The marching band plays a huge role in our school: they play in the stands at every football game, entertain the crowd when performing their show during halftime, and play at pep-rallies.

The marching band is the largest student group at the school, as it consists of over 100 members. With this many members, student leadership plays an important role in the band. This year, there are two drum majors, Brian Queenan (‘18) and Jacob Zimmerman (‘18). They have the duties of conducting the band, disciplining, and help members how to march and learn their music.

The tryout to become drum major began with submitting an application to the band director, Mr. Rob Gillette. Then, everyone who applied had to teach a fake group of “newbies” the fundamentals of marching. They were watched by Mr. Gillette and visual instructor, Mr. Tom McDonald. After that there was an interview where the adult staff watched each person conduct to the Fight Song. Then they had to clap to random tempos that were called out and were judged how close they got to the tempo. The final portion of the process was when Mr. Gillette asked questions that expand on the ones on the application.

Brian Queenan

Queenan has been in the Forge Sound and Guard for four years, previously being the section leader of the drumline. Outside of being drum major, he plays the trombone and percussion.

The hardest part of the process for the tryout to become drum major was, “show[ing] that we have confidence in front of people,” Queenan said.

Once it was announced he was going to be one of the drum majors he then had to prepare for the position.

Queenan and Zimmerman were sent to a drum major camp where they spent a week learning from professionals.

“We practiced conducting, hung out with the Phantom Regiment drum major,” Queenan said. “We also took notes and tips from professional conductors.”

The most rewarding thing that he has taken from this experience is, “seeing how much you influence people,” Queenan said. “You really take it for granted. I didn’t know people looked up to me until this year.”

The most challenging thing to overcome this season to Queenan has been, “self-confidence and not being able to admit when you’re wrong. [Also] being humble 24/7,” he said. 

There is a considerable difference between being drum major and just a member of the band.

“You are always drum major, everyone always holds you to a higher standard,” Queenan said. “When you do something everyone always sees it so you always have to act like you are in front of people.”

His favorite experience from this season is winning Grand Champion at the North Stafford Invitational.

“It was a new experience and it’s something I wasn’t expecting, so it made me really happy and proud when I found out we won,” Queenan said.

Queenan’s plans for the future includes studying music education at George Mason University.

Jacob Zimmerman

Zimmerman has also been a member of the marching band for four years. Before holding the drum major position, he was on equipment staff for two years. He plays the B flat clarinet and bass clarinet.

Zimmerman has the nickname of “JZ.” This was made up his freshman year during band camp when they were learning how to march and someone pointed out that his initials were JZ.

For him, the most difficult part of the process to tryout for drum major was, “the interview questions because they cut deep,” Zimmerman said. “They really get down to the core of who you are, so you really have to dig deep to answer them and that is really hard to do on hand.”

There is a large difference in marching the show and conducting. Zimmerman prefers conducting the show.

“Marching the show has a lot to offer, it has this great feeling to be apart of something that is awesome and [being] able to do that for an audience and [leaving] them in wonder and awe,” Zimmerman said. “But [when] conducting the show I am still able to be apart of that, just in a different way. The difference is I get to be up on the podium and I get to watch everybody else do it while where is my view’s limited in marching.”

Zimmerman’s favorite thing about marching band is the idea of perfect unity, “There is nothing more beautiful to me than watching everything coming together for [such as] in rehearsal, in the stands, and in the show, wherever we are,” Zimmerman said.

His favorite experience from the season so far is from the North Stafford Invitational.

“I was really worried because we weren’t doing well in the morning before the competition and I was worried that we were going to go on and it was going to be a bad show or at least worse than we have done,” Zimmerman said. “Then we come and somehow everything just fell right where it needed to be. We had a near perfect show.”

Zimmerman’s plans for the future include attending MIT.

“I like how you are able to combine music and STEM because that combines the two things that I love very much,” Zimmerman said. “Music is never going to leave.”