The Westford Academy marching band participated in the NESBA (New England Scholastic Band Association) finals on Nov. 3, and here the band’s success with their routine “Pandora’s Box” was not the only victory to come out of the competition. Junior Charlie Small was named the best drum major in New England for division three after only one year of being drum major.
The responsibilities of a drum major are extensive, including being a student leader, field conductor, and assistant to the director by leading warm ups and giving instructions in rehearsal.
“As a field conductor, I keep tempo throughout the show, keeping everybody in time so we sound all nice and pretty,” Small said. “As a field leader, I am the highest leading position in the band.”
The band attended the NESBA finals with confidence and scored the highest that a marching band has ever scored in WA history.
“I was not nervous, because I felt everybody knew what they were doing, and we were all just ready to go.” Small said.
Along with the impressive score of 93.180 and placing second out of 6 schools in their division, Small also earned the title “Best Drum Major in Division Three”.
“I was kind of in a state of shock,” Small said. “I did not under any circumstances, expect to get that [title], especially being that this is my first year as drum major. I was just caught off guard.”
Prior to being drum major, Small played trumpet.
In terms of performance scoring, Small was watched for how well he kept the band in time, how he presented himself to the audience, and if he was truly conducting the music rather than simply keeping tempo, which, according to band director Adam Shekleton, was what set him apart from his competitors.
“Charlie grew so very much from a conducting perspective,” Shekleton said. “It was about not just conducting time, which is what often happens in the marching band world, but Charlie was actually conducting how the music feels, how the music sounds, [and] how it should be played.”
Junior and assistant drum major Charlene Kurnianto believes that Small’s title is well-deserved, having worked with him closely during rehearsals and leadership meetings.
“I would describe him as one of the best drum majors I’ve had the honor to work with over the past 4 years,” Kurnianto said. “He always comes prepared to rehearsals and is never afraid to help a student who is struggling or not super confident. Every morning or night he comes to rehearsals with 200% energy, ready to encourage students through actions rather than just words. In terms of influence I would say the vast majority of the band respects and listens to him.”
On their road to success, Small and the band had a few challenges which they were able to overcome as a team through repetition and maintaining energy.
“There could be tricky drill spots where we can’t seem to get to a certain spot at a certain time, or there could be times where we were having trouble playing certain parts of the show while moving,” Small said. “Our main [goals] are overcoming those situations and being able to push through [to] keep everybody together like a team.”
According to Shekleton, Small has not always been the outgoing leader he is today. Through dedication, hard work, and many hours outside of school, Small was able to develop the necessary skills to lead an ensemble as large as the band.
“At the beginning, we [the band] were trying to get him to speak louder and address the full ensemble,” Shekleton said. “That was a hurdle that he had to jump. I think he had to step outside his comfort zone a little bit, because Charlie’s typically a pretty reserved person.”
Over the course of the band season, Small has grown into an exceptional leader, and motivator, embodying enthusiasm, energy, excitement, and all things one would want to see in a drum major for marching season according to Shekleton.
“[Small] is so very genuine,” Shekleton said. “He brought his personality traits like his positivity, his energy, his willingness to be goofy. He brought all of those things to the band. We created a place where everybody was comfortable being themselves and also willing to work hard.”
Small was inspired by his father, along with George N. Parks who was the former director of the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band.
To Small, being a part of the WA band means much more than simply participating in an extracurricular activity, it has been the highlight of his high school years so far.
“[Band] has been probably the best part of my high school experience,” Small said. “It’s been a place [where] I can always know I’m [going] to have a good time, and I will always be able to relax. If I’m having a stressful day, I can just come and be like okay, ‘I’m at marching band now.'”
Small plans to continue pursuing band beyond high school in college, with one of his top choices being UMass Amherst.
All interested high school students are encouraged by Small to join the band, and to not hesitate due to lack of experience.
“There is zero experience required,” Small said. “If you can play a wind instrument, great. If you can’t, we have percussion options where you can take [a] stick and hit [a] drum. Or you can join our Color Guard [and] spin flags around. If you don’t know how to do any of that, we can sit [and] teach you.”
Despite his prestigious title as best drum major in division three, Small would name his biggest success as being drum major for his band, and the reciprocal relationship he and the bandhave fostered.
“A very common phrase with drum majors is the band is our mirror,” Small said. “Whatever I give to them, they give back, basically. With the energy I’ve brought they’ve also brought the energy, [which has] helped me.”
