New Tech High@Coppell freshman Alice Mae Alford thought she was auditioning for experience, not for results. But Alford has a passion for music that is undeniable, and a drive for leadership that places her far above her peers.

So after a nerve wracking audition, Alford was chosen as a 2017-2018 drum major over her older Coppell High School band mates.

“I was surprised, but I was very honored to get the position and I knew I would take the responsibilities that come with it very seriously,” Alford said.

Alford has wanted to be a drum major since seventh grade, so being chosen was a dream come true for the flute player.

“I saw one of the drum majors [2015 CHS graduate Hannah Thorp] and I didn’t know her, but the instant I saw her, I just knew that’s what I wanted to be,” Alford said.

CHS band director Gerard Miller himself has only selected a sophomore drum major on “two or three occasions,” and while typically drum majors have been juniors and seniors, Alford was an obvious choice.

“In her case, she stood out throughout the conducting process and was very strong and then into the interview process was very strong as well,” Miller said.

Miller first noticed Alford when she placed second in an audition for a flute solo during marching season as only a freshman.

“At that moment we knew she was a very unique musician, with an innate sense of how she connects with her audience and how she connects as a performer,” Miller said.

During the 2016-17 school year, Alford proved her worth through hard work, and while being a leader as a freshman is difficult, she led by example, setting herself apart from the other musicians.

“As a freshman you can’t stand up in front of the flute section and tell them how to do something,” Miller said. “But what you can do is you can find those individuals who are struggling with a particular passage and you can go up to them and say ‘hey, do you want to practice together? I’ll hang here for a minute’ and we saw that quality in her all the way back to marching season.”

CHS junior Ashna Pathan will be a returning drum major next school year, and is excited for Alford’s leadership.

“She is constantly thinking of ways to make things better and improve herself and the program,” Pathan said. “She definitely has what it takes.”

Alford looks up to Pathan’s leadership, and hopes to lead in the way Pathan did as a junior this year.

“I really look up to Ashna,” Alford said. “Even though she was a junior she was able to lead in a way that affected even the older performers and that made me realize that I can be a leader and make a difference and it doesn’t matter what my age is.”

Alford may be younger, but she is mature enough to know that she is taking on a big responsibility and knows that all eyes will be on her.

 
“I know I have a lot to prove,” Alford said.

 
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