ALLENTOWN – Dedication, persistence and self-sacrifice have paid off for Kyrsten Melander.
Melander, a 17-year-old Millstone resident who attends Allentown High School, serves as the head drum major of the high school’s Allentown Redbird Marching Band this year.
Melander, who plays flute, piccolo and alto sax and has even tried her hand in the color guard section of the band, has wanted to lead the group since joining.
“Since my freshman year I’ve idolized the drum major,” she said. “At first, I just wished I could wear a skirt – because the drum major gets to wear a skirt instead of the hot and itchy pants – but as I saw the drum major’s leadership, I knew that’s who I wanted to be.”
Through hard work and determination, Melander succeeded when she tried out for and earned the title of drum major last year when the marching band was still under the direction of Randal Kratofil.
After an intense week of band camp this summer and rigorous practices almost every school day since, Melander sensed her first victory as drum major would come Sept. 29. She looked forward to striking up the 32-piece band with a 15-member color guard section, for the first time ever, at the United States Scholastic Band Association Competition at Monroe Township High School.
In an interview before the competition, Melander said she would most likely get very emotional when hearing “Kyrsten Melander, is your band ready?” and having to call the band to attention.
Savoring the sweet moment on the podium in front of the judges and the crowd would have been enough for Me- lander, but victory was manifold when the band won first place in competition and also won for best music and best percussion.
This was the marching band’s first competition of the year, playing the music of Carlos Santana under the leadership of new director Jeff Santoro. Melander said it has been difficult for the band to get accustomed to the teaching styles of three different directors in the past three years, but it has persevered.
Melander said being selected for the role of drum major under one director and actually having to do the job under another seemed daunting at first.
“I remember the day before [Kratofil] left. I told him that I was scared and asked him what I was supposed to do,” she said. “He told me that he picked me for a reason. He said I had proved myself throughout the year. He said he knew that I could be a leader and that they would listen to me.”
Melander also said that drum majors usually attend a camp during the summer, but the changeover in the band department in the middle of the year kept her from doing that.
She has learned that being a drum major is much more than bellowing a few commands, and that it is also conducting, making decisions for, teaching and earning the respect of the band.
She gets to every practice early to help members and serves as a role model even if it means giving up something else she holds dear. Every summer she works as either a counselor at N.J. Leadership Camp, or at Great Adventure in Jackson. This year, during band camp, she worked evenings at Great Adventure.
As a manager of the candy stores at the theme park, she had to stay until the park closed. She would often get home well after midnight and have to leave for band camp by 7 a.m. the next morning.
Her peers at Great Adventure nominated her for Manager of the Year, but the day of the awards ceremony she had band practice. She chose her responsibility to the band and its members over the celebration, and attended practice. In the middle of band practice, she got a text message saying she actually won Manager of the Year at Great Adventure.
Not only does she balance work with her commitment to the band, but Melander is also a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society and a silver award achiever working toward a gold award in the Girl Scouts.
Among all of her achievements, Melander said being drum major is her biggest.
“We probably have the best band we ever had this year,” she said. “It’s truly a bunch of dedicated kids, and our new director is awesome.”
The Allentown High School senior has her sights set on attending George Washington University in Washington, D.C., to study international affairs. She is also looking at other schools, all of which have at least a concert band, she said.
Her four years in marching band at the high school amounted to more than she ever thought they would.
To those thinking about joining the group when they move up from the middle school next year, Melander said, “Band is everything that it is said to be, and it’s not. Your friends are going to joke and call you a band geek, but you’ll know it was the best decision you ever made.”
The Redbird Marching Band will play at homecoming Oct. 6. The band’s next competition will be in Brick Township Oct. 20. The band will also compete Oct. 27 in the United States Scholastic Band Association’s New Jersey State Championships in Union.