Don’t Skip a Beat
Junior drum majors learn to balance school and duties
Auston Abrego
Drum Major Hannah Walls begins to conduct the halftime show at the Austin vs McCallum varsity football game.
As the marching season started off in 100 degrees weather this summer, two students started off their junior year as first year drum majors.
Their first year as drum majors has caused certain emotions towards all the extra work and practice they put in everyday. These students practice over an hour every night, so they are ready the next day for full run throughs of their shows.
“During rehearsals it can be mind blowing because we are walking around a lot making sure everyone is doing what they need to do, but being a drum major can be really fun and it is also a lot of work,” Jett said.
Drum majors sometimes find it a little boring and mind blowing during practice when they aren’t conducting. Being a drum major also comes with new skills and difficulties that the juniors reflected upon. The position of being a drum major comes with extra responsibility.
“The hardest part I think is balancing all of the work load for school, band rehearsals, and being early for practice,” Walls said.
Becoming friends and forming a relationship with the senior drum majors has played an important part in becoming better conductors as well as friends.
“The senior drum majors have definitely helped and whenever I need help with technique and conducting, they help,” Jett said.
The senior Drum Majors, Mason Toy and Julian Sandt, believe that the juniors have already started to improve.
“I think they are doing really great, I feel like they are doing better than I did because I feel like I was able to teach them the mistakes that I did last year and they are learning from that,” Toy said.
At the beginning of the school year, Hannah Walls and Nolan Jett have noticed a full workload compared to last years. They find it somewhat difficult to keep up with both their work and drum major practice. To add on top of their practicing and school work load they also have Austin Global Studies (AGS), which means tougher and higher ranked classes.
“I use my off period for free time and homework, but when I get home I practice my instrument and conducting,” Walls said.
