After a successful Marching Band Camp, Highland Band Director Andrew McDonald has selected a drum major.

A drum major is a student leader whose primary responsibility is to conduct the band while McDonald directs the band’s visual formation from the bleachers. Furthermore, the drum major’s job can change from day to day. One day, they may take a portion of the band away to work on something, while McDonald continues to work with the rest of the band. The drum major could also assist in the setup of equipment. Overall, the drum major can be described as being in an elevated student position.

McDonald believes that becoming a drum major requires a good balance of organization and leadership skills, as well as musical ability. It is not necessary to be the absolute best at anything, but rather to have a great combination of all the tools and the ability to put them together.

Because the Highland Marching Band is small, McDonald felt that the drum major should be a senior, so he chose Joshua Lauer. He mentions that he trusts Lauer to complete tasks to the letter and believes he can comfortably conduct a small group of the band. Overall, Lauer comes across as responsible, and his musical abilities are improving year after year.

The Highland Marching Band’s first performance is on September, 2nd.