By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
As director of the 475-member BGSU Falcon Marching Band, Jon Waters has no qualms about leading a massive music machine. But a band consisting of 350 band directors? Well that poses some unique challenges.
“My biggest fear was – here are 350 Type A personalities used to being in charge,” Waters said Friday as he prepared for his third stint as leader of the band leaders band.
Waters set the ground rules when the band first performed in the Rose Parade in 2022. He made it clear that as band members their role was to play music and march. He would handle all the logistics.
“I told them, you’re a kid in band again. Just play your instrument and have fun,” he said.
That worked.
“This is a bucket list item for so many band leaders – to get to be a kid again in band,” Waters said. “And to do it in the biggest, best parade.”
Waters has reprised his role as leader of the band in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City in 2023. He will repeat his role in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, on New Year’s Day 2026, leading band directors from all 50 states, Canada and South America.
The band members teach music in middle schools, high schools and universities. They range from just out of college to post retirement, and everywhere in between.
“It’s very competitive,” Waters said of the selection process for the marching band members. He estimated 900 applied for the 350 openings.
Just getting a spot in the line-up for the televised parade is also a challenge – with just 14 bands selected for the Rose Parade.
“They wanted us back,” he said. “They could have asked anybody around the country.”
The band leaders bear much in common, according to Waters.
“We speak the same language,” he said. “They are the music men and the music women in their communities. They were there when students first opened their instrument cases. It’s a really magical thing.”
The Band Directors Marching Band was formed in honor of Mike Sewell, a band director from Pickerington, who served as a mentor to Waters and many other musicians who went on to become band directors.
Signing up for the marching band means some serious work – even for experienced band leaders. They were sent the music earlier this year so they no longer needed it when New Year’s rolled around.
“We expect them to memorize it like their students,” Waters said, adding that doing so “gives them street-cred” with their students back at home.
Then there’s the physical challenge of marching the length of the 5.5-mile parade.
“They’ve been getting in their steps,” on treadmills or around their neighborhoods, Waters said. “It’s a long parade.”
The Rose Bowl Parade begins at 11 a.m., with the band leaders dressed in their bright red blazers appearing about midway in the line-up.
Waters’ appearance in the 2026 parade comes as the BGSU Falcon Marching Band was selected to perform in the 2027 Rose Parade, following a highly competitive vetting process. Bands are chosen based on various criteria, including musicianship, marching ability, uniqueness, entertainment value or special interest.
The Falcon band has also traveled to Dublin, Ireland, where it performed in the 2025 St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
The internationally watched Rose Parade will be available for viewing starting at 11 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2026, on Toledo’s ABC and NBC affiliates as well as streaming platforms like Fubo and Pluto TV.
