MEET SHEILA TUME

SHE WANTS TO BE A HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER, AND SHE IS LEADING THE WILDCAT BAND

CLASSES BEGAN AUG. 15 at Lake Highlands High School, but the Wildcat Marching Band didn’t wait for that. They’ve been rehearsing in the heat preparing for halftime shows and readying for prestigious competitions around the region. Leading the group is Sheila Tume, head drum major for 2019-20. Tume isn’t sure where she’ll go to college next year, but that’s about the only thing she’s uncertain about. She plans to become a human rights lawyer and is eyeing several renowned research universities where she can double major in political science and theology.

When did you first realize you loved music?

In elementary school, band was the big thing. Once everyone hits the sixth grade, they get the option of choosing band or orchestra, and in my case, I was pretty much sold on signing up for band after hearing the junior high kids play “Crunch Time” and “Still Fly.” I’d always liked music, but I believe I fell in love with the euphonium once I hit eighth grade. It had been my third year of playing the euphonium and being in band, but only because my band director, Ms.

Tinsley, would not let me quit. After listening to professional euphoniumists like David Childs and Demondrae Thurman, I started paying attention to the really small details that made music so much more than a couple of notes and rhythms plastered onto five black lines.

Do you enjoy your new post as drum major?

Conducting makes me feel as if I am connecting with the band on a level that cannot be described. It’s a mixture of all the hard work, the intensity of the sound, and the look on every single performer’s face that gets me so engaged in the performance.

What is your style of leadership? What leaders do you admire?

I am a sucker for what I love to call “nonverbal affirmations” because it instills ideas of self-worth and acceptance. Having a strong footing in my self-worth stems from the works of women like Maya Angelou and Ava Duvernay. These two women have used their talents to highlight societal issues that are often neglected, and they have underscored a lot

Story by CAROL TOLER

of values, such as integrity and resilience, in their pieces of art. I also look up to my band directors, Mr. [Levi] Chavis, Mr. [Aaron] Singleton, Ms. [Sarah] Jones, and my former band director, Mr. [James] Rees. They’ve engendered a community of young-adult leaders, and they’ve continued to give us students the leeway to personalize the organization that we’re in.

Some people say band kids stick together. Is it true? Do you consider that a criticism, or is that one of the benefits of being a member? There is this general understanding within our school that we are always together. I mean, if allowed, we sit next to each other in our classes, and we even have a designated table in the student center. Some people don’t understand why band kids are always together, but this introduces the idea of perspective. Those who are not in our band don’t know the hours that we put into rehearsals and the time that we spend with each other. From an outsider’s perspective, the bond that we have may come off as strange, but I try not to take it as criticism. As for my experience in the band, the group has served as a home base, as my support group, and I have made some of my closest friends in the organization. I couldn’t be more grateful to be part of something that is way bigger than myself.

The band begins practice at 7 a.m. most days during the school year, and you’ve already started practicing during the hot summer. How tough is it to rehearse when you know other kids are off having fun?

Before summer band began, I was in Dallas for maybe a total of two weeks. I attended several Presbyterian youth workshops and conferences, and I even went on a mission trip. My first two years were hard, but for the past two years, I don’t even think about what other kids are doing because I’m having so much fun, myself.

The LHHS band is diverse in many ways. How does that shape the group?

Seeing a more diverse pool of kids is a pure representation of not only our school, but a world that is outside a lot of what we know and are used to. I believe that we’ve done an excellent job of accentuating values of respect and togetherness while filtering through all of our differences with music. If you surveyed our more than 200 members, we would all agree that there are very apparent cultural differences that exist within the organization. However, I have never thought of that diversity as being a challenge. If anything it’s a gift, and as young adults, we are so lucky to learn how to coexist in a safe space and create something beautiful in the meantime.

Besides football halftimes, what competitions and other performances are you most excited about?

The Wylie Marching Invitational has always been my favorite competition, and I’m super pumped that we’re going this year. We’re also competing at the USBands marching contest on

Oct. 26. This is a new competition, so I’m not so sure what to expect, but I’ve always had a kick out of new things, and I know that our band is ready to level up and take on a more difficult challenge.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. Read the full story online at lakehighlands.advocatemag.com.