At a Glance:

Instrument: Flute and Piccolo

Drum major experience: One year

Favorite Cereal: Cheerios

Favorite Candy: Banana Laffy Taffy

If you were a fruit, you would be a: Mango

Jeans or Sweatpants: Jeans

Favorite Stand Tune: Brand New Day

Looking Deeper:

TRL: Why did you want to become a drum major?

CO: I thought it would be really cool to be one of the leaders in the group. We’re  such a great band, and to be a representative of such a great program is really awesome.

TRL: Why did you want to be a drum major?

CO: I saw my brother do leadership and had seen people in the past become leaders, and I thought that was really cool thing. Freshman year I actually tried out for drum major because of Lily Hager. She told me to try out and I was like, “Ok, I guess I’ll try it,” and I actually really loved it and I thought it was so fun, and I just really enjoyed doing it and conducting. I thought that it was really awesome and if I could just do that as a normal thing to do, so I tried out and here I am.

TRL: How does being a drum major work with regular band?

CO: Especially during marching season, we’ll stand and conduct while everyone else is playing, so we definitely get a lot less playing time. And even at home when I would normally practice, now I practice conducting or make click tracks. There’s lots of stuff that goes along with [being a] drum major that you don’t normally do if you’re just in band. For example, setting up speakers. It’s just a lot of preparing.

TRL: Do you think it’s more difficult?

CO: Yes.

TRL: Do you think it takes more time?

CO: Absolutely, completely yes, because you still have to practice your instrument, you still have to do region. You definitely have to be here earlier and stay here later and do other things additional to normal.

TRL: Now that the season is over, what are some of your thoughts about how it went?

CO: I think this season went really well this year. Although I know everyone was disappointed when we didn’t make it to state, I think we should still be really proud of what we’ve accomplished this season. This is the best show Lovejoy Band has ever had, and that is something to be proud of, let alone winning two highly competitive competitions. I know I keep saying I’m proud, but that’s because I really am. It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with and lead this family this year, and I can’t wait to see what we can create next season.