Band will hold auditions to fulfill next school year’s drum major positions, which started on April 2. Auditioning students went through the process of conducting music in front of an audience, showing their marching technique, exhibiting their ability to teach others and going through interviews with the band directors.
The event had 17 students audition for the new drum major team who had to conduct a “full band” made up of a group of student volunteers. This first audition puts candidates through a process of elimination, and continues eliminating more students in phase two until there are only five students left. There are three returning drum majors auditioning within these 17 students, one of them being junior Steven Solis-Welch, who has been a drum major since his sophomore year.
“[Becoming a drum major sophomore year] was a big jump because I [only had experience marching, but I] was interested in being a drum major because of the seniors that year,” Solis-Welch said. “The experience of auditioning and going through phase one [where I had to] conduct a band for the first time, making it to [phase] two and having to learn my own piece to conduct, it was a lot of growth for me to [advance] and get the spot of drum major.”
Solis-Welch is not the only underclassman who wanted to be a drum major. The candidates who auditioned this year are in the same age range as Solis-Welch when he first auditioned, and have been inspired by upperclassmen leadership who helped them when they were younger.
“I want to make an impact on the band,” junior candidate Avery Kate Elliot said. “I’ve been trying to improve myself and take on leadership roles. As a drum major, [you’re in] a really important role that [makes you] really in charge of everyone, and you can be helpful and make an impact on other people.”
Current head drum major, senior Chan-Hee Kim, has been involved with the auditioning process the last few weeks. She has taught conducting to the drum major candidates, as well as provided tutoring for individuals who requested extra help.
“[One] of my expectations is [for the drum majors to] have a strong character; we want to be a nice drum major team,” Kim said. “Our big role is to be there as a helping hand to people.”
Solis-Welch has had the most experience as a returning drum major when it comes to helping inexperienced students, as he and Kim became drum majors the same year. Solis-Welch said teaching others was something he had to work at, as he was usually the younger student of the team.
“With every year, I’ve learned something new,” Solis-Welch said. “My first year as a sophomore, I learned how to be a drum major. This past marching season, I already knew how to be a drum major, but I’ve learned how to manage being more experienced than [the] others who are learning, and how to [teach those who are in a position I once was in.]”
While the auditioning process has two phases, the new drum majors will still need to adapt to the fast-paced schedule that the band directors work on.
“The directors generally make good decisions [when picking drum majors,]” Elliot said. “When we get new drum majors, they aren’t as experienced, so there will be a period of learning and adjustment to having a new team. Each year, the drum major team is completely different: it’s different people, we’re doing a different show, the band is different.”
Having the most experience as both a drum major and being in a leadership position, Solis-Welch is hoping to be the new head drum major for next year.
“I would like to be head drum major, but I know that it’s not just going to be given to me,” Solis-Welch said. “Just because I’ve been a drum major for two years doesn’t guarantee me that spot. It’s very much a role that once you’re placed in it, you seem to naturally form your own version of it, [and] I’m hoping that if I were to be placed as head drum major, I would be able to make it the ‘Steven’ version of the head drum major.”
