It’s still pretty dark outside when the Pure Gold Band begins to gather in the parking lot, brass catching the first hints of an Abilene sunrise. In the center of it all—steady, smiling, and somehow keeping the joy and the discipline in perfect balance—is a young woman who’s been quietly preparing for one of the biggest moments of her life.
This Thanksgiving, Wylie High School senior McKenna Herberg will do something no Wylie student in recent memory has done: march with the Macy’s Great American Marching Band in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
For a girl whose love for music began sitting beside her dad’s old trumpet, it’s still a little unbelievable.
“I don’t think it’ll even feel real,” she said with a grin, imagining the skyscrapers, the balloons, the crowds, and that legendary turn into Herald Square.
A Musician Shaped in Wylie Purple and Gold
You don’t become a Macy’s band member overnight. For McKenna, the journey began back in sixth grade with a trumpet nearly as big as she was.
At the time, she wasn’t sure she loved music. She wasn’t even sure what she was doing. But then came seventh and eighth grade—her first full-band settings, her first moments of hearing all the parts come together, her first taste of what it meant to belong to something bigger.
“That’s when I really started enjoying it,” she said. “Playing in a full band—that’s when it clicked.”
Her dad, Blaze, had played trumpet when he was younger, though he stopped after high school. Her mother, Jaymie, cheered her on from the stands. Her brother, Brayden, now plays in the band, too.
Music may have started at home, but it grew in the halls of Wylie ISD.
To Assistant Band Director and Jazz Director Mrs. Ray, watching McKenna’s growth over the last seven years has been nothing short of remarkable.
“It has been an absolute privilege and honor to watch McKenna grow into the person she is today,” Ray said. “I first met her when she was in 6th grade, and seeing her advance her musicianship and leadership skills has been the biggest reminder of why I do what I do.”
A Drum Major With Heart
If you ask anyone in the Pure Gold Band what makes McKenna special, they won’t start with talent—though she has plenty of that. They’ll start with heart.
“McKenna has always had something special about her,” said Mrs. Ray. “She’s charismatic and funny and kind. She genuinely cares about those around her.”
McKenna agrees that band has shaped her in ways she never expected.
“From freshman year to now, I’m a completely different person, confidence-wise,” she said. “Being a drum major really taught me to value each person in the group—what they’re going through, what they bring. It’s taught me a lot about myself.”
She laughs when she remembers that first climb onto the drum major podium—now second nature, even in a homecoming dress.
“Especially in a big dress,” she said, teasing. “That podium feels a lot smaller.”
The Moment That Changed Everything
When the Macy’s Parade audition window opened in January, McKenna wasted no time. She wanted her shot before the spots filled.
She submitted her videos, held her breath…and waited.
Then, just a few days before spring break, she opened her inbox.
“There it was—this email saying ‘Congratulations, you’ve made it.’ I wasn’t expecting it at all,” she said. “I was so excited.”
She was sitting in the car with her mom, on her way to a trumpet lesson.
The moment didn’t need fireworks. It had everything it needed—surprise, pride, and a mother and daughter sharing a dream.
The Parade Through a Teacher’s Eyes
For Mrs. Ray, the moment was a full-circle miracle. She had marched in the Macy’s Parade for three years as a student herself.
“I felt immense joy and excitement,” she said. “I absolutely loved my time in the Macy’s band, and I hope she loves it just as much as I did.”
Her memories are vivid:
Visiting the 9/11 Memorial
A dinner cruise around the Statue of Liberty
Seeing a Broadway show
Shopping in Times Square
And the 3 a.m. run-through in Herald Square
“That rehearsal lives rent-free in my head,” Ray said. “It was the first time it hit me—‘I’m about to march in THE Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.’”
That’s the world McKenna is stepping into: the early mornings, the sleepless excitement, the energy of thousands cheering along the streets of New York.
