LEXINGTON, Ohio–Lexington junior Micki Hayes will get to spend Christmas in California this year. She said excitedly, “It’ll be my first Christmas where it’s not freezing.”And while the warmer weather conditions for her trip are a nice perk, she’s especially looking forward to marching in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena on Jan. 1.
Hayes, 16, is one of 300 people who will perform in the 2015 Rose Parade with the Cavalcade of Bands. She is the only musician in the state to have achieved this honor.
“This is something that I’ve been dreaming and looking at ever since I was little,” she said.
A multi-instrumentalist, Hayes has been playing piano and flute since she was in fourth grade. She picked up saxophone a couple years ago and “dabbles” in a quite a few other instruments, she said, including mellophone and trumpet.
Within a week of submitting her audition to the Cavalcade band, she discovered she was accepted to play either the flute or saxophone in the parade. She eventually chose alto sax.
Over the summer she traveled to Pennsylvania, where she participated in a two-day training camp with fellow Cavalcade band members. “We had 18-hour days,” she recollected.
At the end of the first day, she was made aware that she will be one of three drum majors who will get to perform in the Band Fest field show at Pasadena City College. The field show is one of a few performances the Cavalcade band will get to perform in during their trip to California.
She said preparing for the performances has been hard work, having to learn songs for both the field show and the parade, in addition to learning all the movements for the seven-mile parade.
“We’re trying to be innovative with everything that we do,” she said. “There are going to be points in the parade where we’re going to be marching backwards, and we’re going to be doing horn flashes and dance on the parade route.”
“We’re trying to take it up another notch.”
Although all of the preparation has been somewhat of a “scary feat,” she noted, “Everyone has the drive and the determination to get things done.” That’s one of the things she’s enjoyed most about her experience so far, she said.
“Getting to together with these awesome people who have the determination and inspiration to go and do something like this has been great,” she said.
Interestingly, one of Hayes’ band directors at Lexington, Rick Ruth, performed in the Rose Parade 30 years ago. “It’s cool ‘cuz he’s taught me ever since I was little,” she said.
Lexington Band Director Kevin Taylor praised Hayes for her work ethic, saying, “She really tries to be the absolute best that she can.”
In addition to her work ethic, she possesses strong leadership qualities, he said.
“She tries her best to help the people around her,” he said. “She’s been a section leader this year, so she’s been in charge of four other saxophone players who were all new marchers, so she had her hands full.”
Hayes is involved in the Lexington High School Jazz Band, Symphonic Band and the Lexington Band of Gold Marching Band. She’s also a member of various honor bands throughout the nation.
She juggles her musical activities with sports in both the winter and spring. She serves as the basketball manager and plays varsity softball. During those busy seasons she said she normally doesn’t leave the school until about 6:30 or 7 p.m., “on a good day,” she noted.
And all of those activities are in addition to the personal practice time she squeezes in during her free time. She said Monday that she would be going to the football field to practice marching drills for the Rose Parade.
She’s flying to California a week earlier than her fellow honor band members to visit with her sister, Tonya Hayes, who lives in California.
Before the parade on Jan. 1, she will meet up with the band on Dec. 28 for rehearsal. The following day the band will perform in the field show at Band Fest.
On Dec. 30, the band will march in a Disneyland Christmas parade. On New Year’s Eve, they will have the opportunity to visit the Getty Museum, the Santa Monica Pier, among other sites.
