The drum major’s voice rings out, sharp and clear in the tense silence. We hear her call us to set, and we freeze. The band is across the field, standing a block, every member leaning forward, forming the same angle towards the ground. We are lined up from the 35 yard line to the 45, lying on the wet grass as if we are asleep. We are perfectly still, then suddenly we rise, kicking our legs in unison.
In the summer of 2012, my sister and I joined the Saltillo High dance team. For Elizabeth and I, our first pair of shoes were ballet slippers, but our fellow team members had little to no knowledge of dance. Elizabeth and I felt a strong responsibility to use our talents to transform fourteen softball players into dancers. We learned very quickly the cost of being a leader- sacrifice. Elizabeth and I found ourselves searching for ways to improve the team, choreographing routines, and privately instructing stragglers.
Of the organization at UNCW that I am currently involved in, I believe the organization that has had the most drastic improvement has to be the UNCW competitive cheerleading team. This year was the first year a competitive cheerleading team has been at UNCW, therefore there have been multiple setbacks, failures, and lessons learned. With this said, I am extremely proud of how far we have become as individuals and as a team, because we continue to further improve after every practice. For me, the most meaningful accomplishment in the UNCW competitive cheerleading team is that as a team we have a routine now. Now all we have left to do before competition is learn a cheer and perfect what we already have learned.
Marching band is a huge commitment, but if a students is part of color-guard or the drum line... the phrase “free time” leaves their vocabulary. The practices start even earlier in the year and go even longer. Not only are there separate judges for color-guard and drumline, but there are also separate competitions: Winter Guard and Drum Corps. Both groups go all the way to international competitions.
For as long as I could remember, I have wanted to be a drum major of my high school marching band, The Mighty Marching Bucks of Hoke County High (MMB). A drum major is the leader of the marching band and also second in command under the Director. Before I was honored and presented with this title, I had what is known to be the “drum major instinct”. The “drum major instinct” was well described in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s final sermon “The Drum Major Instinct”.
The band was invited to participate in Southern University’s homecoming parade and attend their homecoming game. Cameron and I are both in the band; he is trumpet player and I was a color guard member. I was extremely excited to go. This was going to be my trip of firsts.
I know I could be a Drum Major because of my passion for band and my ability to lead. Ever since I first picked up a trumpet in fifth grade, I realized that I have a passion of music. The joy of not only learning the language, but picking up a horn and playing it was an experience unmatched by anything else. Fast Forward four years to my first band camp, both nerve racking and electrifyingly exciting. While music rehearsal happened and I felt excited for the coming four years, nothing could compare to the first day of marching, taught by Anna, Connor, and Jake.
Marching Band is a complex activity that many people are incapable of handling. It requires mental and physical output like no other sport. To be able to play an instrument while keeping correct marching techniques is a difficult task. Over time it becomes easier because the outdoor practices a person must endure are two and a half hours long. The marchers must practice for halftime shows, parades, and competitions to earn a record.
Every person has an interest or a talent which separates them from the rest of society allowing them to become an individual. It wasn’t until I decided to audition for the North Carolina Elementary Honors Chorus in 2009 that I discovered my talents lie within the realm of music. Becoming an active musician has not only helped me grow as a person by allowing me to build and strengthen social and cognitive skills, but has also helped me to appreciate each component of music, and has also taught me how to become a supportive and attentive member of the audience. That fateful day in the fall of 2009 when I heard that I was one out of one hundred and six students to make it into the North Carolina Elementary Honors Chorus was the day I realized that I had a passion for choir and for music. After that I continued to stay in choir in middle school, and eventually made it into Middle School Honors Chorus in 2013.
After, usually, 3 months of practicing music and basic marching the band really gets deep into the show
Children are intrinsically irresponsible in the sense that they have nothing to be responsible for. Even older children are only responsible for themselves and their actions and they are not held accountable for the actions of others or the results of those actions. I learned what it meant to be responsible for an entire group of people and the performance that we created when I became the drum major of my high school marching band. I had to stop being a child when I became the drum major for the Jesse C. Carson High School Marching Band because it was an immense responsibility that required mature skills such as commitment, trustworthiness, honesty, and leadership. Being drum major was a serious commitment of both my time and my energy because it required me to put marching band before anything else in my life.
I’m at home on the high school parking lot. It’s the only space the administration grudgingly affords our marching band, and yet it’s ours. The band family lives and thrives off people supporting each other, we are there for each other when no one else is. I was elected by this family to be their band president last spring, and I have been completely changed. Despite the flashy title, I am still just one member of this 140 strong group, and I am still pushing to fulfill the responsibility placed on my shoulders.
When in reality they have to know how to dance and memorize movements that are not just playing an instrument and marching. And sometimes they have to play memorized music, and choreography while marching in perfect timing at a fast tempo and performing to an audience for seven to ten minutes straight. Watch the drum majors (the students that stand on a podium and conduct), and know where to go at each second all at the same
This is only possible, however, if the drum majors know how to do all of these processes well. I can confirm that I’m well informed on how to conduct in the fashion that the Hallsville band has always used: with our arms. My skill in marching and staying in step is experienced and my skills in reading drill charts are up to par. I feel I can help in the band in any way the director asks me to during marching season because I’m able to keep a tempo and set an example for what good marching looks like. I also feel I can educate others in marching and reading drill charts due to my prior knowledge and
I strive to be someone who uses music to serve and empower other. Music transforms our lives for the better, which is why I feel personally connected to Founder Janet Daniels Schenck. It is with this commitment to growth and diversity that I am excited to submit my application for the position of Associate Vice President for Strategic Innovation and Special Initiative at the Manhattan School of Music (MSM). As a member of Sphinx LEAD, I am deeply entrenched in the issues of the performing arts field.