Stepping Into the Great American Marching Band
McKenna will be marching with high school students from across the nation as part of the Macy’s Great American Marching Band.
“We just mesh once we get there,” she explained. “We all come with our music memorized. Then we practice a few times and march the parade.”
The idea of stepping into a band of strangers—roommates unknown, friends not yet met—might make some students nervous. McKenna? She’s a little nervous, but mostly excited.
“I don’t know anyone going,” she admitted. “But I’m hoping the friendships I make are what stick with me the longest.”
A Family Trip—and a Full Heart
McKenna’s family will be in New York cheering her on, even if they won’t be able to walk the parade route with her.
For Jaymie, who dreamed of New York as a child, this trip is something of a bucket-list moment.
For Blaze, it’s seeing his daughter carry the musical legacy he started.
And for Brayden, it’s watching his big sister march into history.
Their support—spiritual, emotional, and yes, financial—has meant the world to McKenna.
“They support me in anything I do,” she said. “Something this big—they’ve been so open and excited for me.”
The family even celebrated Thanksgiving early so they could travel.
It’s fitting, really—Thanksgiving coming early in a year that’s given them so much to be thankful for.
Representing Wylie on a National Stage
When McKenna talks about representing Wylie ISD, her voice softens.
“It’s really special,” she said. “I don’t think anyone from Wylie has done it before. It’s such an honor.”
She thinks about the younger Bulldogs—the elementary kids who will watch from couches across Abilene.
What does she hope they see?
“Don’t give up on yourself,” she said. “There will be bad days, bad performances, bad seasons. But you can’t let that define you. You overcome the bad days. You believe in yourself.”
It’s wisdom earned through hours of practice, early mornings, late-night rehearsals, and years of learning not just music—but resilience.
The Heart of a Bulldog
Ask McKenna what Wylie’s spirit is made of, and she won’t hesitate.
“Unified,” she said. “Prideful—not in an arrogant way, but proud to be a part of it. People want to be part of it because they feel the unity.”
She saw it during homecoming, when her name was announced as part of the court.
“That was the biggest honor I’ve experienced in high school,” she said. “The band’s support—it’s the best in the whole school. They cheer for everyone.”
She saw it during area competitions—moments she’ll remember forever—when the band stood together more unified than at any other point in the year.
“It’s being part of something so much bigger than yourself.”
And she’ll carry that unity, and the power of those purple-and-gold years, with her into Manhattan.
Looking Ahead to Thanksgiving Morning
When the parade begins, when the drums echo down the avenues, when the cold air mixes with adrenaline—what does McKenna imagine she’ll feel?
“Joy,” she said simply. “I don’t think it will feel real. Just pure joy.”
She might not spot her family in the crowd.
She might not even fully absorb what’s happening until it’s over.
But she will march with the confidence she’s built, the friendships she’s earned, the leadership she’s grown into, and the community that’s shaped her.
A Moment That Lasts a Lifetime
For McKenna, this experience has already taught her something important:
“That I can do more than I think I can.”
And that lesson—quiet, powerful, enduring—is something she’ll carry far beyond New York.
It’s something she’ll take into college, into adulthood, into any stage or street or parade life puts her on.
It’s something she’ll share with younger Bulldogs who will watch the parade this year and think, “Maybe someday…that could be me.”
A Final Note—Pumpkin Pie and Billy Joel
Before she left the interview, McKenna was asked two last questions.
What Thanksgiving dish would describe this whole experience?
“Pumpkin pie,” she said without hesitation. “I don’t know why—that’s just the first thing I thought of.”
What’s your go-to pump-up music?
“Billy Joel. He always puts you in a good mood.”
Somehow, both answers feel exactly right.
Sweet. Classic. A little nostalgic. Wholesome. Joyful. And full of heart.
Just like McKenna.
Just like Wylie.
And just like those magical Thanksgiving mornings where dreams feel a little bigger and the world feels a little brighter.
(Brother Brayden with McKenna)
