Monmouth County Woman Will Lead Rutgers Band In Macy's Parade

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Look closely if you plan to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade this Thursday. That's because not only will the Rutgers University marching band perform in the parade for the very first time, but a young woman from Monmouth County will be at the very front.

Amelia Ainbinder, 23, from Middletown, will lead the Rutgers Marching Scarlet Knights. She is a drum major, so that means she stands at the front of the band and keeps tempo.

Ainbinder is a fifth-year senior at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers-New Brunswick. This Thursday, it will be up to her to lead the band in lockstep and correct formation down Fifth Avenue.

“When I found out we were going to get to play in the parade, I literally collapsed. I was so excited,” said Ainbinder.

Look for the Rutgers marching band to be placed somewhere between Snoopy and Santa Claus. The parade attracts an in-person crowd of 3.5 million, with another 27 million people watching from the comfort of their couches on Thanksgiving Day.

In only a few short days, this young woman from Middletown will step onto the biggest stage of her life.

“It’s always been such a big part of Thanksgiving for my family, and to think, I’m going to be in it. My family is going to watch me in the parade?! It’s insanity," she said.

Like many of her fellow bandmates, Ainbinder has been preparing for this day since elementary school. She's been playing the clarinet since fourth grade and marching in bands since eighth grade.

She said the 360 members of the Rutgers marching band have been practicing for weeks. This Thursday, they will wake up hours before dawn to make the ride from New Brunswick to Manhattan and line up on the famous parade route.

Touchingly, marching in the Macy's parade will be one of Ainbinder's final performances with the Rutgers marching band, as she will graduate this spring.

Ainbinder first arrived at Rutgers to study physics. But performing at the college level made her realize music is her passion.

“Marching band just scratches the right itch in my brain. Everything has to be so timed, specific, organized and methodical, and I just love that aspect of it,” she said. “It has to be so precise — the act of memorizing the music to the drill, lining all that up, seeing how it’s all connected and building that big picture — there is something so satisfying about it.”

She is about to complete a double degree in music education and music performance. Ainbinder plans to become a teacher and marching band director, so she can share her love of music with the next generation.

“Being a drum major has deepened my love of the band and made me more excited to officially step into the role of being an educator,” she said. “It’s an amazing experience to watch everyone learn and grow, and to know you helped make that happen.”

'Hard to put into words how much this means' to Rutgers students: Band director

This is the first time in the Rutgers marching band's 108-year history that they have been invited to perform in the Macy's parade.

Band director Todd Nichols said the students are “beyond pumped,” for their Macy’s debut and ready to “show the country the amazing things they do.”

“I call it a bucket list event. It really is once in a lifetime,” said Nichols, who doubled the size of the band since taking the helm. “This is the first time ever: first for the school, first for the band, first for me. It's really hard to put into words how much this means to me and our band family.”

What's interesting is the Rutgers marching band takes everyone; no student is ever turned away.

"There's a place musically for everybody here. The sky is the limit," said assistant band director Julia Baumanis.

Watch Ainbinder be interviewed on camera:

The 2023 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will will air from 8:30 a.m. to noon this Thursday in all time zones. Tune in and watch!

This story was written and submitted by Lisa Intrabartola/Rutgers University media communications