Pebble Hills High School marching band is El Paso’s first participant in iconic Rose Parade

by Pablo Villa

December 31, 2024

Bailey Cole followed her dad’s musical footsteps, a journey that has led to “the Granddaddy of Them All.”

Cole, a junior at Pebble Hills High School, is a drum major for the 272-member Spartan marching band. The group, which includes musicians, and dance team and color guard members, is preparing for a performance on New Year’s Day at the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. 

The appearance of the Spartan band marks the first time a group from El Paso will participate in the Tournament of Roses parade’s 136-year history, making it a landmark moment for the community and the region. The Rose Parade will step off at 9 a.m. MST and will be broadcast live nationally on ABC, NBC and Univision. It will also be streamed on Fubo, OTT Studio and Pluto TV. The last El Paso-based school to participate in a New Year’s Day bowl game’s parade was Montwood High School’s marching band, which took part in the Orange Bowl Parade in Miami on New Year’s Eve in 1997.

For the 17-year-old Cole, the opportunity to be part of the day’s storied pageantry is bittersweet. Her father once marched in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as a high school student in North Carolina. The shared experience brings a sense of continuity and pride. However, the New Year’s Day march will mark her final performance with the Pebble Hills band, as her military family prepares to move to South Carolina.

“My dad played the trumpet and was a drum major, too,” Cole said. “Now, my grandparents get to see me on TV, just like they saw him. 

“It’s a full-circle moment. It’s a great way to go out,” she said, “but I’ll definitely miss my friends and all the opportunities I’ve had here.”

What: Pebble Hills High School marching band participates in the Tournament of Roses Rose Parade.

When: 9 a.m. MST Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025.

Where: Pasadena, California.

On TV: Broadcast live on ABC, NBC and Univision. Also streamed on Fubo, OTT Studio and Pluto TV.

Of note: It is the first time an El Paso marching band will participate in the Tournament of Roses parade’s 136-year history. The parade precedes the 110th Rose Bowl Game, which will serve as a College Football Playoff quarterfinal pitting the University of Oregon against Ohio State University.

The parade serves as the marquee prelude to the 110th Rose Bowl Game, which also will take place Jan. 1. This year, the game is a College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup featuring the University of Oregon and Ohio State University. The Rose Bowl, held in the historic stadium of the same name, is the nation’s oldest bowl game and has been a cornerstone of the college football postseason since 1902. Famed ABC broadcaster Keith Jackson is credited with coining the term, “the Granddaddy of Them All,” to describe the long-standing renown of the game and its associated pageantry.

Preparations for the Big Stage

The path to Pasadena has been paved with hard work, dedication and a lot of marching, said Maximo Sierra, Pebble Hills band director. The 23-year teaching veteran said the Spartan Band has been practicing rigorously to prepare for the parade’s 5.5-mile route. Rehearsals have included long marching sessions in the El Paso heat and early-morning cold as well as meticulous attention to musical and marching technique.

These training sessions have progressed all while the band continued preparations for football halftime shows, marching competitions and ensemble performances. The immense workload is something that Sierra said the band, along with color guard and dance teams, have conducted with aplomb.

“It’s about maintaining the fundamentals of marching,” Sierra said. “It’s marching the straight line with good posture, nice and tall.”

Along with marching, Sierra said there are some variations that his group is practicing in order to prepare for the Rose Parade. 

“There’s some things that are different,” he said. “There’s going to be nine to each row. So, we have to figure out who we have to put on the ends, who we’re going to put in the middle. We’re just practicing, making sure they get that repetition of marching and playing the pieces we’re playing.”

For their part, the students recognize the weight of taking part in such a significant occasion and say they are approaching their preparation accordingly. 

“We’ve been practicing since July,” Cole said. “There’s always room to improve, so, it’s never a dull moment.” 

For senior color guard and dance team member Sofia Cedillo, the effort has been a collective journey. 

“We’ve grown so much, especially the freshmen who started with no experience. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come,” the 18-year-old Cedillo said. 

Sophia Taylor, 16, a junior percussionist, emphasized the importance of teamwork. 

“It’s about trust,” she said. “Being in a male-dominated section, I had to work hard to earn that trust, but now we’re like a family. We’re all focused on the same goal.”

Socorro Independent School District officials said the district allocated $259,435 from its advancement account to cover transportation and lodging for the six-day excursion. Each student contributed $850 to cover meals, events and other activities. Fundraising efforts included raffles and partnerships with local organizations such as the El Paso Chihuahuas, ensuring that the band could represent the region on a national stage.

