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The First Woman Drum Major at Oklahoma University

First Drum Major Julie Siberts is a native of Prince William County in Virginia. She attended Forest Park High School where she was one of the leading color guard members. Julie applied and got into her first choice school, Oklahoma University, where her older sister attended. There she continued her career in the Pride. The Pride is the name in which people call Oklahoma's Band. Oklahoma would have its first woman drum major in over 100 years. She would be the first woman to march across Owen Field in the feather-capped head and parade. The parade starts at the 50-yd line to the end zone. Julie will swing her scepter-shaped mace to the rhythm of the state song. This was also a big accomplishment for the woman on campus, who have tried for the past 16 years to get a woman drum major.

Family Tradition

Julie Sibert's family is full of musical talents in Band. Since her great- grandparents' organ and piano majors. And her parents, Laurel and Mike Siberts, were apart of Oklahoma's color guard and apart of the Pride's drumline. Julie's two parents met in the Pride at the Cotton Bowl. A year later, Mike proposed to marry Laurel after Oklahoma University lost to Texas. Her parents moved to Virginia after Mike got a career in the United States Army Band.Even though their family grew up in Virginia, Oklahoma remained the family roots and dreams. Those dreams would start to come true when Julie's older sister, Melanie, would get accepted into Oklahoma University. Melanie would, also, join the family tradition of becoming a band member of the Pride. Julie was later accepted into Oklahoma Univerity, where she contunied her color guard member. Julie decideid later in the college band career to continue the family tradition and join the pride on the field. This burst of excitement lead Julie to want to aim for drum major. It took months to prepare for the audition. Julie had struggled with her fear ti practice in front of an audiance. Julie started small and worked big by practicing on the field on less busy nights of the week to doing the dance on game day for the first time.

Oklahoma University Drum Major

Oklahoma University is Home to around 31.500 students as of the fall of 2016. The Nickname for the Oklahoma sports teams is the Sooners. The nickname was given to settlers who sneaked into the offered territory and staked claims illegally before they were legally owners of the territory. The Pride is the nickname for the University’s marching band. In 2014 the band reached 110 year anniversary. In 2017, 113 years after the start of the marching band, the first woman was accepted as the drum major. The drum major is basically the leader of the band. The drum major is dressed in a marching band costume decorated with the school colors of crimson and cream. The drum major is acquitted with a tall feather-capped hat, and a scepter-shaped mace. The drum major will strut a special dance across the field from the 50-yd line to the end zone. The rest of the pride follows behind the drum major following the pace and rhythm of the drum majors swinging mace. The State Song is played for the tradition dance. The traditional dance involves the drum manor throwing their head far back behind them, and swinging their fore-arms side to side with their knees marching across the 50-yards.

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