N.C. A&T Assistant Band Director to Compose for 2019 Rose Parade

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Dec. 14, 2018) - North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University's Lamon Lawhorn will create the beats for a 60-member HBCU drumline at the 2019 Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year's Day.

Lawhorn, assistant director of bands at North Carolina A&T, will organize and compose music for the commemorative drumline celebrating American Honda's 60th anniversary. Members of N.C. A&T's storied drumline, Cold Steel, will be included along with percussionists from Prairie View A&M University, Bethune-Cookman University, Tennessee State University, Hampton University, Alabama A&M University and Miles College.

"I am elated at the opportunity to oversee the event and represent North Carolina A&T State University as a staff member, as well as include our students, who are more than deserving to be on such a grand stage," Lawhorn said.

Honda has supported historically black colleges and universities for nearly 30 years with initiatives including the Honda Battle of the Bands and the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge.

The 130th Rose Parade, themed "The Melody of Life", takes place in Pasadena, Calif., and is seen by more than 45 million viewers. Chaka Khan will be the parade's grand marshal, and the American Honda float will serve as the opening entrant for the parade, which begins at 8 a.m.