“One more time!” said every band director ever, but they never really meant it. However, for Jakob Schneider, a senior in the band, this is, indeed, his last time…well, maybe…
Jakob is an active member of Sahuaro’s band program, spending all four years in the marching band, with two of those years as the drum major. He gets in front of the band and conducts them with pride.
His passion for band didn’t just start in high school; Jakob has been in the band since 5th grade, and he joined the marching band his freshman year. He moved from Surprise, Arizona, to Tucson when he was in 7th grade, and he was shocked to see how big Gridley Middle School’s band was. His main instrument is the trombone. He originally wanted to play trumpet, but he thought it was called the trombone, and wrote that down when he had to choose instruments in 5th grade. It was kismet.
For Jakob, music is a big part of his life, and he can’t imagine what it would be like without it. During his free time, he likes to hang out with his friends and play chess, otherwise, he’s making music. He plans to continue music after high school by majoring in music in college and joining The Pride of Arizona, The University of Arizona’s marching band. He hopes to make music a career.
“For my senior year I’m just looking to have fun mostly, and see how much I can help and leave an impression on the band,” said Jakob. With it being his final year, he’s motivated to be the best drum major he can be and help as much as he can. He auditioned for drum major because he was inspired by the group of kids who continued band when there was no teacher and he wanted to make a difference.
Jakob credits the group of students who led the band his sophomore year with being one of the reasons he stayed. He was a part of the group who proved the teacher who left them wrong. They went out to games and were the best band they could be. Those memories are some of his favorites. He also takes a lot of inspiration from Mr. Schmidgall, Sahuaro’s band director. He says he’s a really good trombone player, and he helped him to become a better musician.
Jakob joked that his favorite part of game days is going home, but then he said it was, “…when we get onto a field, and everyone is cheering for us. I think that’s a big thing to see how we can affect a crowd just by being there. We’re not big, but we still have an effect on how everyone feels about the game just by being there.”
When asked if there was anything he wanted to share with the world, Jakob said, “Trombones are the best,” and, “Go Cougars!” If anyone knows Jakob, they know just how much he will argue that the trombone is the superior instrument. They also know that he is spirited, after all, he is the drum major.
“Passionate, vocal, smart, goofy, dedicated, energetic, and funny,” are all words that Jakob’s bandmates, and director Mr. Schmidgall used to describe Jakob. While this is Jakob’s “last time”, hopefully, that will be true only for his time here at Sahuaro where he will always be a part of Sahuaro’s band, and his legacy will live on.
On behalf of all marching band kids, we will miss you Jakob!
