Izabelle Lunday

As a drum major, senior Izabelle Lunday feels her duties include helping band director Cooper Neil with anything he needs.

Drum majors are responsible for managing time and keeping track of all 75 members.

“At games, we have to make sure everyone’s uniforms are put away, every part of their uniform is in their bags as well as their instruments.”

According to Lunday, being a drum major is more than knowing how to conduct.

“[It is about] showing that you are serious and that you’ve taken the time to not only know your instrument, but others as well,” Lunday said. “Also, Neil knows that [we] are capable of doing a part of his job if ever needed.”

While they have many responsibilities, drum majors encounter difficulties as well.

“If Neil is gone or there is a substitute, [we need to] know where everything is,” Lunday said. “Just in case an instrument breaks or a part of your uniform is missing, or even just to find a piece of music.

Being a performer is different from being a drum major.

“As a performer, your focus is on being uniform with everyone else around you. Drum majors stick out, so the three of us try extra hard to be uniform.”

Kaitlyn Rhea

As a drum major, senior Kaitlyn Rhea feels she is like a right hand to Neil.

“If you want to be a band director for your career, it’s like training for that,” Rhea said.

For Rhea, being a drum major includes helping the performers with any issues.

“If something goes wrong with their instrument we have to try to help them no matter, [even] if we know how to or not. If there are any problems and Neil is busy, it comes to us.”

There are some differences between being a drum major versus a performer.

“As drum majors, we look at everyone’s feet, everyone’s horn angle, to make sure they fit [in their formation] and they’re playing their parts perfectly.”Rhea said.

Rhea sees the expectations of a drum major, including trustworthiness and responsibility, as defining qualities.

“It [also] shows that you have a certain level of maturity that a lot of people may not have,” Rhea said.

She does, however, difficulties on and off the field in terms of discipline.

“You have to be a good ‘Switzerland’ when people fight, so you can’t take sides,” Rhea said. “You also have to try and do whatever you can to just resolve it.”

Rhea, who has played an instrument the past seven years, plans on minoring in music.

Aidan Harries

Junior Aidan Harries is also a drum major.

“I think it’s an important leadership role that gives me the opportunity to explore what it’d be like to be in charge of a lot of different responsibilities,” Harries said.

Drum majors are given the opportunity to conduct during performances.

“We are also in charge of making sure people are keeping good time and playing their music correctly and, if they’re not, helping them with that,” Harries said.

Harries also encounters difficulties as a leader.

“I think being in charge is difficult because you don’t know if you’re always in the right,” Harries said. “It’s also difficult to have that kind of pressure knowing you have to be at a higher standard than everyone else.”

By being a drum major you are in charge of many people.

“It puts you in that position of whether or not you want to be a leader or a follower,” Harries said “[and] just gets you in that mindset of what it’s like to have a lot of people listening to you and taking into account what you say.”

Harries has been playing [music] for six years, including the trumpet, saxophone, piano, guitar and the ukulele.

“I was excited to be the only junior to get it [drum major], and I will for sure run next year,” Harries said.