Campus Life

A Leader Of The Band

The goal: lead the 347 members of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band through a halftime show that will leave the audience in awe.
By Meredith Zdenek, The Battalion May 12, 2009

Aggie band
Fighting’ Texas Aggie Band

(John Gutierrez/USA Today Sports)

The goal: lead the 347 members of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band through a halftime show that will leave the audience in awe.

This is how it would feel to be in the shoes, or boots, of Samantha Kropp, senior artillery drum major from A-Battery.

Kropp, a university studies in architecture major, is a member of a long line who have served as drum major for the Aggie Band. What makes her unique is that she is the first female in Texas A&M history to do so.

“Being the first female drum major is really an awesome privilege,” Kropp said. “Not just because I am a girl or the first, but that I have the opportunity to work with wonderful people in the Aggie Band as well as the other two drum majors who are two of the best people I have ever met.”

To be a drum major for the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band comes with a lot of responsibility and involves an extensive tryout process.

“Everyone as a junior has the opportunity to try out as long as they have the grades,” Kropp said. “The first tryout is conducted in front of the directors and old drum majors. And after that they make some cuts. Then the second tryout is conducted in front of the entire band.”

Each spring, the drum major candidates undergo a rigorous selection process that encompasses various components of each cadet’s participation in the band. This includes the candidates’ individual academic performances and experience in the band.

The judges take into consideration the applicants’ integrity, respect among fellow band members and how they represent themselves, the Corps of Cadets and the Aggie Band.

Each candidate prepares for weeks prior to a preliminary tryout, which includes a demonstration of basic baton and whistle commands, as well as conducting skills. Final candidates are selected and conduct the band, without the senior class, in various selections of standard marching tunes played by the Aggie Band.

There are three types of drum majors that lead the Aggie Band through each of the drills: the combined, the infantry and the artillery drum major. As Kropp fills the role of the artillery drum major, senior Cadets Elliot Stump and Adam Broussard from B-Battery were chosen as the combined and infantry drum majors.

“As the artillery band drum major I was in charge of attendance, helping with the teaching of drills, helping run practices and countless other things,” Kropp said.

Kropp’s dedication to the duties of a drum major, the Corps of Cadets and her school work have earned her the respect of her family and friends. Kropp is able to enforce her daily responsibilities and work two jobs while keeping a GPR of at least a 3.0.

“I am extremely proud of how she has done as the first female drum major. I brag about her all the time, but she doesn’t make it seem like she’s special because she’s the first female, she simply is,” said Kropp’s roommate Mindy Lamkin, senior allied health major.

Kropp said that she has become closer to her friends this year, “but it wasn’t because I was drum major. [My buddies and I] were always close but now that we are near the end we realize how precious each moment we spend with one another really is.”

David Pitcher, senior communication major and A-Battery Commander, said Kropp knows her responsibilities and takes them seriously.

“There has been some controversy over her being the first female drum major, but she was one of the best during the auditions,” Pitcher said. “She put in countless hours of practice to get to where she is, and her performance and leadership on the field has been truly exceptional. I could not be more proud of her.”

Looking back on the football season, Kropp said that it was one of the most successful semesters the Aggie Band has had and that it was an honor and privilege to lead her motivated cadets to great halftime drills.

She said even though it was a tough responsibility to have, it was a rewarding experience.

“Being drum major was a great challenge. I had to be incredibly organized and in charge at all times,” she said. “When you are in the spotlight all the time it really teaches you to be humble and how to carry yourself.”

This article by Meredith Zdenek originally appeared in The Battalion.

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