All-women drum major team leads 2021 UAB Marching Blazers

When it comes to hard work, motivation and discipline, gender is irrelevant.

The first drum major team of three women leading the University of Alabama at Birmingham Marching Blazers — Janna Mann, Anna Wilkes and Avery Williams — unquestionably have those qualities, along with lots of gratitude and pride.

Each year, every candidate for drum major undergoes a vigorous audition process. The top three students with the highest scores are chosen. While women drum majors have led the band before; in 2006, Norrell Robertson and Sara Tucker led the Marching Blazers, and in 2007, Tucker and Carolyn Myers led the band. This is believed to be the first time they have been led by a three-women team, says Sean P. Murray, Ph.D., director of Bands and associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Music. The three were selected because they were the most qualified, Murray says, and have worked hard all summer to prepare for this football season.

Avery Williams (Photography: Andrea Mabry)The three work hard in the classroom as well.

Head drum major Mann, of Gardendale, Alabama, is a junior in UAB’s Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program in Multidisciplinary Biomedical Sciences, earning an undergraduate degree in genetics and genomic sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, and a Master of Science degree from the Graduate School. She is also in the Honors College’s Personalized Path and is corresponding secretary for Kappa Kappa Psi Theta Theta, the national honorary fraternity for college and university band members.

Wilkes, of Pelham, Alabama, is a sophomore nursing major and plans to join UAB’s nursing program in the spring semester. Williams, a junior from Madison, Alabama, also majors in genetics and genomic sciences, minors in art studio and chemistry, and is in the Honors College’s Science and Technology Honors Program. She is a RACE21 Cancer Biology Scholar and a research lab assistant in the School of Medicine’s Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, and is also continuing membership education officer for

Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority.

The three want to encourage other women in band to pursue leadership positions. Marching band can be male-dominated, Mann says, and they believe they can provide encouragement for many other young girls wanting to pursue leadership positions.

“I am so grateful for the leadership of both the UAB Department of Music and UAB College of Arts and Sciences that allow for everyone to have an equal opportunity to become a leader,” Mann said. “I am grateful for a university that encourages diversity and equality, especially in leadership.” 

The 200-plus band members push each other to be their best selves and enjoy every moment — even the hardest — working together toward a common goal. Members of the Marching Blazers are some of the hardest-working people she has known, she says.

Janna Mann (Photography: Andrea Mabry)“Every outstanding performance by my peers is due to the countless hours we put in cleaning every detail of our performance, and the outstanding people who work in the background to make things as smooth as possible,” Mann said.

Wilkes says the leadership and discipline of being in band carry over to other places in her life.

“There are responsibilities in place for learning the music, memorizing that and drill, running rehearsal, time management in practicing conducting, and all sorts of other important responsibilities that take place in band,” Wilkes said. “That leadership aspect is an important skill that I will definitely bring to the table in nursing school and beyond and have already used in my daily life.”

When leading the band, Williams says, her strongest feeling is a motivation to succeed, fueled by how much she wants to strive to do her best for her teammates and make their band experience the best it can be.

“My favorite thing about band is the community,” Williams said. “Band takes so much effort, nitpicking, and running rep after rep to improve and be the best we can be, and I am so proud of everyone in the Marching Blazers for their enormous efforts. We are all mutually invested in our own and each other’s success, and we form such strong bonds and friendships through it. Hard work pays off.”

When Williams came to UAB, she went from being drum major leading her band in high school to a freshman with no position at the beginning of college. She learned in band that there are many ways and opportunities to lead, and leaders are defined not by their position, but by the qualities they possess, she says.Only around 20-25 percent of the band’s members are music majors. That means the members are not just future musicians, but future teachers, nurses, surgeons, computer engineers and more, “sweating it out on the field just because they love it,” Williams said. “I am proud knowing just how much sacrifice everyone makes to be here, and how they are here giving their all anyway.”

Anna Wilkes
(Photography: Andrea Mabry)“Now that I have been fortunate to achieve this position again, I still want to strive to do everything I can to be a good leader regardless of the position.”

Leading the band can only be described as one thing: pride, Mann says.

“I am so blessed to have been leading the band for three years, and the feeling of gratefulness and pride does not even begin to fade — every game day feels like my first game day in 2019,” Mann said. “There are far too many things I have learned from band to mention, but the most important thing I have learned is discipline. Motivation will only get you so far, but if you have discipline, you can continue to push yourself.”