Adam Cramsey, a junior at Whitehall High School, has been selected by Bands of America for the national Honor Band in the 2009 Tournament of Roses Parade. Adam Cramsey was selected from among hundreds of applicants across the nation for membership in this prestigious honors ensemble. Adam is the son of Christine Cramsey. His band director is L. Rick Hilborn and percussion instructor is Stephen Roman III. 

The BOA Honor Band is a 300 piece national ensemble with winds, percussion and a flag and dance team.  George N. Parks, Director of the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band, and an All-Star staff will direct the band.  Bands of America is a program of Music for All, one of the nation’s largest and most influential organization’s in support of active music-making. 

Adam Cramsey, a percussionist, will spend a week in southern California, where he will have rehearsals, performances at the Tournament of Roses Bandfest and Disneyland, special activities and a featured appearance in the world-famous parade.  The Tournament of Roses Parade, “America’s New Year’s Celebration,” will kick off at 8 a.m. on New Year’s Day. The 5.5 mile Rose Parade is broadcast Jan. 1, 2009 on ABC, NBC, CBS, Univision, HGTV, Telemundo, Travel Channel, Discovery HD and KTLA in the Los Angeles area.  The Parade is also seen in 28 countries around the world.  Magnificent floral floats, spirited marching bands and talented equestrian units anchor the traditional two-hour spectacle along Pasadena’s famed Colorado Boulevard. 

“To be selected for this unique opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for these students,” says Scott McCormick, Bands of America President and CEO.  “The Tournament of Roses Parade is one of our country’s national pageantry treasures and the 2009 Honor Band members will be ambassadors of America’s bands and of their states and communities.” 

Honor Band director George N. Parks is not only the director of the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band, but also the definitive expert and clinician for America’s drum majors and field commanders who lead and conduct high school and college marching bands.  The Honor Band nationally-recognized teaching staff includes award-winning band directors from Cypress Falls H.S., TX; Etiwanda H.S., CA; Kennesaw Mountain High School, GA; Louisville Male H.S., KY; Marian Catholic H.S., IL; Stephen F. Austin H.S., TX; Tarpon Springs H.S., FL; and the University of Delaware. 

The 2009 band is only the second BOA national marching honor band, the first appearing in the 2005 Rose Parade. 

Music for All is engaged in expanding access to music programs in schools and communities through educational programs, research and advocacy.  This past September, Music for All released the report WITHIN OUR POWER: The Progress, Plight and Promise of Arts Education for Every Child.   Music for All recently launched statewide research projects in New Hampshire and Wisconsin, with more states to be announced soon.  In addition to the BOA Honor Band, Music for All’s annual schedule of programs includes the Music for All Summer Symposium, the Bands of America Grand National Marching Band Championships, Bands of America Regional Marching Band Championships, student leadership workshops and teacher training, and the Music for All Network, a grassroots community, connected through an interactive national network and musical programming, with local chapters based in schools and community organizations.  

Music for All’s efforts are supported through successful sponsorships including current partnerships with National Presenting Sponsor, the Yamaha Corporation of America; Leadership Circle Corporate Sponsor NAMM; Official Uniform Sponsor, Fred J. Miller, Inc.; Official Corporate Sponsor Wenger Corporation; Official Corporate Sponsor, SmartMusicÆ, Corporate Sponsor Remo, Inc., Associate Sponsors Evans Drumheads, Vic Firth, Inc., DANSR, and McCormick’s Enterprises; Preferred Travel Partners, Music Travel Consultants, Super Holiday Tours and New Horizons Tour and Travel.  Music for All is also supported by the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the City of Indianapolis, by the Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission and by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. 

Music for All is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit educational organization, with offices in Indianapolis, Indiana and Warren, New Jersey.