Three Senior Drum Majors Optimistic About Pep Band Performing

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Band Director Steve Johnson (L) and Drum Major Anna Smith (R) Leading a Pep Band Rehearsal Tuesday

Kylie Calloway, Staff Writer, Advanced Journalism

This year the NDA band  has three outstanding drum majors: Judah Gartzke, Anna Smith and Connor Seidl. These three seniors took on the challenge of conducting during the pandemic, and they will not let the band down.   

I am super excited for pep band to start back up again. Having our first Pep Band rehearsal as a whole band for the first time this year was super inspiring to me as a drum major. This school year has been difficult, and trying to figure out how we would do band was especially stressful because there was so much that we had to do to prepare. Finally being able to go back to some type of normalcy in rehearsal has made the school year seem just a little less weird. I cannot wait to perform at our first game in the next couple of weeks, and I hope that we’ll be able to perform at many more games this year,” said Anna Smith. 

Drum majors are both leaders and role models, not only for younger classmen but for upperclassmen as well.

I am very excited about the possibility of pep band, and I am very optimistic that we will be able to overcome any obstacle because that has become the new normal. Being able to conduct the band is a dream come true, and I am very proud to be able to serve the band in this way. This has been a strange year for being a drum major due to the many changes and lack of opportunity to play as a band, but different opportunities came out of the chaos. After hearing the band today, I am confident that the rest of the year will be great, and I look forward to conducting  at pep band,” said Drum Major Connor Seidl. 

Being able to play as a band is very important for the musicians as a way to share their “true selves.”  

“This year has been very difficult for obvious reasons. Being in a leadership position is especially tough when you can’t interact with the underclassmen as much as in a normal year. I hope pep band will be able to make up for this lost time. I know many extracurriculars have been sort of crunched together into second semester, and band kids are very active in many of these, but I would love to play as much as possible before the year ends. As an athlete, I can confirm that the pep band makes an enormous difference. As a musician, pep band is the reason I have remained a band student,” added Gartzke.

The three drum majors may have many challenges to overcome, but together with Band Director Steve Johnson they are hoping for the best. The Notre Dame Academy band is excited to be performing and hopes everyone will soon be enjoying their sound.