96FALL ORGANIZATIONS The Thundering Herd Marching Band sees growth after a wane in membership. ONE UN-PERFORMED FOOTBALL SEASON and two new freshman classes were what the Thundering Herd Marching Band underwent in the 2020-21 school year, along with changes due to the presence of COVID-19. With these changes, the band experienced a shift in leadership with the appointment of a new director. Instructor of music and director of instrument activities Eric Colgrove was hired in 2019 as the director of the wind ensembles and orchestras and assisted the 2019 Thundering Herd. He was appointed in spring of 2020 as the director of athletic bands and director of the Thundering Herd. When the pandemic came, he was forced to change his plans. Colgrove spent the summer of 2020 attending virtual conferences and research presentations on ways to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 while still maintaining an ensemble. “In order to continue, we rehearsed outdoors and utilized a large tent on the Reynolds lawn for our rehearsals,” Colgrove said. “We were able to put on two front lawn performances, perform for the Homecoming parade and play in the crowning of the Homecoming queen.” Through these challenges and changes, Colgrove applauded the students’ constant passion to perform. “The students were amazing,” Colgrove said. “They were willing to make adjustments and do whatever they could to continue performing.” Colgrove also expressed concerns about recruitment during the pandemic. The audition date to be in the band was ultimately canceled because of COVID-19 and the snowstorm in February 2021. Colgrove was relieved to see the increased numbers in band for the 2021-22 school year. “We ended up having one of our largest turnout of recruits, allowing us to bring in some great freshmen for the fall of 2021,” Colgrove said. There were 65 students in the 2021 Thundering Herd. Twenty-five were freshmen or new members, and eight were sophomores who experienced band during the pandemic. This meant for 33 of the 65 members, the first home game on Sept. 4, 2021, was their first Harding University football game. Freshman Kylie James said her experience was wonderful because of the welcoming leadership and eagerness of the members to get to know one another, making the relationships genuine. “I feel like with such a big class of freshmen with all of our experiences, we bring a lot of new ideas to the table,” James said. “We have a strong group of musicians who are eager to play and get plugged in, and I feel like that is one of the strengths of the program.” Junior Drum Major Ola Kalafarski said the increase in membership was great as the band adjusted to their prepandemic routines. “With having so many freshmen from different high school backgrounds, we have students coming in with all kinds of skill sets and abilities,” Kalafarski said. “We also have a handful of freshmen and even some sophomores who have never marched before, so this is their first time moving and playing at the same time. It really has been a good experience for all members and our audience, due to everyone coming into the Thundering Herd with an open mind and eagerness to learn.” WRITTEN BY HANNAH SEIBERT F RESH BEAT
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