You could feel the electricity in the air as the CSU football team prepared to battle South Dakota State in the 2021 season opening game. After more than a year of Covid-19 shutdowns and cancelled events, the fog of restriction was lifting and massive crowds of eager, expectant Rams flocked to Canvas Stadium.
Kathryn Kennedy (B.M., ’23) was there, not as a spectator but as drum major for the CSU Marching Band. As drum major – the student who leads and conducts the band along with the band director – she felt the extra excitement of the moment. When the pregame practice ended and the clock ticked toward game time, she and her bandmates felt the rumble of the stadium and put on a show to remember.
“I don’t think I’ll ever forget the beginning of my junior year in 2021 and the first football game we got to play at,” said Kennedy. “After a year where we couldn’t march, I was just so grateful and never again took for granted the opportunity to perform. The fact that we got to play together again was really huge for me.”
The adrenaline of the game stayed with Kennedy for a while, and she continued to make lasting memories with the band. From game day performances and practices to the little, fun moments that deepen bonds and enhance the sense of community, her appreciation for her place in the band and its history grew.
Music had played a major part of Kennedy’s life since third grade, when she learned how to play the flute. She joined her school band in sixth grade and in high school filled her schedule with the marching band, concert bands, the jazz band, and anything else musical she could participate in. When it was time to go to college, CSU was at the top of her list.
“My parents went to CSU, so the University was always in the back of my mind. I went through the audition process for a lot of music schools, but at CSU I loved all the faculty so much and knew I’d be able to do a lot and be well taken care of. CSU has an amazing music program.”
She played piccolo her freshman year and auditioned for drum major as a sophomore. When she won the position, she never imagined that she would have to wait more than a year to perform. Later, she realized the pandemic was just one of many unusual and fascinating periods in the Marching Band’s history that she would soon uncover.
Marching through History
As a member of the Honors Program, Kennedy had a lot to think about when senior year came around. Along with her drum major duties, she needed to figure out the subject of her required senior thesis. Eventually, she decided on the history of the CSU Marching Band.
“I knew I wanted to have my thesis related to music in some way, and my minor in history helped with the decision. I didn’t feel I had the strongest understanding of the Marching Band’s history and culture, so my thesis could be a way to give back to the program that has meant so much to me.”
As she got started, however, she wasn’t sure if the info she needed was even available, so she read yearbooks and every single surviving newspaper article written about the Marching Band in the past 120 years. Scrap by scrap, piece by piece, she compiled a comprehensive history that defied her expectations.
“It was a shock to me that the info I wanted was available, and I even found detailed stories about the students who wanted to start a band and why. I was so excited to discover so many fun stories and interesting details about the band since its beginning.”
If Kennedy could travel back in time to any period of CSU Marching Band history, she would choose the year 1901, when Charles Jones – chosen representative from a group of musicians – asked faculty permission to form an Aggie Band on campus. Thankfully for generations of Rams to come, permission was granted, and the Aggie Cadet Band began a tradition that continued to grow and evolve through the decades.
The more she learned about the Marching Band’s history, the more her imagination took flight toward eras previously obscure. What would she think if she heard the “Aggie Fight Song” in 1932 – the first version of the famous Fight Song we sing today? What would it be like to be drum major in 1949, the first year women were allowed to march in the band? The latter question has given Kennedy plenty of food for thought.
“We were specifically a military band at first, then an ROTC band, so any expectations of women not being involved in the military would have applied to the Marching Band as well. Still, there were women involved in the program from the earliest days, even though they didn’t march.”
For Kennedy, what started out as an uncertain endeavor transformed into a lively and detailed history that will no doubt be used as a resource at CSU for decades to come. When it was time for Kennedy to present her thesis to her faculty advisors, she invited the entire Marching Band to listen. As she stood before them, she emphasized their role in the big picture.
“My message for my band colleagues was that we are a point in the timeline, but they get to continue making history for the CSU Marching Band. I told them that they are the future.”
Kennedy’s own future is bright. After graduating from CSU, she earned her music education degree and is creating her own history as band director at Pueblo West High School. She and the band recently played at the State Fair Parade, the first of many more high-spirited performances to come.
Read Kathryn Kennedy’s History of the CSU Marching Band presentation here.
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With Homecoming and Family Weekend on the horizon, we’re thinking of all the stalwart traditions such as the CSU Marching Band that give us joy and unite us as one Rams family. Ram Pride shines brightest when we’re together, and we can’t wait to bring generations of Rams back to campus again to celebrate Homecoming Oct. 12-14. Check out details here for specific Homecoming events!
