Marching to his own beat
Southern University drum major leads one of nation’s top college bands
LINDSAY HALPIN / American Press
It all started for Southern University Drum Major Trevon Ceasar when a friend asked him to check out the band room at Washington-Marion High School back in 2013. He was a freshman then, and just trying to get involved.
Fast forward to today, and that freshman now finds himself a senior at Southern — and the leader of one of the top college marching bands in America.
At 11 a.m. today, Ceasar’s band career will come full circle as he leads the Southern Univeristy Human Jukebox Band on to the Washington-Marion football field for a special performance at his old stomping ground.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Ceasar said. “Through hard work and dedication you really can find yourself back where you started from, but with a lot more appreciation for how far you’ve come.”
After checking out that band room years ago, Ceasar settled on playing the French horn, but fate would not allow him to simply blend into the melody. The next year, as a sophomore, he was elected drum major.
But Ceasar is quick to tell you that he isn’t a “leader” of the usual sort.
“I just do the right things. I get the job done,” he explained. “I think people just naturally follow the people who are doing right and getting things accomplished.”
After having the chance to see the Human Jukebox Band play in 2013, Ceasar said he was determined to attend college at Southern with the hopes of joining their ranks.
He did, and so impressed the band director there that he was chosen yet again to lead the band.
That was two years ago — and he has never looked back.
“I’ve just been along for this ride,” he said. “I try to go with the flow of things and see where life will take me.”
Ceasar will graduate in May from Southern with a degree in psychology.
“I am going to be the first generation of males in my family to graduate from college,” he said. “And by the end of next semester I will choose a graduate school.”
Unfortunately that means his days in marching band are now numbered.
“Once you serve four years on the Southern University Human Jukebox Band, you’ve done it. The Southern band prepares you for so much in life; after four years you feel like there’s nothing you can’t accomplish.”
His four-year career as drum major will not simply fade away into the Friday night lights; he and the rest of the seniors making up the Human Jukebox Band are very much looking forward to putting the icing on the great cake of their band years with a performance at the Rose Bowl Parade in California.
“This is amazing for so many reasons,” he excitedly explained. “First, I never thought I would get to California. I’m excited for that. But it is going to be so awesome for the fans and for the band. We play at all of these football games each season, but the Rose Bowl Parade is like the silver lining.”
Life will have many silver linings for Ceasar if his journey remains true to the path he has followed thus far.
Following their Washington-Marion performance this morning, Ceasar will then perform during the McNeese State University-Southern matchup tonight.
Southern University band