion is our mission." Cisetti said Reilly will be among those performing on Dec. 31 at Bandfest, and then the day after the New Year's Parade, at Floatfest on Jan. 2. There is also a ceremony on Dec. 31, which Cisetti described similar to a wreath-laying performance the band participated in at the 9/11 memorial in New York City in 2023. "Denise was one of the featured trumpet players at the event," he said. "The event this year on the 31st will be to honor those who suffered from the wildfires and those who responded to them earlier this year in the Los Angeles area. "This event will take place either at Altadena (one of the fire-ravaged cities) or at the Rose Bowl Stadium. She again will be part of that ceremony, just as she was at every national event this group has taken part in." Reilly, 64, a Pearl Harbor baby, is married with two children, a daughter, Rachel, who is married with three daughters, and a son, Ryan, who is married with one daughter. Both Rachel and Ryan were in the band room with their mother at Edison High School. Ryan is now the music teacher at Hillsboro. Her daughter is a science teacher at Pickerington. Reilly taught music at Edison for 35 years, and before that, four years at Huron. Reilly, who retired from Edison two years ago, stays in music at the local level. She is presently the music director at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Peru, where she has been involved in one capacity or another since the fifth grade. Reilly became the director of the church group when she was at Heidelberg University in Tiffin. The family home was on Settlement Rd., just a half-mile from the church. She is also active in the Norwalk Elk's Club, where she was a past Exalted Ruler and more recently served with Becky Parcher in the area of youth activities and drug awareness. "It is a nice transition this year to doing things at my leisure," she said. "Forty years of Friday night football at Edison to Friday nights off is quite a change." It was by word of mouth from other area band directors that Reilly got involved with the Sewell Foundation and its events. "It was quite a challenge at first, marching and playing the trumpet with this group," Reilly said. "Then, add the long trips and the extended parade-route treks, and you have to have some reservations when you are 64 years old. "But when my husband, Nick, and I made that first trip, we knew we had the "right stuff' to make it a lifelong investment. And with the Ohio group swelling to near 60 former band directors, we have a solid contingent stepping out on the parade route." Hicks, from nearby Western Reserve, will be Reilly's roommate and be in the next seat on their 6:40 a.m. flight out of Cleveland on Dec. 28. They will be rooming together at the Winston in downtown Los Angeles, that being the headquarters of the nearly 600-member group that includes the retired members and present band directors. The two will catch a nap on the plane and be ready for their first practice that evening in LA. "We will be staying an extra day to join a pep band group for what is called Float Fest, where we play in an area where all the floats are on display," she said. "We then fly back home on the 2nd." Any reservations about being able to march a 5 1/2-mile parade route? "Well its actually 7.2 miles by the time you get done," Reilly said. "Marching and walking, I can do that all day long. Marching, walking, and playing memorized music have always been a challenge. "But in the end, they have pushed me to being a better music player. It made me appreciate what my kids have done all these years." The Westin is 40 minutes from the parade route. Buses will take the musicians to that point. That includes some 500 music teachers playing in the group, so that's at least 10 full buses alone. "I am so excited over the trip," Reilly said. "Being able to play in front of John Watters will be a real honor. He is an amazing music teacher and band director. He had my son at Heidelberg. "He is now at Bowling Green, where he directs a 470-member band. His band will be in the Rose Bowl next year." Hicks, 44, has been at Western Reserve for nine years. She was previously at Vermilion and also at Sandusky for three years as a music teacher. Married with three sons, a 16-year-old and 13-year-old twins, she, like Reilly, has had them in her band room throughout their high school years. "I was at the Macy's Parade at the New York event in 2023 with Denise, spending five days there, including time at the Plaza," Hicks said. "We are good pals and travel well together. It was a perfect fit to do the Pasadena trip together." Hicks will play the baritone in the Pasadena parade. Is she hesitant about making that long a march? "The legs will probably be fine, but carrying the instrument that distance will be a challenge because of a recent arm injury," she said. "It will all work out." And the length of the parade route plus the instrument carrying and playing can be a problem, one Cisetti stresses. "We stress-walk," he said. "We walk in prepping for the event, and walk while carrying your instrument. The parade route is 10,000 steps. You don't have to practice with 10,000 steps, but just realize that's how far it is. "And walk to the Sousa march tempo. Just daily practice will give you the confidence of being able to do the job when you get here." The Rose Bowl matchup this season is again part of the College Football Playoff and features No. 1 Indiana University against No. 9 Alabama.