Phillips to perform in Rose Parade

By Shane Gilreath

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A local educator with the Scott County School District has been awarded the opportunity of a lifetime, putting the abundance of Scott County talent back in the national spotlight. Micah Hughett Phillips, who grew up performing throughout the region in a popular musical family, has been chosen as a member of the Band Directors Marching Band.  The marching band has garnered national relevance through its performances in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and other popular holiday events, but Phillips’  selection will take her to Pasadena, California, and the 2026 Rose Parade, an event that draws nearly a million in-person viewers with millions more watching on televisions across the world. 

“I saw this opportunity online before they performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2023,” Phillips said. “I actually applied, but I was too late. I kept following their updates for the next couple of years, because the email I received said that if you didn’t get to march in the Macy’s parade, you would be considered for the next parade.”  

Phillips’ persistence paid off, though she admitted that the strains of motherhood and other obligations made her hesitate to even apply. Comparable to other young families, Phillips possessed a lot of “mom guilt” over her decision, but family and friends and the overwhelming support of Scott County and her school coworkers helped calm her reluctance.

“Being a mother is my greatest blessing, other than my salvation,” Phillips affirmed. “I wrestled with this decision for two weeks. I prayed about it and felt God pulling me in this direction, but I was still hesitant.”

Admitting that many people in Scott County have inspired her to dream over the years, citing among them her former teacher, Annie Gislason, whom she affectionately calls “Mrs Annie,” Phillips continuously looked for reasons and refuge in her decision.  “I waited until the last day to make a final call on it,” she said.  “A good friend of mine, Hannah Brown, asked me a question. She said, ‘If Eli (Phillips’ young son) had this opportunity, what would you tell him?’. I told her I would tell him to go for it. She simply smiled and said, ‘Okay.’ I know someday, when Eli understands, he will be so proud of me for doing this.”

For her part, Brown said she could see how much Phillips wanted to take the chance fate had granted her.  “I could see that her heart wanted it and sometimes, we let fear take away our dreams,” Brown said.   “I know she’s always been so passionate about music, especially band, so when she was talking about the opportunity and how it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, it seemed like she was being blessed by God to do this.” 

Phillips’ chance to perform in Pasadena may well be a once in a lifetime opportunity, both for the performance itself, the exposure it brings, the message it sends to her students, and the opportunity to rub elbows with her peers across North America who represent the best of the best.  That was, after all, important element of its foundations.  Saluting America’s Band Directors launched the Directors Band as a way to recognize and salute the extraordinary dedication and accomplishments of band directors everywhere, and that band will present members from public and private schools at all levels, colleges and universities, as well as military and community bands.

“When making my decision, I remembered a quote from the book Tuck Everlasting. ‘Don’t be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life,”’ Phillips said.  “Sometimes, we are so afraid to take chances in life. What if we tried to live fully? Marching in the Rose Parade is a once in a lifetime experience, and I plan to live life to the fullest. “

Phillips’ decision will have great ramifications, though perhaps not in the way fear imagined. Her ability to leap in opportune moments may well prove a catalyst for the future – an educator reaches for her dream and just might cause the ripple that creates the wave for her students to see.  If that’s the case, it will be a welcomed addition to the dream.  

“Scott County has accepted me for who I am,” Phillips says with heart-filled gratitude.  “I love Jesus, my family, and music. Everyone around here knows that my love for music is a large part of who I am.”