4 minute read
AND THE WOLVES GO MARCHING IN
Since 2000, the Marching Wolves have been dazzling football fans with their creative vision, precise choreography, and musical talent. Behind every finely tuned note and every well-timed step, students in the marching band are also practicing servant leadership skills that they will carry into college and beyond.
Servant leadership is first modeled by 24-year Wesleyan veteran Jeff Foster, who has been directing the Marching Wolves for their entire existence. His selflessness and dedication has led to more than 40% of Wesleyan band students continuing to march in college, compared to just 3% nationwide. When walking through the Fine Arts Building, you pass by trophy cases full of awards and accolades, but beyond building a legacy of success, Foster says, “What keeps me here is the relationships with the kids.” Foster’s heart for building relationships sets the standard for the students who are eager to follow in his leadership footsteps.
Over their 21-year history, the Marching Wolves have ranged in size from 24 to 57 students, and with a band of this small size, “no one can hide,” says Foster.
No one can hide in the sense that the audience hears every instrument, but also no student can hide because each one is being intentionally pursued by student leaders. Each student becomes known not just by his or her musical abilities, but more importantly by his or her personality, strengths, weaknesses, quirks, and preferences. Some of this depth develops organically from time spent together, but it also develops because of a carefully crafted and evolving leadership structure in which older, experienced students pour into younger students.
After a few years in the marching band, students may choose to apply to be a section leader or a house leader. All interested students interview with Foster and other band leaders. Section leaders audition to demonstrate their musical mastery, and house leaders also submit a reflective essay to share their vision for leadership. The thorough application and selection process is just the beginning of a seven-month commitment to use their gifts to serve their peers.
Section leaders take responsibility for guiding the section of the marching band with instruments similar to theirs. They creatively encourage their peers to learn the assigned music over the summer, and their marching experience allows them to supplement Foster’s direction with small group guidance and coaching.
No one can hide because the audience can hear every instrument, but also no student can hide because each one is being intentionally pursued by student leaders.
While section leaders are the norm for most marching bands, the Marching Wolves’ house system and leaders are a little more unique. In 2014, a few students approached Foster with an idea. They wanted to establish a Harry Potter-style house system to encourage marching band friendship across grade levels and instrumental sections.
Intrigued by the idea, Foster heard the students out and helped them consider how to legitimize the house system. Eventually they agreed to create four houses, and each house included marching band members from 7th to 12th grade and a variety of instruments.
Each house took creative names to represent some of the core values of the marching band:
• Parafora means “passion” in Greek, and this house celebrates intense music. • Dunamis is a Greek concept representing potential and actuality. • Tharros, an ancient city on an island off the Italian coast, was considered the most important place on the island, and this house recognizes that marching band holds an important place in the
Wesleyan community. • Doxa is Greek for “common belief or opinion,” and this house prioritizes unity in the marching band.
House leadership has taken a variety of forms over the past seven years. Each Wednesday during the fall, houses gather at the end of practice to share highs and lows, trade advice, and check in on one another. Some houses enjoy card games or other competitions, and some houses bring snacks to sample. House leaders are tasked with coordinating this time to foster a greater sense of community and belonging in the marching band.
JEFF FOSTER, DIRECTOR OF THE MARCHING WOLVES
“Student leadership creates a culture where students take ownership of the program, mentor younger students, and cultivate student leadership in the next generation of students,” explains Foster.
Whether section or house leader, band members in these positions desire to create meaningful fellowship by serving their peers, an admirable way of building a tradition of passion in the marching band. Their selflessness creates a foundation for leadership that will continue to serve them for many years. These students are learning leadership skills in one of the most effective ways – through action. ■
