The sights and sounds of the UMass Marching Band and Concert Band come together with practice and dedication from the students. However, the leadership comes straight from the hands of their director George N. Parks.

This is Park’s first job, and has been for 28 years.

Two days after finishing his graduate studies program, Parks interviewed and was appointed the director of a 350 person marching band. For George Parks, music has been an ever-present part of his life. Parks says his high school band director, Mr. Rehberg was a great influence on him.

“He was a great teacher and mentor. He put me on the track to become what I am today,” Parks said.

Parks played the tuba and went on to study music education and tuba performance in his undergraduate career at the University of Delaware and graduate career at Northwestern University.

Parks led the Bands of America Honor Band, which performed in the 2005 Tournament of Roses Parade this past New Year’s Day. An annual event since 1890, the two-and-a-half-hour spectacular of 50 floats, 26 equestrian groups, and 25 marching bands puts all other parades in the shade. As Parks says, “For college basketball, it’s the Final Four; for pro football, it’s the Super Bowl; for bands, it’s the Rose Parade.”

The Honor Band is made up of a select 330 high school students from 206 different schools and 42 states.

“They were excellent players and I enjoyed being involved with kids of that caliber,” he said.

Parks works with Bands of America, specifically their Summer Leadership Programs, which is why they chose him to lead the Honor Band during the parade.

For the better part of 2004, Parks was involved in preparing the band to perform in front of millions of spectators and millions more through television, “To have the Honor Band on National Television and to hear UMass announced too was amazing,” he said.

Parks took the students through a five-day “crash course” where they learned the parade route, worked on playing as an ensemble and playing together. A week in advance they received the music so that they were able to play when they traveled to California; they also were sent videos that demonstrated the basic moves and styles to follow. Parks and ten or so band members made the video last summer.

Working with students for so many years Parks has come to realize that it takes a great deal from both him and the students to make a great marching band.

“I expect a very high effort, and they put so much into playing well,” he said.

Jen Warner, a UMass junior who has been playing flute in the marching band since freshman year says that, “He lives and breathes marching band. He is inspirational, energetic, and he loves what he does.” Parks brings a sense of honesty to conducting and expects the same from his students. But for Parks it is all in how you say it, “You would much rather be destroyed by false praise, and to be real honest I would rather give false praise. Brutal honesty is important but it is all about tone. You need good tone to play in and conduct a band,” he says.

“Parks has been recognized as an astounding band leader,” says UMass News Spokesperson Ed Blaguszewski. “From the university’s point of view Parks is one of the most effective, enthusiastic, and visible ambassador for the university.”

Parks has won many awards for his dedication. These awards include the Massachusetts Conductor of the Year Award and the University’s own Chancellor’s Medal for Distinguished Service.

“You show people that you’re good, you don’t say it,” he said.