The Jackson State University Sonic Boom of the South has named Ariel Woods, a senior from Dallas, Texas, as one of its drum majors for the 2024-2025 band season. Woods is the fourth woman in the band’s history to hold the title.
The Jackson State University Sonic Boom is one of the top HBCU bands in the country. The band has 300 members, which is led by five drum majors that now include Woods. The Sonic Boom of the South is one of the most highly requested marching bands in the entertainment industry. They’ve performed at several NFL halftime concerts, the Motown 30th anniversary special, and as a surprise guest on the first night of Drake and J. Cole’s It’s All A Blur—Big as the What? Tour.
In an interview with 16 WAPT News, Woods shares her experience on becoming the next drum major.
“Everything kind of just started happening in slow motion. Everybody started coming and started cheering me on and was just really excited that I was going to be the next drum major,” she said.
“I’m getting the crowd hyped. I’m getting the crowd riled up. I’m getting people excited for the band and the football team… A drum major is someone who is a natural-born leader, someone who has a real passion to lead the others and make concrete decisions,” Woods continued in the interview.
The last female drum major before Woods was DeyShaun Roberts in 2017. Before Roberts, the last time the Sonic Boom of the South had a female drum major was 2006. It was not an easy journey for Ariel Woods to become one of the Sonic Boom’s drum majors. After seeing videos of the band on YouTube, Woods fell in love with the band and made the decision to become apart of the band’s legacy at Jackson State.
“This position is something I’ve been dreaming about for the last seven years now. I’ve always had doubts along the way, but I never gave up. I never said I can’t do this… This is my second time trying out to be a drum major, so it’s nothing short of an honor. It’s nothing short of a blessing being placed in this position as a woman. I just know how prestigious this is. It’s not something that I really can just put into words.”
Woods says she wants to see more female drum majors in the future. Taking over male-dominated roles at all academic levels.
“I really want to instill more women being in these prestigious and male-dominant roles because I just love seeing women and female drum majors in middle schools, colleges, and universities,” she said.
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