I ended up not sleeping at all last night. I actually packed my bag a day early for once in my life — mainly because I had gotten the dates mixed up — but that’s beside the point. I didn’t sleep because I was afraid I’d miss our call time of 2 a.m., since at 8 a.m., Morgan State University’s Magnificent Marching Machine (M3) was leaving for California to play in the 2026 Tournament of Roses Parade.

I had my friend Charlotte Odiase, a senior music major and flute player, pick me up from my dorm, The Enolia, since I wasn’t coming back to Baltimore after our trip — so I wouldn’t be able to pick my car up from Murphy Fine Arts Center. We went to get a super early breakfast, picked up our other friend from the flute section, Amen Ra (a sophomore bio‑engineering major), and then we were off to Murphy.

The band got our per diem, loaded the charter buses, and left for BWI Airport. This was my first time ever riding on a charter plane — which the band got for this special event — and I even got a seat to myself, so this trip had already started off on a great note!

We arrived in LAX to warm weather and clear skies. The band then loaded the charter buses provided by the travel company and headed straight to a four‑hour open rehearsal at John Muir High School. Afterwards, we went to our hotel in Anaheim, California, ate dinner provided by Grueninger Music Tours (GMT), and then went to bed to prepare for our early morning.

Monday, December 29, 2025 — Day 2

Today was Band Fest! We woke up at 7 a.m. and loaded the buses to take group and solo pictures for the Tournament of Roses. We were given complimentary burgers from In‑N‑Out, then went straight to Pasadena City College to perform our halftime show and compete against other bands performing in the Tournament of Roses.

Band Fest was pretty fun! I feel like M3 did a wonderful job. This was the last time we would ever perform that show, which was bittersweet. This was also the first time we got to see any of the other bands in person, and I especially enjoyed seeing the band from Mexico, the Delfines Marching Band, with all their beautiful uniforms. We got to say hello to some of the other bands afterwards and take pictures with them!

Tuesday, December 30, 2025 — Day 3

This was one of my favorite days of the whole trip! We were originally supposed to wake up early and take a tour of downtown LA and Hollywood, but they let us stay in and rest instead — which was a nice change.

We did a small parade around Disneyland’s Main Street. I was so focused on performing well that I don’t remember most of the performance, but I’m sure we did a great job. After our very short performance, we spent the rest of the day in the park! I hung out all day with Charlotte and Amen Ra. We rode a lot of rides, including Pirates of the Caribbean (our least favorite) and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (our most anticipated). The drop was terrifying but very fun. We also ate lots of good food — my highlight was trying this apple pie churro dip. It was genuinely life‑changing.

Wednesday, December 31, 2025 — Day 4

I was so tired all day today. Granted, I had a pretty late night at Disney, so it was completely my fault. We had a final two‑hour rehearsal today, practicing corner turns for the parade route tomorrow.

After this, they took us to Universal Studios Hollywood. I’ve never been a big fan of this park, especially because I don’t love roller coasters, but I was excited nonetheless. It was slightly drizzling the entire time we were there, but I still had fun. I got to go on one of my favorite rides, Jurassic World, and saw the new Super Nintendo World, which was beautiful. We left the park around 6 p.m. to get lots of rest for our big day tomorrow.

Thursday, January 1, 2026 — Day 5

Today is the big day!

We woke up at 4 a.m., got dressed in our uniforms, had a small breakfast, and loaded the buses to get to Green Street and Orange Grove Blvd., where the parade starts. The staff handed out ponchos to keep our uniforms from getting wet.

There was a jittery air throughout the band — a mix of excitement and nervousness. I felt very nervous. My piccolo had been acting up a little the past few days, so I was hoping it would work fine during the parade. We lined up in our nine‑man front and headed to the designated warming‑up area.

The piccolo section was pretty worried about all the rain since our instruments aren’t meant to get wet. But when we reached the corner, the rain slowed down significantly. We were told to take off our ponchos, then the drum majors blew the whistle, and we started our 5.5‑mile march.

We began the parade with the classic M3 song Groove 2, then switched to a loop of American Voyage — our mashup of Fantastic Voyage and American Boy — once we got to the famous TV Corner, known as the most recorded spot on the entire route. After about 15–20 minutes of that, we played the rest of our set list: Roses, Do It, and Please Don’t Stop the Music.

The band measured our progress through the parade by laps around a track, since that’s how we conditioned ourselves beforehand — 22 laps around the track was equivalent to the length of the parade. By the time we hit lap 20, I was pretty tired and ready for the parade to be over.

On that final stretch, the whole vibe within the band changed — it felt like everyone became extremely determined to make it to the end. When the drum majors blew the four‑whistle pattern signaling the finish, we all were so excited.

I was tired, hungry, and proud! All nine piccolos made it to the very end. We did a group hug, then went to the buses to drop off our instruments before we were given our complimentary In‑N‑Out burgers. I was even handed a special 2026 Rose Bowl In‑N‑Out pin.

We hung out and ate at a park next to the parade route with all the other bands. Many M3 members traded their M3 Rose Bowl‑specific merchandise for other bands’ merchandise — like sombreros, ball caps, jackets, and even a director’s Rose Bowl ring.

On the way back to the hotel, we made a quick stop in downtown LA to make up for the cancelled tour earlier in the week. Once back at the hotel, I threw on some comfortable clothes and went down to the hotel’s hot tub with Charlotte and our friend from the piccolo section, Adrianna Santiago, a junior nursing major. Later, the travel company hosted a congratulatory dinner for the band and staff.