BV’s Del Hubers to march in Macy’s Parade

Before families gather at their Thanksgiving Day dinner tables later this month, many will come together in front of their television sets to take in an iconic holiday tradition: The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Along with the ginormous cartoon balloons, bands and parade units carrying celebrities and the like, Brandon Valley residents may also spy a familiar face: BV fifth-grade band director, Del Hubers.

Hubers, now in his 39th year of teaching – 26 of those years at Brandon Valley – will be one of 400 band directors from across the country to be recognized for his extraordinary dedication and accomplishments as a public-school band director. 

The “Saluting America’s Band Directors” parade entry will convey its theme – “America’s band directors: We teach music. We teach life.” – as they march and play their way through the 2.5-mile parade route. These professionals not only teach and direct music, they teach about life itself.

Hubers said the group will be the second band on the parade route.

“This is an amazing and humbling experience to march as a representative in honor of all band directors around the country,” said Hubers, who will be playing one of 36 sousaphones (tubas) in the 400-member band.

The band will be directed by nationally known music educator and innovative band director Jon Waters.

The sponsoring organization behind the “Saluting America’s Band Directors” project is the Michael D. Sewell Memorial Foundation, based in Pickerington, Ohio. The foundation was created to recognize and carry on the work of the late Mike Sewell, who dedicated his life to the school and community music programs in Pickerington and Central Ohio area for almost 40 years.

Hubers learned a year ago that he would be marching in the Macy’s Day Parade this year. The fifth-grade band director said he was surprised to be selected.

“I don’t do high school band, and those of us that do fifth-grade band don’t get the accolades. We don’t go to competitions or have any trophies, and we only give a few concerts a year,” he said. 

Hubers, however, has certainly been a champion in the field of instrumental music education, which likely weighed heavily in his selection. To date, he’s commissioned five published new music pieces for young bands, has debuted 13 new works by his BV fifth-grade bands, and has seven more new works commissioned to be performed this spring.

“It’s really exciting to see how we’re on the cutting edge of it all and other schools and programs are going to benefit from what we’re doing here. It’s just a way for me to give back to the band community in the band world,” he said. “And it’s exciting for me to be able to encourage that next generation of educators.”

Along with commissioning new pieces for young musicians, Hubers also established a music education scholarship at Brandon Valley. Five scholarships have since be awarded to BVHS seniors who chose to pursue music education degrees. Hubers is proud to say the scholarship’s very first recipient gave her senior music recital at South Dakota State University last month.

He recently presented two different sessions at the South Dakota Music Educators Association Conference and  served as the guest clinician/director at the Canton Beginning Band Camp in November of 2022,. He’s also served as the guest conductor at the Region 1 Honor Band Festival in Gayville-Volin last April. This January, he will be the guest conductor/clinician at the Northwest Iowa Sixth-Grade Honor Band Festival in Sioux City, where one of the new works he had commissioned, will be featured.

Hubers gets great satisfaction from seeing band students of all levels excel in the craftl He cited the growing number of Brandon Valley musicians in both middle and high school that have been selected to their respective All-State bands.

“It’s really satisfying to see where the kids go after they receive a solid foundation here,” he said. “I get the satisfaction from knowing that they’ve had a solid foundation here at the beginning level, which sets them up for that success later on.”

He also credits sixth-grade band director Laura Schenk in that respect.

Hubers was encouraged to apply by retired Brookings band director, Ron Stary. He’s learned that between 700 to 800 band directors applied.

The last time the Brandon Valley band director marched in a parade was in his college days.

“It’s been a long time,” he admits. “I think I’m going to be more worried about marching than playing.”

As Thanksgiving Day draws closer, Hubers said his excitement to be part of a Thanksgiving tradition is growing. He’ll depart for New York on Nov. 19 and take part in rehearsals Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The group of band directors have also been scheduled to play at a late-hour wreath laying ceremony at Ground Zero.

“We’ll be playing the National Anthem, Amazing Grace and Taps,” he said.

Time has also been set aside for an afternoon of sight-seeing, a Rockettes show and a Thanksgiving banquet on Tuesday evening.

“We’re not going to do it on Wednesday, because Thursday our call time is 1:30 a.m. We’ve got to get our tails ready to get in the lineup and practice in the TV lineup where we will do a standstill performance,” he said. “We get to do a little bit of sightseeing, but it’s really not like a vacation by any means. It’s pretty regimented

The parade steps off at 8 a.m. Central Time.

“It’s just a neat feeling to be selected and to be surrounded by that many other music educators, because we’re all in it for the kids,” Hubers said. “I am just really thrilled and a little nervous, but humbled to represent America’s band directors, music educators.”