STEVENSVILLE— On Wednesday, January 22 Principal Krystal Chambers paid a special visit to the band room at Matapeake Middle School (MMS) to announce in front of the MMS Band that Band Director Christopher Flaherty, has been selected to perform in the prestigious Band Directors Marching Band at the 137th Rose Parade. This opportunity is presented by the Saluting America’s Band Directors (SABD) project and the Michael D. Sewell Memorial Foundation.
Watch the video of the announcement by clicking here.
In the words of SABD’s mission statement:
“The extraordinary dedication and accomplishments of band directors are well known to their students, to their families, to parents, and to school teachers and administrators. These dedicated music educators and leaders work long hours to not only teach and conduct music but to teach life itself. Student lives in particular are positively changed by motivational leaders who teach, inspire, and mentor them. For this reason, we chose the theme for our project to be: ‘America’s Band Directors: We teach music. We teach life.’”On January 1, 2026, Mr. Flaherty will join 500 band directors from across the country in Pasadena, California, to participate in this historic and legendary event. He will proudly represent Queen Anne’s County Public Schools (QACPS), performing on the Alto Saxophone.
In addition to congratulating Mr. Flaherty in front of his entire class, who cheered so happily for him, Ms. Chambers added that “Mr. Flaherty is a truly outstanding educator and instrumentalist. His dedication to excellence makes him a great candidate for this recognition. This is such a great honor and well-deserved.”
Michael Bell, Supervisor of Visual and Performing Arts, also shared his excitement, “Mr. Flaherty’s selection to perform in the Rose Parade is a testament to his unwavering dedication to music education and the positive impact he has on his students and our community. We couldn’t be prouder of his achievement, and we’ll all be cheering him on as he represents QACPS on such a remarkable stage.”
Warmest congratulations to Mr. Flaherty on this exceptional achievement! The entire QACPS community is eagerly looking forward to seeing him shine in the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day.