Marmion Academy musician accepted into the 2023 Macy's Great American Marching Band

Marmion Academy junior and talented trumpeter Thomas Chapski of Elgin was selected to join the 2023 Macy's Great American Marching Band for the 97th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The band is comprised of the most elite student musicians across the United States.

Chapski will be one of 185 musicians, along with 40 flags and dancers taking part in the parade.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is internationally recognized as the official start of the holiday season and world famous as a uniquely American entertainment extravaganza.

The prestigious band will once again take an honor position among the gigantic helium balloons, impressive floats carrying celebrities, and the nation's top marching bands.

The band will step off from Central Park and will be cheered on by the 3 million spectators lining the parade route.

Arriving at Macy's Herald Square, the Band will perform for celebrity hosts, a grandstand audience, and more than 50 million TV viewers watching the broadcast live on NBC.

The band is under the direction of Richard Good, a director of bands at Auburn University, along with percussion director Doug Rosener, associate director of bands at Auburn University; color guard instructor Bart Woodley, director of operations and sponsor relations at Winter Guard International Sport of the Arts; and dance instructor Kailene Laga, head coach of the Montclair State University Dance Team.

Several talented music educators from across the country assist the band's music staff, serving as section instructors for the winds and percussion, as well as teaching the music and Herald Square drill & parade formation.