North Texas’ Timber Creek Falcon Band was selected to perform at the Rose Parade. It’s an honor only given to 22 bands around the world.
The Tournament of Roses, or the Rose Parade as it’s more commonly known, is a celebration held in Pasadena, California every year on January 1. The parade takes place before the famous Rose Bowl college football game. It was first held in 1890, making the 2027 parade the 138th in history. It’s something that’s special on its own, but for one North Texas band, the popular televised event will be even sweeter.
The Timber Creek Falcon Band is one of only 22 bands from around the world personally selected to perform at the Tournament of Roses on January 1, 2027. The theme of the upcoming celebration is “Welcome,” and Timber Creek is slated to perform two songs—“Uptown Funk” and “Deep in the Heart of Texas”—if they’re able to clear the songwriting credit approval process in time.
After the announcement was officially made, the Keller ISD band celebrated at the district’s stadium on August 22. Brad McCann, who’s the Band Director for the Timber Creek High School Band, spoke with Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter Fousia Abdullahi about the honor. McCann said of the group, “They come together, and they recognize the community and the importance of music education and all the things that it gives them outside of school that prepares them for the next 40 years of their life, not just their next four years of high school.”
The students are looking forward to performing in California at the beginning of the new year and are grateful to be supported by the people around them as they prepare for the big event. Katherine McGovern told the Star-Telegram, “Our community is just so supportive, especially band staff and all of our friends that we make along the way. We just encourage each other, and it makes it so worth it for all the hard work, all the hot days, that we get to go out and perform and provide entertainment for people.”
Preparation for the upcoming school year, as well as the Rose Parade performance, began in earnest during summer band camp in July. Timber Creek High School Band Parent Association co-president Becca Ford is one of the people who’s championing the band’s success. She said to Abdullahi, “My heart is so full of pride for the work that all these kids do. We’re such a big family, and so especially as the band parent organization, we think of all these kids as our own. As a parent, any time that we see our kids succeed, this is above and beyond anything we could ask for them.”
Some students need financial support to afford the trip to California
The Timber Creek Falcon Band announced the Rose Parade news on its website, writing, “Out of hundreds of applicants nationwide, Timber Creek is the only high school from Texas and one of only five high schools in the entire country chosen to perform — and we earned this incredible honor on our very first application.”
It’s an impressive feat, and the band’s commitment to excellency is something that stuck out to 2026-2027 Tournament of Roses President Terry Madigan. Speaking with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Madigan said, “It’s an amazing opportunity for these kids. The Rose Parade will be seen by 700,000 people in person, and it will be broadcast to 55 million in 60 countries. It’s the largest stage of any parade in the country.”
He added, “For these kids, this is life-changing. It’s a chance for them to be a part of something so much bigger than themselves.” But McCann also noted that some students are struggling with the financial burden of traveling to California for the celebration.
“It’s heartbreaking when we hear that one or two students weren’t able to get the funding to come out to Pasadena. Any help anyone can provide to either sponsor an individual student or give a general donation to the Timber Creek Falcon Band would be much appreciated,” Madigan said.
To help these students, members of the Keller ISD community organized a pop-up event to raise additional funds, but they’re seeking ongoing support from anyone who can and wants to sponsor a student directly. Anyone who’s interested in doing so can find more information here. It’s a kind-hearted thing to do, and Brad McCann said any and all donations are greatly appreciated.
“It’s about the kids, and truly, they’re the ones that earned this trip, we’re just so fortunate that they work so hard,” he said. Being able to make sure they can actually head out to Pasadena would be the best way to acknowledge that hard work and their achievements.
