Campus Celebrity: Michael Tomanelli
Year: Second Year Graduate Student
Age: 20
Celeb Status: Marching Band Drum Major
“CAN I GET A HOORAH?” “HOORAH!”
What is a Drum Major?
The Drum Major of a band is basically the conductor. As the Sacred Heart University Marching Band’s (SHU-MB) Drum Major, it is my job to lead the band onto the field and to keep time through conducting during their performance. Aside from conducting, my job is to make sure everyone is doing okay. That means everyone has to be healthy and ready to practice and perform to the best of their abilities.
How did you get to be Drum Major and why did you want the position?
After joining the band, I was looking to take on a leadership position and a lot of the upperclassmen told me to just go for it. Even if I didn’t get it, I wanted to show interest. I also joined Kappa Kappa Psi, The National Honorary Band Fraternity, which really helped me get involved and showcase leadership. In the beginning of sophomore year, I auditioned for the position and didn’t get it. Instead, I was co-section leader of the low brass instrumentalists. But I auditioned again at the end of my sophomore year, and I’ve had the honor and the pleasure of being Drum Major ever since. I’m so pumped for my last season with the SHU-MB!
Were you the band Drum Major high school?
Nope! Actually, I was one of the football team captains. I did not do marching band in high school, as my high school band was strictly a concert band. I played football for two and a half years. I was a full time varsity starter senior year. I was also a leader of the swim team and the catcher on the varsity baseball team. I also earned my Eagle Scout (the highest Boy Scouts of America rank).
Why did you decide to do band in college?
Music has always been a big part of who I am, and I hadn’t really realized that until my senior year of high school. When I applied to Sacred Heart, I listed band as one of my interests and one day I got a message from Keith Johnson, the Band Director here at Sacred Heart, inviting me to Pack the Pitt. So I played in the pep band at Pack the Pitt, and it was really cool because it was the first experience I had in that type of setting. I instantly fell in love with it. Since I was still a prospective student, they invited me back to play at the Women’s Basketball Championship Game in 2012. Playing at the championship game was wild because I hadn’t even been accepted yet. It was crazy. After the game, I was sold. I knew I wanted to be a member of the band at SHU.
What musical instruments can you play?
The tuba is my main instrument. I started off playing the alto saxophone. Now I know how to play the baritone/euphonium horn, but I can also play the tenor saxophone, the baritone saxophone, and a little bit of the trombone. I can also play the sousaphone because it’s practically the same thing as a tuba. The sousaphone is my jam.
What have you been studying here at SHU?
I was a Criminal Justice major as an undergrad. As a freshman, I came to SHU with 29 class credits, so I was able to finish my undergraduate degree in two and a half years. Technically I had already finished my humanities courses, so I just had to go through Common Core and my major’s course material, which I enjoyed. I graduated in December of last year, and I’ve been a grad student at SHU since spring 2014. I’m currently working on getting my masters in Criminal Justice. I’ll graduate this spring.
What do you want to do after college?
Hopefully I’ll be working in a local police force. I’m currently applying to jobs in Connecticut, and some back home in New York. There are a lot of opportunities here in Connecticut. I like the area because it reminds me of my hometown– small town, woodsy type of feeling. I fell in love with the school, I fell in love with the band, and I fell in love with the atmosphere. That’s why I’m still here.
What’s special about the Sacred Heart Marching Band?
Before the band starts performing, it is my job to call them to attention. Typically, the Drum Major shouts “band atten-tion!” And the band replies “HUT!” But, since we are Sacred Heart University, our band yells “HEART!” instead. I mean, we are the heart of Connecticut. UCONN might be the pride of Connecticut, but you can’t have a soul if you don’t have Heart.
Thanks for reading! “BAND DISMISSED!”