Senior Spotlight is a feature column that highlights graduating seniors at Rock Hill High School, interested in showcasing Blue Hawk talent.

As the first light of day breaks, the rhythmic beats of the marching band echo through the early morning air. In the midst of this, senior Madi Kang and her fellow drum majors guide the ensemble with practiced precision. This is the essence of marching season for Kang—a blend of dedication and leadership.

Kang’s journey to becoming a drum major kicked off when last year, band students were encouraged to consider trying out for the drum major position. The try out process started last March, where students learned about leadership principles and various facets of the band at training meetings.

“When I first started going, I didn’t think I was going to actually try out,” Kang said. “I decided to at least give it a go just because I thought the audition experience itself would be helpful to me, even if I didn’t make it.”

But she did– auditions took place in April, and the day after, she found out she had been selected as a drum major for the 2023-2024 school year.

“At first, I was shocked,” Kang said. “I didn’t think that I was actually going to get it. It was a really competitive audition. So to actually get the role and have all the work that I did pay off was really gratifying.”

During football season, marching band rehearsals start at 7 a.m., but drum majors need to be there even earlier to organize and prepare for the morning practice.

“We were expected to always be the first ones there and just be a constant presence,” Kang said. “We get there first and we leave the latest, so we would get to rehearsals like 20 minutes before everyone else.”

Starting off as a drum major presented its own set of challenges, and for Kang, conquering fears became an essential part of the journey. 

“The best way to get over your fears is through exposure,” Kang said. “I’m really scared of heights we have to stand on ladders and stuff. When we first started, I was so scared. I would shake up there, and I was like, ‘I’m going to fall and die.’ But I got to a point where I was okay with it.”

The drum majors play a more prominent role during the marching season, where their responsibilities include conducting rehearsals and overseeing subgroups. However, during concert season, their focus shifts towards creating a social and positive environment within the band.

“You have to keep up the energy because if someone starts to think negatively, then everyone starts to think negatively,” Kang said. “To improve, you have to always stay looking on the bright side of things.” Being a drum major has brought Kang newfound confidence and taught her to put herself out there.

“Before being drum major, I was more reserved, and I didn’t really talk to a lot of people,” Kang said. “The role really helped me get myself out of my comfort zone. It’s helped me with being able to talk to people, and ask people how they’re doing and be more of a people person.”

In her role, Kang collaborates with three other drum majors, each contributing to new strengths to the team. Spending time together has allowed their bond to strengthen.

“We are able to uplift each other now,” Kang said. “And eventually, throughout the marching season, we were able to say things like, ‘Oh, you’re really good with social issues, why don’t you handle this,’ or like, ‘Oh, you’re really good at conducting warmups, why don’t you stick to this.’ We were able to delegate things with each other and work more cohesively with each other.”

Achieving unity is particularly challenging considering the large number of students spread across three different bands– it requires encouraging sections to connect outside of rehearsals and hosting competitions.

“Through having these competitions, I think it really brought the sections close together,” Kang said. “Because it’s kind of hard to get a senior to want to be friends with a freshman, but if you have a competition or some sort of game aspect, a lot of times people will get their teams and find their little social groups.”

One of Kang’s favorite moments as a drum major was participating in social events with the middle schools.

“Being a drum major, you’re the first face they see, meet, and talk to,” Kang said.  “So I thought it was really fun to get to know a bunch of people and get to talk to the middle schoolers and just have some fun and do competitions with people and play games.”

For her future, Kang plans on majoring in psychology.  She still hopes to continue playing music in some capacity, potentially joining an orchestra in college.

“I’m definitely planning on continuing to play in some way because I really do love music,” Kang said. “Music is such a big part of me; I don’t want to just give it up.”

Kang has learned to let go of mistakes and shift her focus from what could have been done better to the positive aspects and hard work involved in each performance. 

“Don’t hold on to your mistakes,” Kang said. “If you can make a full mistake in front of a ton of high schoolers and be laughed at, I think you can go through anything.”