Elmwood Park High School’s Marching Tigers have been hard at work perfecting their 2024 season Halftime Show. This year’s show is themed “Pop’n Rocks of the 2000’s”, featuring songs such as “Bloody Mary” (Lady Gaga), “Viva La Vida” (Coldplay), and “Mr. Brightside” (The Killers). The Marching Tigers perform at every Varsity home football game, presenting a pre-game and halftime show. Pre-game is the same every year (“Eye of the Tiger”, the National Anthem, and our School Song), but Halftime features a new theme every season.

Behind the scenes, however, EPMB’s two Drum Majors are working hard as student-leaders of the band. A Drum Major is a leadership role in a Marching Band that involves conducting the band through their performances. It is a role gained through audition, and it is a vital position to the band’s success. Drum Majors exist in high school, college, and professional levels; it is a revered and honored title.

This year, the EPHS Marching Tigers have two Drum Majors. One is senior Dana Solis, a clarinet player, and the other is senior Sean Johnson, a saxophone player. In order to give some insight into the process, Solis and Johnson were asked questions respectively about being a Drum Major:

Why did you decide to audition for Drum Major?

Solis: “I always felt like I was connected to everyone in the band. My previous spot as section leader helped me realize that I love to help people. I love to just be there for support. I thought to myself that if I became a [D]rum [M]ajor, I could extend my knowledge and help the entire band.”

Johnson: “Auditioning for Drum Major was something I’d been thinking about ever since I started marching band in my sophomore year, but it was just a matter of when. I waited until my senior year for 2 reasons: I knew I loved music, but I only knew that I loved playing within an ensemble, and I had no idea if I would even enjoy leading one. I was also very nervous! I didn’t want to let myself down, but I knew that the regret from not auditioning at all would far outweigh the letdown that would come with not making it.”

How did you prepare for the audition?

Solis: “I watched a lot of conducting 101 videos on YouTube. I looked at videos of my good friend Joaquin conducting the previous year as well. I put a line of tape on my mirror and practiced by conducting myself in front of the mirror. Setting metronomes helped me maintain a good tempo. When it was time to turn in my audition video, I recorded 54 separate videos; I watched every single one and if I saw even one little mistake I would delete it.”

Johnson: “The audition consisted of an essay and a video of you conducting along to “Blue Radiance,” a piece that we had played in Concert Band during the 2023-24 school year. I listened to Blue Radiance more times than I can count, watched a couple YouTube tutorials, recorded about 5 takes, and chose what I considered the best one. It’s a little ridiculous how much information is so easily accessible on YouTube.”

What was your personal experience like during the specialized Drum Major camp?

Solis: “Drum Major camp was really intense especially since I am not a very energetic person. When we arrived, we had max 2 hours of rest before we started our training. During my 2 hours of rest I set up my dorm and talked with my roommate. The weather was definitely not on our side with the high being 95 and the low being 80. The instructors were really nice and patient, three college Drum Majors and one educator named Archie. We worked in squads, presented in squads, ate in squads. The people there were really kind and equally exhausted. The crew managed to make something so tiring into an enjoyable task. There were auditions for a talent night, and it was such a nice experience to sing up on stage in front of all those people.”

Johnson: “SWC was awesome! Dana and I met a lot of really cool people and it was really educational, especially considering it was just a week.”

What qualities do you think make a good Drum Major?

Solis: “A good Drum Major should be understanding, kind, patient, and having leadership skills. I wrote about this in my audition essay, a Drum Major should be able to balance between playing around and being serious depending on the situation. Being patient is also an important one since there will be people who need more help than others and it’s my responsibility to be there and help.”

Johnson: “Besides the obvious musical knowledge, anyone that can teach semi-effectively and knows how to lead and inspire a group of people can be a great Drum Major.”

What are you most looking forward to this Marching season?

Solis: “I am looking forward to spending one last football season with the band: being able to showcase our hard work for our audience is such a rewarding feeling; playing “Fireball” and “Hot to Go” in the stands while our team is on timeout; and cherishing every moment before the hard reality of adulthood hits.”

Johnson: “The time in the band stands at every game is always the most fun for me, and since me and Dana are switching off every game, I get to see it from both perspectives this year.”

The EPMB Drum Majors are a vital part to the success of their 2000s Halftime Show. They work behind the scenes, during football games, and during class to ensure that their fellow band members can be the best performers possible. A Drum Major is a challenging position, however having student leaders in an organization builds leadership skills and forms a foundation for them in life.

The EPMB and its Drum Majors can be seen performing at Varsity Football games on:

• 10/4
• 10/11
• 10/25 (Senior Night)

Works Cited:

• Johnson, Sean. Personal communication, September 8th 2024.
• Solis, Dana. Personal communication, August 29th 2024.