Christopher Taylor will mark history this weekend as the first white drum major for HBCU Savannah State University’s marching band. The Tiger’s marching band will take the field at halftime this Saturday against Central State University.
Before Taylor, all Savannah State HBCU drum majors were African-American.
“I am just very honored to be a part of Savannah State’s history,” said Taylor per the Savannah Tribune. I aim to make the school proud and paint a bright future for not only the band program, but for the city of Savannah as well,” he added.
While Taylor will make history this Saturday, the opportunity did not come easy. He failed to earn a drum major position last spring after a tryout. Despite the challenge, giving up was never a thought that crossed Jis mind.
“Becoming a drum major was a goal I set out for myself when I first came to SSU and I wanted to see it through to the end,” he said.
Drum majors carry a heavy responsibility to ensure their band’s success. Luckily for Taylor, he will be accompanied by Aaron Franklin and head drum major Shai Mckenney. The talented trio will lead Savannah State University’s 125-member Powerhouse of the South.
Savannah State’s director of bands Dr. Gabriel Arnold has high expectations for each of his drum majors.
“They control marching training, cardio, discipline, and they have expectations of what each member should contribute to our powerhouse culture,” said Arnold per the Savannah Tribune.
According to Arnold, Taylor drastically separated himself early on during tryouts with a group of seven potential candidates. He noted Taylor’s marching and communication skills as traits that made him an obvious selection for the position.
Taylor’s path to becoming a drum major is truly a testament to hard work. Savannah State’s assistant band director, Aubrey Simmons, was Taylor’s high school band director at Bradwell institute in Hinesville, Georgia.
Simmons admitted that he did not think Taylor was drum major material during high school, but that his extensive work towards his craft has paid off.
“I do know that he will be great at SSU leading the band this coming year,” said Simmons.
Simmons strong relationship with Taylor was also a key factor in Taylor’s college decision.
“He [Simmons] encouraged SSU as an option and knowing he was also involved with SSU’s band I felt comfortable with the decision,” said Taylor.
Taylor won the Freshman of the Year Award in 2022-23 and the Best Marcher in 2023-24 at the annual band banquet. Taylor is also a member of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity.