You may recognize some familiar faces in the 2023 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The band directors from Columbiana, East Palestine, and Southern Local Schools will head to New York City in November for the festivities. 

The three are among 408 band directors from across the nation that will march in The Band Director's Marching Band. 

"There's a lot of excitement," said Charles Miller, the Columbiana's Band Director. "It's a great opportunity to represent our local community, beyond just the service we do for kids through music."

Miller, alongside Southern Local's Emily Forbes Bowling and East Palestine's Jennifer Mollenkopf, started preparing for the parade this past spring. They've been working to learn and memorize the sheet music since then.

After practicing for months on their own, the trio will meet with the other 405 directors the Sunday before Thanksgiving for their first group rehearsal. It's a whirlwind from then on, with more rehearsals on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

It will all lead up to Thursday morning, when The Band Director's Marching Band will gather around 2:30 a.m. to set up for the parade.

Viewers can expect to hear some marching classics like John Phillip Sousa's 'The Stars and Stripes Forever.'

This will be Miller's first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and most of all, he says he's excited to learn.

"As a director there's always growth opportunities," Miller added. "Being able to network and communicate with directors all from over the country is gonna be a great opportunity for us to grow professionally, but as musicians, too."

You can watch the Macy's Thankgiving Day Parade on November 23rd starting at 9 a.m. on 21 News.