Sonic Boom of the South invited to participate in the Rose Parade

Photo by: Iyana Reeves

Ashley Flewellen
Staff Writer

The Jackson State University Sonic Boom of the South has been invited to participate in the Tournament of the Rose Parade on Jan. 1, 2025.

The Boom is recognized as the heart and soul of Dirty South by many. From their famous drumline ‘War and Thunder” to their unique performances on the football field that always begin with their signature song, “Get Ready”, this band has been known as one of the top historically black college and university bands.

The Rose Parade is a tremendous opportunity and people from all around the world gather to celebrate New Year’s in Pasadena, Calif. Millions of people across the world watch the parade on ABC, NBC, Hallmark Channel and Univision, and it will also be streamed on Peacock Network in 2025.

The parade has four entries: floral ornamented, corporation, non-profit organization, and band group. Roderick Little, Ph.D., the director of the band and an assistant professor of music and JSU alumnus.

Little said, “I feel great because it’s an opportunity for students to travel and typically students would not have an opportunity to travel on the west coast. As well, this will place our program more on a national stage because millions of people will view it and more. The exposure for the program is monumental for us and I am ecstatic.”

Little also expressed his gratitude for the opportunity and appreciation for the recognition of an HBCU on this level of performance.

“I am a bit perturbed by how long it has been to recognize HBCU programs. What took so long? Some may say it’s better late than never,” said Little. “The reason I feel this is happening is because it brings notoriety to events, not that other selected programs don’t, but HBCU programs bring a different type of swagger that you can’t get from other band programs. I feel they recognize the energy and showmanship we bring to the parade and they want to be a part of it.”

Many students, particularly those in the band, are ecstatic about this huge opportunity. Gregory Harper, a junior music education major who plays the clarinet for the Boom expressed his pride at being a part of such a large event.

Harper stated, “It means a lot to be invited to the Rose Parade because it validates the hard work that we as band students and our band staff put in every week.”

Harper continued: “This event will help me grow musically because it will help my endurance. This is supposed to be a long parade so being able to play and march for a long period of time like that will require us to work on our conditioning ability to play while marching.”

Daijah Amaker, who also plays clarinet and is a graduate student studying music education, discussed how being a part of such a large event adds to the band’s legacy. 

“This opportunity will continue the band’s legacy by making an impact on the new audience across the country. The current members of Jackson State will leave a great legacy by marching on one of the biggest platforms in the nation. Due to the growth of this band program, the level of musicality and the recognition that Dr. Little received as a band director, I think Jackson State can be known across the globe,” said Amaker.

The Rose Parade recently has been incorporating HBCU bands as part of the parade. Some of the HBCU bands who have participated in the parade are Southern University, Norfolk State University, Mississippi Valley State University, and Alabama State University.