INSIDE OUR SCHOOLS
PUSD All Star Band (Photo – Jim Sanfilippo)
Being a member of the Pasadena Unified School District All Star marching band, I represented my community and school as I made the turn onto Colorado Boulevard.
By Lillian Lee Sanfilippo
Rehearsals were weekly and began last summer. I had to consider the commitment when I was asked to be in the band because my junior year would have a large workload. The members of the All Star band are from our four high schools: Blair, Marshall, John Muir and Pasadena High. When I committed, I spent many late nights and early mornings juggling school and band.
The final days
The final days before the parade were taxing and come rain or shine we were at the John Muir High School track playing and marching. The Thursday before the parade the members of the band donned trash bags in the steady rain as we headed onto the track to continue practicing.
We enjoyed the rain and cheered each other on, not minding that our clothes were being soaked.
New Year’s Eve
On New Year’s Eve, we spent the night in the Blair High School gym in order to wake up around 3:00 am. It was a night of fun including karaoke and dramatic skits. Our chaperones, Scott and Angie Uriu (band parents) joined us to make sure we were in our sleeping bags by 9:00 pm.
New Year’s Day
I woke up at 2:00 am to get a headstart but even with extra time, I scrambled to get my uniform and hair ready by the time we left Blair. After we arrived at our spot in the parade line we chatted, took pictures, and tuned our instruments. When we marched down Colorado Blvd., the names of band members and the PUSD schools were shouted out by the crowd. I felt proud and relieved as we ended the parade with In-N-Out Burgers at Victory Park.
Marching in the Rose Parade required dedication and patience and it rewarded me with new friends. I enjoyed representing PUSD schools and my hometown of Pasadena.
> PUSD’s All Star band featured 47 band members, 12 color guard and 12 dancers. The PUSD band made its debut at the Rose Parade for the first time in 16 years.
Lillian Lee Sanfilippo is a Junior at Blair High School and a flutist.
At rehearsal (Photo – Lillian Lee Sanfilippo)
Lillian Lee Sanfilippo, (L) donning a trash bag before going to practice in the rain. (R) In band uniform (Photos courtesy of author)
PUSD’s All Star band featured 47 band members, 12 color guard and 12 dancers (Photo – Scott Uriu)
My cousin drove floats back in the day, she thought it was pretty cool…
Having PUSD in the Rose Parade again is great. For many years the District had a float partly funded by donations from students. Pasadena City College was a part of the school district in its early years. The PCC Bulldog Band was made the official Tournament of Roses band sometime in the 1930’s. Pasadena’s high school band students have often been part of the Tournament of Roses Band. When the college and the high school again became separate schools PCC got the campus and PHS got the Bulldog name. Now the College is a separate district. I marched in the parade five times as part of the Tournament Band: 2 years as a PHS student, 2 as a PCC student, and once as an alumnus.
it’s an experience you’ll never forget! (says a piccolo player who marched in the tournament of roses band (PCC) in 1976) ❤️❤️❤️