Being a Drum major comes with a lot of responsibilities. Every band member practices for hours on end just to be considered to direct the band. At ZHS, the Drum Majors direct the ZHS Band of Blue and have played a tremendous role in helping the Band of Blue win numerous titles across the state. This year, Michael Martinez (10) and Marley James (12) take the helm for the Band of Blue to direct each section to its absolute finest.
Michael Martinez (10) is a sophomore and clarinet player in the Band of Blue. A big part of the reason he’s a drum major is his older sister, Emma Martinez, and she was a big
influence being drum major as a senior, during Micheal’s freshman year. With her encouragement, he put the effort needed to be in this role. As a drum major some experiences can be stressful, but it’s an experience he wouldn’t give up for anything.
Micheal is second Sophomore in ZHS history to be appointed as a drum major for the Band of Blue. Micheal’s hard work and dedication to his work put him in a strong position to be one of the bands most important roles.
Support from his friends is what makes it even better. The moment he knew he wanted to be a drum major was at his first football game, “watching how the drum majors would call up a song, and the crowd would yell, dance or scream.” This impactful moment was the moment he knew he wanted to be a drum
major. Other than being in band, Micheal enjoys fishing, reading, playing card games, hanging with friends, and is also a part of Boy Scouts.
The second drum major, Marley James (12), is also a clarinet player in the ZHS Band of Blue. When he was a freshman coming into high school the idea of being a drum major was always at the back of his mind. Having the drum majors of past years be clarinet players boosted his interest even more.
Seeing how someone who came from his section such as Sara Lampton and Nakiya Turner grew every year to be at the top of the band “aided me to keep chasing that dream.”
As he is now in this role, it has been an exciting experience that he has been anticipating this moment and now that it’s finally here he is beyond overjoyed he got into the drum major position.
Marley knew he wanted to be a drum major when he first got to high school and the fun that came with it and how it’s a live in the moment experience. Outside of the band, Marley is an active member of the Alpha Mu Tau Youth Fraternity, where they do outstanding community service projects in Baton Rouge and surrounding areas. He is also a part of the ZHS step team and competes with the team across various competitions.
Micheal and Marley are very excited and thrilled to be the 25-26 Band of Blue drum majors even when at times it can be stressful. This role is very important to both, and they worked very hard to achieve it.
