Joshua Bell recalls growing up in Los Angeles and watching the Rose Parade on TV, enjoying the bands’ performances and dreaming of one day performing in it himself.
Bell, now president of Fresno State’s Bulldog Marching Band (BMB), is “Turning the Corner” in the 2023 Rose Parade in Pasadena.
“I’ve always wanted to be in the Rose Parade. It was such a fulfilling moment to find out we were going,” Bell said.
Bell shared his journey to such a position while in the middle of a practice session in Fresno State’s music building.
Bell grew up in Los Angeles, surrounded by musically gifted family members.
He grew up singing in the church choir, and picked up his first instrument in third grade — the recorder, like most other students.
In the sixth grade, Bell joined his school’s youth orchestra, trying out several instruments that he said just weren’t a fit.
“I tried the string instruments out, and strings weren’t for me. I tried the trumpet and that was difficult because it was heavy and I walked home,” Bell said.
After continuing to try different instruments such as the saxophone and flute, Bell ended up being handed a clarinet to take home.
“I actually liked it. I ended up coming back to school playing better than the people who actually played the instrument. It was a confidence boost,” Bell said.
However, Bell now plays the sousaphone for the Bulldog Marching Band (BMB).
When it was time to apply for colleges, Bell applied to UCSB, UCLA, and USC.
It wasn’t until Bell was on YouTube and came across the performance of “Wicked” by the BMB in the 18th Annual Sierra Cup Classic at Bulldog Stadium that he became interested in Fresno State.
“I watched that show, and I was like… ‘That’s where I’m going to school.’ I remember immediately going to my portal for my applications and submitting one to Fresno State. I got accepted and I immediately accepted it,” Bell said.
Bell began attending Fresno State in 2017, and describes his time at the university as full of great things despite the pandemic, which had a particular effect on the BMB in the last two years.
“With [COVID-19] musicians and art majors were affected the most. Our major has to be in person, you can’t do an ensemble via Zoom,” Bell said.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic there was no BMB in 2020, meaning concert ensembles were forced to find innovative ways to play and practice.
“We basically just met on this program called ‘SmartMusic,’ and we would be assigned passages to play, and then after those passages, we put together what is like, a virtual ensemble,” Bell said.
“I would record my part, and then Sally would record her part, and then Jimmy would record his part and then they would put everything together. Record it, mix it, master it, and then it’ll become one concert band piece virtually.”
Despite the changes COVID-19 caused Bell to face, the BMB persevered. Now they are getting ready for one of the most important performances to date.
Bell, along with his BMB family, found out they were selected to perform in the 2023 Rose Parade at the Bulldog Stadium directly after the Sierra Cup Classic on Oct. 30, 2021.
“It was a very surreal moment because our show last year was very fast paced. I believe it didn’t go anything under 140 beats a minute, so it’s like, the heart was pumping, and then next thing you know you see on the big TV screen at Bulldog Stadium that we are going to perform in the Rose Parade,” Bell said.
According to the Tournament of Roses website, marching bands are selected based upon a variety of criteria including musicianship, marching ability, uniqueness, entertainment value, and special interest.
Being selected to perform at the Rose Parade is considered a high honor for marching bands, requiring an application process to ensure applicants meet certain criteria.
“To know we were actually selected to be one of the prime focus points of the parade is a really, like, surreal and validating feeling, to say the least,” Bell said.
Regardless of the high stakes, Bell isn’t too nervous, experiencing emotions of excitement and “the good kind of pressure.”
“I know it’s gonna be really fun. I know we’re going to work really hard this next semester, and have a lot of fun with it because I just know that the bar is going to be raised for the BMB from this year and moving on because of this experience,” Bell said.
The 2023 Rose Parade theme is “Turning the Corner,” and for Bell, that means a lot.
“We just want to get back to what normal feels like, like that would be great for us, and I think it’d be great for the BMB because it has hindered a lot of things that we normally do,” Bell said.
After college, Bell hopes to one day become a band director himself.
“I would like to teach an ensemble or conduct an ensemble at a collegiate level. If not I’ll stick with high school. Playing in the Rose Parade with my own high school would be cool,” Bell said.
