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| 12/15/2008 3:54:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| Ben Mehlan, a 2008 PBL High School graduate, will perform in the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day. It is the highlight so far of his musical career, he says. |
| | If you watch ... | The Tournament of Roses Parade will appear on ABC, CBS and NBC at 10 a.m. (Central Standard Time). Ben Mehlan will be in a group of band members wearing red, white and blue uniforms behind a Sesame Street float.
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PBL grad invited to perform in Tournament of Roses Parade
Will Brumleve
Editor
Ben Mehlan has a lot of experience with music - he has written his own pieces, won numerous awards at PBL High School and is playing in three bands at Parkland College today.
However, this 19-year-old prospective music teacher from a family full of musicians said his latest accomplishment stands out the most.
"I will be able to tell my kids someday when the Rose Parade's on, 'I marched in that,'" Mehlan said. "It's amazing to think about, and I'm really, really excited."
Mehlan, a Paxton resident and 2008 PBL High School graduate, beat out hundreds of applicants across the nation for a spot in the prestigious Bands of America Honor Band, which will perform in the 2009 Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year's Day in Pasadena, Calif.
Mehlan was among only 16 students from Illinois selected.
"To be selected for this unique opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for these students," said Scott McCormick, president and CEO of Music for All, a non-profit organization that oversees the Honor Band each year.
For Mehlan, performing in the Rose Parade is his proudest accomplishment because "of how big of a deal it is to make it into a band like this," he said.
"I say that also because ... I will be going into music education, so any chance to perform, to make myself a better musician, any chance to get exposure, to get experience, to learn from esteemed people that most people won't get to learn from, I would say this is an experience I won't ever forget," Mehlan said.
Mehlan, the son of Jane Mehlan and the late Keith Mehlan, had to audition for a spot in the honor band, which is a 300-piece national ensemble with winds, percussion and a flag and dance team - all under the direction of University of Massachusetts band director George N. Parks.
Mehlan found out in late November he was going to go to the parade. He had actually bought plane tickets without knowing if he had made it.
"It was a gamble that ended up paying off," said Mehlan. "I would say it takes a degree of confidence to do something like that, but I suppose the only reason I felt totally safe about it is because I bought flight insurance from Priceline and I knew if I didn't make it I could get that back."
Mehlan said he is leaving Paxton at 1:30 a.m. Dec. 27 so he can catch a flight at 6 a.m.
Once in southern California, Mehlan and the other students selected will have rehearsals, as well as performances at the Tournament of Roses Bandfest and Disneyland, special activities and a featured appearance in the world-famous parade.
In his free time, Mehlan expects to see the Los Angeles area, a place he has never been before.
"We're going to get a guided tour of Los Angeles, of Beverly Hills, Hollywood, on one of our days to relax," Mehlan said.
"Other than that, my plans are their plans."
The 5.5-mile parade kicks off at 10 a.m. (Central Standard Time) Jan. 1 and will be broadcasted on channels including ABC, NBC and CBS, to name a few.
Mehlan said people will notice when the Honor Band, wearing red, white and blue uniforms, hits the television screen.
"I think our size and our sound will be significantly different, and I think it will be obvious when we hit the TV screen," Mehlan said. "I think it will be a huge wall of people and sound, and I think we'll be really impressive."
Mehlan said the Honor Band will be directly behind a Sesame Street float and will be wrapped around three floats.
Fellow PBL graduates Devin Bergman, Tim Knilands and Linsey Belanger, all members of the Marching Illini, performed in the parade with the UI's band last year, when the Illini made an appearance in the Rose Bowl.
Mehlan said he is not nervous about memorizing the music for the parade on such a short notice.
"I'm actually not nervous about the music, because I know that I was accepted into this band for a reason, and I know I'm going to be surrounded by people just like myself who are talented and can get this done - and get it done well," Mehlan said. "I think this band will be naturally wrap itself out into a family and I think this band will work together to get everything ready to go for the parade."
Mehlan, who has lived in Paxton for 10 years and is originally from the Washington, D.C. area, was "very involved" with the band program at PBL High School, where he played French horn, trumpet and tenor saxophone.
"It's kind of funny since I'm not playing any of those in the Rose Parade," said Mehlan, who will play tuba in the parade.
From a family full of musicians, Mehlan plays "quite a few" instruments.
"I stopped trying to count," he said with a laugh.
At PBL, Mehlan received several awards for his musical ability, including a special award as a senior. In 2008, he was one of three to win the award, which is usually given to just one student.
"It's a very special award to me," he said.
Other musical accomplishments include: making the Illinois Music Educator's Association all-district band for three years; playing in many musical pit bands; and playing many things on many instruments.
"I've written music; I rewrote a tuba euphonium quartet my dad wrote and re-arranged it with saxophones and with three others performed it at a contest last year. We got one point away from a perfect score," Mehlan said. "We performed it at the PBL Awards Concert that year."
Currently, Mehlan is playing in the Parkland College orchestra, the college's wind ensemble and concert band. He also directs a Paxton Church of Christ band in Paxton that will be performing a Christmas concert Sunday, Dec. 21.
Music will certainly be in Mehlan's future. He plans to attend Illinois State University next year to get his bachelor's degree in music education, and after that he is considering three schools for his master's degree, also in music education - Northwestern, Miami-Florida and a music school in Austria.
Mehlan's late father was a "huge influence" on his decision to seek a career in music.
"Rewriting that first quartet really, really helped spark that I definitely wanted to do music ed," Mehlan said. "After I rewrote that, it was like there was no question."
Mehlan's father was in the Navy band in Washington, D.C., for many years, Mehlan said. "At the time, he had the only established tuba euphonium quartet in any military band, and they worked together really well and released a CD," Mehlan said.
Mehlan also credited PBL High School band director Tim Hess for getting him excited about music.
"Undoubtedly, he definitely lit a fire underneath me at the end of my sophomore year," Mehlan said. "He influenced me to take off and kind of go crazy with all the instruments like I did. I have no idea how much I would have done if it weren't for that."
Mehlan has been playing instruments "for as long as I can remember."
"The first instrument I picked up was piano, and I stopped playing for many years before I picked it up again at the end of 2006," Mehlan said.
Mehlan's younger sister, Julianna, 11, a PBL sixth-grader, also is involved in music. She plays piano and flute, concentrating on oboe and tenor saxophone. Also, Mehlan's older brother, Chris, 22, a PBL graduate, was a drummer for many years.
Mehlan is still recovering from knee surgery as he prepares for the parade - which he said is just one more obstacle to overcome.
"They have training videos online for everybody to get in shape, so I'll just have to do a little more," Mehlan said.
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