As Friday night lights shine down on the football field, senior Sophie Thollander directs the band through the halftime show with sharp movements of her hands. Being the head drum major for the 2024-25 school year means that the entire band is watching Thollander.
“After we perform it makes me so happy to hear the cheers,” Thollander said. “Especially the ones I know are from my friends in the stands and on the field.”
Thollander is following in her brother’s footsteps, Ben Thollander, who was the head drum major during the 2021-2022 band season. She also had another brother, Jacob Thollander, who was a section leader.
“Whenever my brother was drum major, I actually didn’t want to be drum major because I saw how much work it was,” Thollander said. “And then after he left, my directors were like, oh, you should be a drum major. And then it was more enticing after he left, because I saw the impact that I could have.”
Head drum majors in the band are expected to do many different things, ranging from starting rehearsal, getting equipment out, and leading rehearsal alongside the directors. Drum majors are a vital part of the band, and they play a significant role in the overall performance.
“We feel her impact everyday,” band teacher Tyler Jacks said. “We can depend on her to tell her what needs to happen in any given situation and she figures out a way to take care of it.”
Alongside being the head drum major, Thollander balances a heavy workload with all advanced classes and other in-school commitments that take up a large portion of her time.
“Being drum major is a lot of its own, but with other things, it’s very difficult,” Thollander said. “But I love it so much that I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
To her peers, Thollander is the perfect mix of a kind but hardworking leader. She is able to be a good mentor and friend outside of band rehearsal, while being a leader in rehearsal.
“We’ll finish rehearsal, and she’ll put on music while we’re getting ready before game days, and we’ll run around, and we’ll dance to Footloose and do the Whip and Nae Nae,” junior section leader Fiona Sobosinski said. “But then whenever rehearsal starts, or whenever a performance starts, you can tell she’s focused.”
Though Thollander has had previous family members in leadership positions on the band, her determination and talent is what got her the position of drum major.
“I don’t think in our process of selecting her as drum major, we were ever like, thinking about her brother and like, oh, it would be great to have this legacy situation,” Jacks said. “I think it was really just you’re doing all the things that we would want to see you doing, and that kind of checks out.”
Making sure that everyone in the band is on the same page is a very important job that Thollander has, and it ensures that everything runs smoothly during football games and rehearsals.
“My biggest strength is probably my ability to communicate, because that is really important with communicating with your other drum majors, your directors, and the people that you’re leading,” Thollander said. “Just to make sure that everyone’s pushing for the same goals.”
Though being a drum major is not an easy feat, Thollander describes it as a rewarding and fulfilling experience that she will never forget.
“This experience has shaped me into the person I am,” Thollander said. “I have learned how to be confident, empathetic, and hard working, and it has truly made me into the best version of myself.”
