Trent Woolard is an 18-year-old high school senior and accomplished tuba player. As a member of the Daviess County High School Marching Band, Concert Band, Jazz Band, and Indoor Winds, it is easy to see that Trent is passionate about music.
He has also participated in the DCHS Teen Leadership Conference and National Honor Society. Karen Alward, former DCHS band director, gave Trent the idea to audition for the Macy’s Great American Marching Band at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. He thought it would be a fun and interesting opportunity, so he began practicing.
For three months, he practiced 90 minutes a day in preparation for his video audition. To punctuate his final year of high school band, Trent submitted the audition video in March 2019. The video included a prepared solo piece demonstrating his technical proficiency, tone quality, and overall musicianship. He also submitted a video demonstrating his marching proficiency.
In April 2019, he received the honor of a place in the 93rd Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with the Great American Marching Band on NBC.
Trent spent the first week of November in New York City with the DCHS band, then left again for NYC on Saturday, November 23 to begin practices with the Great American Marching Band. The band staff and section instructors for the Great American Marching Band includes renowned university band faculty from around the country.
Trent’s experience included seeing notable parts of the Big Apple and a six-night stay at a first-class hotel. Trent also got a tour of the city, a trip through Madison Square Garden, a Broadway musical, a visit to the theater district, and of course, a stop at Times Square.
On Thursday, November 28, Trent performed with the Macy’s Great American Marching Band alongside 184 other high school musicians and 40 dancers. Beginning at Central Park and ending at Macy’s Herald Square, the band marched between gigantic, colorful balloons and grandiose floats. Close to 3 million spectators watched in-person and over 50 million others watched via NBC on Thanksgiving morning.
Trent’s mother, Summer Woolard, couldn’t be prouder. “Trent is a very responsible, caring, dedicated young man, and gives 110% to his studies and to the band,” she shared. “His determination to succeed has made this opportunity a reality. We are very proud of him.”
Even though Trent does not plan to pursue music as a career, he still plans to play tuba next year at the University of Kentucky, where he plans to major in Civil Engineering.
