The dancing drum major

Most people have probably heard the Princeton University Band playing on campus. Whether they’re cheering on Princeton’s sports teams, marching in the P-Rade, or gallivanting around campus in lines of two, the Band is always energized about something. And no one is more excited than the drum major, who can be recognized alongside the conductor by his signature white coat. We all know that the conductor directs the Band during songs, but what exactly is the drum major doing with that mace and those crazy dance moves? Street interviewed the current drum major, Alec Slatky ’12, to find out.

Q: What made you decide to join the [Princeton University] Band?

A: Basically, I wanted to keep playing my sax in college, I wanted to go watch Princeton sports teams and I wanted to hang out with chill people. Once I came to a few games, I was hooked.

Q: What are your main duties as drum major?

A: Behind the scenes, I do a lot of planning for gigs. I will lead show-writing and field rehearsal during football season. But my public — and more entertaining — duty is to dance around like a maniac while the band rocks out. It’s a pretty good job. I wish I could make it into a career, but unfortunately, there’s not a huge market for dancers who can’t really dance.

Q: Do you collaborate often with the conductor or president?

A: Behind the scenes, yes, absolutely. There’s a lot of planning that goes into every event, and I rely heavily on the conductor and president, as well as other officers, for advice. But in public, I’m pretty much on my own; either I dance well or I don’t. The readers can decide which is true.

Q: What has been your favorite gig during your time in band?

A: The NCAA Tournament trips [for men’s hockey and women’s basketball] have been lots of fun, [New York’s] Greenwich Village Halloween Parade is great and Reunions is always a blast. This is a really tough question. But I’ll have to go with the men’s hockey game at Cornell my freshman year [2008-09]. We were the only Princeton fans there, and the team was down 1-0 until two literally last-minute goals gave Princeton the victory. The band loves playing for the hockey team, and that win was pretty incredible. Plus my best friend goes to Cornell, so when I saw him after the game, I got to tease him a little bit about the result. And bus rides are fun, because it’s just hanging out with awesome people for five hours straight. Overall, just an amazing experience.

Q: Are there any band traditions that involve the drum major?

A: My favorite tradition happens during field rehearsals in football season. At some point during the rehearsal, I blow my whistle and the entire band tries to tackle me. The same thing happens at the end of the P-Rade, except it’s the band seniors chasing after me. So far, I’ve never actually been on the receiving end of the tackles. I’ve always been one of the tacklers. I’m going to have to hit the gym to withstand those punishing hits.

Q: What is the story behind the shark stuffed animal that is always on your head?

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A: Some sort of crazy hat is part of the drum major’s uniform, and I happened to be in Universal Studios over winter break with my family. In what can only be described as fate, we walked by a hat store as we were leaving the park; I tried on the shark hat — it’s a tiger shark, of course — and it fit perfectly. Also, some random woman — clearly an angel sent from above — said to me three times, “You have to buy that hat.” Who was I to refuse destiny?

Q: What kinds of ridiculous things happen in band?

A: We’re a pretty ridiculous group, so I would say it might be harder to find the non-ridiculous things we do. But for a small example, we have the White Castle Meat Product Tolerance Marathon every Dead Week, which is exactly what it sounds like: Eat as many White Castle burgers as you can, until you either quit or can no longer keep them down.

It’s an optional contest, of course; there are some people in band with dignity. It’s vile, pointless and disgusting — and totally awesome.

Q: Other than you, who is the most energetic member?

A: For my diplomatic answer, I would say we’re all pretty energetic. But if I really have to name just one, I’d say Santa. The man can take a beating, but he never complains.

Q: Would you rather see Princeton beat Harvard or Yale?

A: It definitely depends on the year and the sport. For hockey, it’s always Yale. Both men’s and women’s basketball this year are in tough competitions with Harvard, though. In general, I’d choose Harvard for two reasons. First, I’m a New York sports fan, so I’m required to hate all Boston teams. But more importantly, they’re the Crimson. That is not a mascot, and in a battle of evil vs. evil, I’ll take mascots over non-mascots.

Q: If you could have the band play anywhere, where would it be?

A: I would have the band play at rehearsals every Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. in Woolworth. I would also have the band play at the Shameless Plug Convention.

Interview conducted, condensed and edited by Danny Guo.