2015-2016 Marching season drum majors selected

2015-2016+Marching+season+drum+majors+selected

Emily Ruthven, Around Creek Editor

At the end of the year, the band always holds auditions for various leadership positions for the upcoming marching season such as section leader, woodwind/brass captain and drum major. After much deliberation, directors Daniel Cuevas and Ogechi Ukazu selected the new 2015-2016 leadership team on May ninth.

Next year’s head drum major will be incoming senior, Zac Cooper, accompanied by the two other drum majors, who are incoming senior Jessica Heerboth and incoming junior, Diego Avila. All of next year’s drum majors are currently in the Wind Ensemble, with Cooper playing trumpet, Heerboth playing clarinet and Avila playing the bassoon.

Cooper was a drum major this previous marching season, and it can be difficult to take on all of the responsibilities of being a drum major, especially as a junior.

“It was strange to take on so much responsibility at first, especially since it was my first time to be a part of the leadership team. However, I strived to learn the ropes of the trade and really grew to appreciate the position,” said Cooper.

Now current sophomore Avila will take on that responsibility this year.

“Being a drum major will definitely be different and have a lot more pressure but I’m really excited for the opportunity to exert some of my leadership skill and to contribute even more to the band program,” said Avila.

With all of new changes coming next year, many of the band students are uncertain for the coming season, due to how different everything will be. However, Cooper has a positive outlook on the situation.

“I am excited to finally become a senior and have myself and the rest of my class be the people everyone looks up to, and I am also very optimistic about the new leadership team; I’m sure we’ll accomplish great things together,” commented Cooper. Cooper’s positive attitude will likely translate into the band and will help the group undergo the change smoothly. Heerboth hopes to have the same effect on the group.

“I really hope to contribute a lot of positive energy into the band,” said Heerboth. “Even if we don’t win any awards, we are still successful. Being successful isn’t defined by what medals or awards we have,” continued Heerboth.

Despite all of the directors leaving, such as Cuevas, Wharton and Diegelman band will still hold onto its sense of family.

“People in band are given the opportunity to make strong friendships with a great group of people, ones that often last beyond high school,” Cooper said.

Heerboth holds the same point of view.

“Band is unlike any other elective available. We have an amazing family,” said Heerboth.

With a strong sense of community throughout the program, it will be likely that each of the new drum majors will miss some aspects of marching.

“Playing the stand tunes and being able to do our little section dances to each one; they are all unique in their own way, so that will some that I will miss a lot,” said Avila.

Heerboth commented on how there is a distinctive band bond for those who march, and how she will be missing out on that.

“I’ll miss being with everybody. Whenever you’re marching, or practicing in the parking lot, its kind of like ‘we’re all in this together’. Being a drum major is going to be different. I’ll of course still be apart of the band but I’ll be missing out on some of the fun. But it does introduce me to a different kind of fun, so I guess you gain some, you lose some,” said Heerboth.

The drum majors are a vital aspect to the marching band. Despite the fact that they will miss some of the fun that comes with marching, they will instead conducting the band from the three podiums on the football field, leading the band to success.