Rosemount Teen to March in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

This Thanksgiving, Rosemount High School senior Noah Carlson will trade turkey at home for trumpets and trombones in Central Park.

Carlson has been selected to be part of the Macy’s Great American Marching Band, made up of more than 150 high school students from across the country, who will perform in the 98th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

Carlson, 17, plays mellophone in Rosemount High School’s marching band and plays trumpet in the school’s concert band. The mellophone is considered a sort of marching band version of the French horn.

The Macy’s parade first took place in 1924, the second oldest Thanksgiving Day parade in the United States. The parade famously involves massive balloon versions of famous cartoon and movie characters like Snoopy, Spider Man, and SpongeBob SquarePants, along with thousands of costumed performers parading on decorated floats, with music and dance performances from classic acts like the Radio City Rockettes. The parade will be televised nationally on NBC; a reported 28.5 million people tuned in last year.

“I’ve never been to New York City before. It’s going to be really exciting,” Carlson said. “I’m really excited to see all the fall and Thanksgiving energy.”

Carlson has been playing an instrument since fifth grade, when students in the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District were first introduced to the school band program. He chose the trumpet.

“I thought it was such a cool thing,” Carlson said of the trumpet. “I felt pretty great playing it.”

He has continued to play throughout his school career, including jazz band, concert band, pep band and brass band.

In 2022, Carlson joined the Rosemount High School marching band.

When the then-underclassman joined the marching band, he realized the trumpet section was already filled with 24 players. However, the mellophone section had an open space.

Leon Sieve—one of Rosemount High School’s band directors, along with Taylor Eliason, Scott Palmer and Calvin Lipetzky—approached Carlson about his interest. The student was fascinated, but there was a small hold up.

He couldn’t pick a mellophone out of a lineup.

“I didn’t even know what a mellophone was, but I told my band director I’d think about it,” Carlson recalled.

For Sieve, it serves as a perfect example of how Carlson is willing to help other students and learn a new role to help the greater program.

“He is a dedicated, energetic, positive, hard-working person. He is a joy to teach,” said Sieve. “We are delighted that he will have the opportunity to join students across the country in this parade. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

How it happened

Now Carlson is ready to play an instrument he didn’t know existed two years ago in front of an audience of millions. How did it all come together?

Last year, Carlson watched a video of the Macy’s parade and noticed that the marching band included children close to his age. After a Google search, he discovered that the band was made up of high school students who applied for the honor, and the requirements matched his musical experience.

“It didn’t seem too far beyond my abilities. I don’t think I’m the best musician or anything, but I thought it was worth a try,” Carlson said.

He thought about it. Why not try it?

He just had to record a three-minute solo as well as a video of him showing off his marching prowess. However, a small problem appeared.

It was January.

“It was wet, it was cold, it was hard to play and you’re out of step,” Carlson said. “The more takes I had to burn through, the riskier it became for my playing ability. In marching band, we say that the more you play, the worse you feel.”

He tried a few times in the school parking lot, but the video wasn’t his best work. With the first idea a bust, he enlisted the help of assistant administrator Tim Conboy, who volunteered for some school gym space during winter break. Carlson’s friend Cale Bock, a fellow senior in the Rosemount High School marching band, offered to hold the camera.