Editor’s Note: “Hawks Uncovered” is a series that tells the often unknown stories of Hebron students and staff.

Staring at the Canvas notification, he realized he was officially the first.

He couldn’t believe it was real.

Sophomore Thomas du Fief applied to be a drum major this spring even though a percussionist has never been a drum major in the band’s history. Despite the odds, he was chosen to be a drum major for the 2025-2026 school year and will be the first in his section to do so.

Thomas became involved in percussion after joining the Arbor Creek band in sixth grade. He continued his musical journey by joining the band in high school and was placed on the marimba line his freshman year. He said he continued because the high school band environment provided him with a new perspective on the program and teamwork. This year, Thomas was placed on the vibraphone line and became a squad leader for his section. He said it has been rewarding seeing his peers grow under his leadership.

Through all this, he had a nagging feeling in his mind to try out for drum major. The drumline is separate from the main band since they have their own competitions and members of the front ensemble don’t march. This led Thomas to doubt himself, as well as the fact that the drumline had never produced a drum major before him. Despite his doubts, he pushed through and began preparing for the audition in November. He said this year’s drum major team strongly encouraged him to apply. 

After finding out he got the position, he said he checked the Canvas announcement every day for a week in disbelief. Since he is a part of the front ensemble, he had no experience marching with the band. Teaching newcomers how to march is a necessity for the role, so Thomas had to learn the basics of marching from scratch. He said it’s been a difficult process to learn and he still has much room to grow, but he’s comfortable teaching the fundamentals.

Thomas is still figuring out what career path he wants to take, but he wants to make music a part of his life, whether it is his career or not. He said having such a large community that supports him is what motivates him to keep going and that he’s looking forward to working with the rest of the drum major team next year.