Posted July 5th, 2018
Greetings, Band Alumni!
I hope this message finds you all enjoying a wonderful summer so far!
Now that I have been “official” for one entire month, I wanted to reach out to say, “Hello!” and to give you a few updates of what has been happening in the Band Office.
The month has been filled with meeting a lot of folks and trying to learn as much as possible about all things MSOM. I was very grateful to have the opportunity to meet with the UMBAO officers mid-June. There was lots of ground to cover, but lots of exciting opportunities are ahead! In the coming months we will be bringing you all more details about this year’s Homecoming celebration (it’s our 110th year!) as well as opportunities to interact with the current members of MSOM during Early Week. You as alumni are an integral part of the past, present, and future success of the Maryland Bands and we look forward to strengthening the ties that bind. I consider meeting and interacting with the alumni a very important aspect of my position and look forward to meeting and working with all of you.
Additionally, we are very excited to welcome Tina Hoitt back to the Band Office! She has already added so much to our day-to-day processes, and this will only improve as the team continues to work as the summer continues. We are truly fortunate to have her back with us!
Also, we are extremely pleased with the hiring of our new coordinator of marching percussion, Jeremy Maytum. Professor Maytum is in the process of completing his DMA in percussion at the University of Kentucky and lives with his wife, an Army Field Band hornist, in the Baltimore area. We’ll share more about his resume as the summer continues, but please help us welcome him to the MSOM family!
These new additions, along with myself, are supported by the great work of returning members of the team, and congratulations are in order for both of them: DR Craig Potter as Assistant Director of Bands with his newly minted doctoral degree, and Suzanne Sturgis, our Colorguard Instructor, who is very recently retired. Congratulations to both of you!
As far as this coming MSOM season, our shows have been planned (show themes announcement coming soon!), arrangements have been purchased, and drill writers are signed on to make this 110th season of The Mighty Sound of Maryland a special one. All of the student staff folks have already been hard at work. The uniforms have been cleaned, and we have some new piccolos, trumpets, and cymbals in our inventory!
Summer orientations are underway and we are extremely grateful to the students that have been helping out with all of the many events. Those of you who follow the MSOM social media accounts (which I hope is all of you!) may have noticed some increased activity in posts about these events. The new student marketing/information staff has begun to make a real positive impact and this will only grow as we move forward. Future work will be focused on bringing the latest information to you as alumni as well as our other fans.
Regarding MSOM social media, it would be a big help if everyone that participates on the various platforms would follow the MSOM accounts and not only “like” posts, but share and/or retweet anything that you feel may be seen by interested individuals. YOU, as alumni, are can be influential and effective recruiters. It mighty not seem like much, but your engagement & recommendations can really make a difference.
Thank you for your time and attention. I am so excited and grateful to be a part of this wonderful band program. There will certainly be some changes to MSOM this season, but it is primarily a year for me to listen, learn, and assess. As I told the student leaders, it is my intention to help MSOM be the very best version of itself it can be. I hope all of you will support us on this journey to continue to build on the legacy that you created.
I look forward to meeting all of you soon!
GO TERPS!
Andrea Brown
Andrea E. Brown, DMA
Associate Director of Bands
University of Maryland
aebrown7@umd.edu