Additionally, the Tournament of Roses awarded the Pebble Hills marching band one of its inaugural band grants in November 2024. The grant, part of a $27,600 fund distributed to five marching bands and three individual students, helps offset equipment, preparation and travel expenses for the parade. 

“Marching bands are, and will always be, an essential part of the Rose Parade,” said Ed Morales, the 2025 Tournament of Roses Association President. “We hope these grants help make the road to Pasadena a little smoother for these valued Parade participants.”

“We’re representing our community and our city,” Sierra said. “It’s a big deal, and we want to look and sound our best.”

Of Legacies and Turns

While current band members are thrilled about the opportunity, the milestone has a poignant edge. Seniors from the 2023-24 school year, who played a crucial role in the band’s success and its selection for the Rose Parade, won’t be able to join the performance. Sierra, who has two daughters who are part of the Spartan band — one who graduated from Pebble Hills last year and one who joined the group this year as a freshman — acknowledged the emotional weight of the absence of the band’s previous seniors. 

“We talk about, ‘What do you want to leave behind?’” Sierra said. “Those seniors helped build the foundation for this moment, and even though they’re not marching, they’re part of this achievement.”

Cedillo echoed the sentiment. “It’s a big deal,” she said. “I’m grateful for what those before us have done, and I hope we make them proud.”

One of the Rose Parade’s most famous features is a tight right turn from Orange Grove Boulevard onto W. Colorado Boulevard, a maneuver that challenges even the most experienced marching bands. Each year, network hosts marvel at the ability of various groups and floats to traverse the sharp angle. The Pebble Hills band has taken the challenge in stride, using a bend in the school’s parking lot to simulate the turn.

“It’s all about fundamentals,” Sierra said. “The inside marchers take smaller steps, while the outside ones take larger ones. It’s about maintaining a straight line and good posture.”

For Taylor, the turn has become a point of pride. 

“Even teachers ask us if we’re ready for it,” she said with a laugh. “We’ve got it.”

Cedillo added, “It’s exciting to think about all the people who will be watching, not just in person but on TV. It pushes us to give our best.”

A Career in Music

For Sierra, who has been teaching for 23 years, the Rose Parade is a career highlight. Starting his career at Andress High School in El Paso, Sierra has spent decades cultivating young musicians. His journey to Pebble Hills included stops at Hanks Middle School and Eastlake High School, where he honed his skills and built successful programs.

Sierra has been the only band director in Pebble Hills’ 10-year history. As such, he helped establish the school’s traditions, including composing the school’s fight song, a modern piece inspired by movie and video game scores that stands in contrast to the sampled college fight songs that other schools in the region utilize.

“It’s in a minor key and very different,” he said. “We’re proud of it.”

The group not only marched in the parade but also performed Dec. 29-30 during Bandfest, showcasing their talents in a more traditional setting at Pasadena City College’s Robinson Stadium. 

As the band marches in the Rose Parade, they will play “Best Day of My Life” by American Authors, arranged specifically for the parade’s 2025 theme, “Best Day Ever.” In addition, the band will play “The Horse,” an instrumental song by Cliff Nobles and Company; “Rock and Roll Part 2,” by Gary Glitter; and “Hey! Baby,” by Bruce Channel. Drum cadences will be interspersed between the musical pieces as the Spartans traverse the parade route. 

“It never stops,” Sierra said. “There will be music the entire time.”

Reflecting on the journey to Pasadena – a year-long process that involved meticulous essays, interviews and assessments of the band through video submissions –  Sierra emphasized the broader impact of the experience. 

“It’s not just about music,” he said. “It’s about representing our community, learning discipline and creating memories that will last a lifetime.”

Ivan Niño, the newly elected city representative for District 5, which includes Pebble Hills High School, also lauded the band’s accomplishments. 

“Any moment that we could empower others in our community is extremely important because my love for this community, being from El Paso, it’s exciting to see others succeed,” he said. “The Pebble Hills marching band’s commitment to this art form makes me hopeful for the future. They have the dedication, drive and push needed to be great leaders now and in the years ahead.”

Niño described the band’s upcoming performance as a win for both District 5 and the entirety of El Paso. 

“El Paso gets to be in the national spotlight, and what better way than with a group of young leaders here in District 5 representing us?” he added. “It’s a huge accomplishment, and it’s a huge win for El Paso as a whole.”

Cole, meanwhile, is already thinking about the legacy she hopes to leave behind. 

“I want people to remember how hard we worked to make this happen,” she said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and we’re making history.”