An all-women drum major team is making history for the University of Pittsburgh marching band.<\/p>\n
The band is rocking the field and blazing a trail with junior Kennedy Aderogba as the head drum major. She’s the first Black woman to earn that title in the history of Pitt’s band.<\/p>\n
“When I first got the position, I actually didn’t even realize that I was the first Black female head drum major. Even now as I say that long title, I can’t even believe that I am it,” said Aderogba.<\/p>\n
Also, for the first time, three women are leading the Pitt Band. Rachel McGregor and Gale Clark are the two assistant drum majors.<\/p>\n
“Last thing I ever expected,” McGregor said. “The three of us get along really well, and I think having that kind of connection and understanding what each of us kind of go through, being a woman and also being in band, it’s really cool to see how close we’ve all gotten and seeing what we can all do together with the three of us.”<\/p>\n
“We all come from male-dominated sections, so having that understanding, there’s a certain sort of bond. I come from the drum line, Rachel’s a trumpet, Kennedy was a baritone,” Clark said.<\/p>\n
Aderogba, who’s quietly confident, stepped out of her comfort zone and joined Pitt’s band as a freshman with no prior marching band experience. She has played instruments since she was a kid and loves the orchestra. Her passion for music and ability to work hard helped her land the tough drum major audition.<\/p>\n
“You do the strut, backbend, conducting and teaching, all the stuff that you started in late September, early October with the drum major clinics. .. I decided to just kind of take a chance and better myself and hope that my parents’ teachings and my confidence in myself would take me there and it most certainly has,” said Aderogba.<\/p>\n