By: Janel Darnell
Marching to the beat of her own drum, senior and drum major Amanda Sneil led Western’s Golden Griffon Marching Band (GGMB) this year.
Sneil has been involved with the extra-curricular activity since her freshman year of high school. When she entered college, Sneil signed up for the cinema program, which has nothing to do with music other than they share a building. But, Sneil decided she still wanted to stay involved in marching band and she’s been a member of the GGMB for six years.
“I wanted to continue in the band in college because of the amazing group of people involved in it. We truly are a big family and we have so much fun,” Sneil said.
Sneil’s favorite memory of being in GGMB is all the annual trip to Silver Dollar City in Branson.
“We are the opener for the Christmas Lights parade and actually get the park to ourselves for a few hours that morning. The lights in the park are gorgeous and the whole Christmas atmosphere during the parade you can’t find anywhere else,” Sneil said.
The GGMB has about 100 members each year, and this last season Sneil was picked as Drum Major by Dr. Gay, director of marching band. Before this year, you could hear her tooting away on her flute.
In order to prepare for their shows and competitions, the band practices on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for a total of 6 hours. However, Sneil usually puts in five to ten her own time depending on how difficult the music is that week.
“Since I am the Drum Major, I need to be sure I know the music very well before rehearsal,” Sneil said
Then on game day, the whole band meets at 7am on the field.
“Since we don’t have access to the stadium normally, this gives us a chance to run the shows on the field we actually have to perform on. We’re all usually very tired since that makes for a long day, but the sunrises are beautiful from the Stadium,” Sneil said.
As one of the drum majors, all eyes are on her to control the performance, know the materials, and act quickly under pressure. It’s a big responsibility, but Sneil loves it.
“It’s equally a lot of fun and a lot of responsibility to help lead the band. Being a drum major has been a great leadership experience for me and has taught me more than I could ever ask for,” Sneil said. There is a sense of pride when we march on the field because I helped make the performance happen.”
Continuing her marching band career may have brought it’s challenges, but Sneil wouldn’t trade the friendships for anything.
“I don’t need awards to love what we do as a band. The lifelong friendships I’ve gained and the family I can always turn to is more than enough.”