The Pride of South Texas Javelina Marching Band will have a slightly bigger sound this year as a record 300 students from Texas A&M University-Kingsville have turned out to play in one of only two collegiate marching bands south of San Antonio.
The numbers are so big that Dr. John Lopez, director of bands including the Javelina Marching Band, has had to borrow some instruments from local high schools to make sure everyone who wants to march has an instrument to play.
“We were mostly short on mellophones and sousaphones because these are the instruments that students are least likely to own. It is standard practice for universities to provide these particular instruments for students due to the impractical nature of expecting students to own a personal mellophone or sousaphone,” Lopez said. “Some wonderful alumni who are serving as high school band directors have graciously let us borrow some equipment, so we are close to outfitting the band for the season with instruments.”
Dr. Scott Jones, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said there will be approximately 330 music majors when the fall semester begins Tuesday, Aug. 18. “However, not all music majors join the marching band and all marching band members are not music majors. Any student from any major is welcome,” he said.
“The band is currently comprised of 65% music majors and 35% non-music majors. When I first arrived at TAMUK, it was almost 100% music majors,” Lopez added. “We believe that a college marching band should be representative of the university as a whole and not just the School of Music. So, I have made concerted efforts to encourage TAMUK students who are majoring in something other than music to participate in the program.
Jones said part of the reason for the increase in band members is the increase in the incoming freshman class. “The College of Arts and Sciences is seeing a 30 percent increase in first-time students over last year.”
The university as a whole is on target to have one of its largest freshmen classes ever as the students returned Tuesday, Aug. 18, for the fall semester.
Lopez added, “Over the past four seasons, we have worked to develop the culture of the Pride of South Texas into what we see today, and over that time has yielded significant growth. In 2022, the band was 170 members and now it has hit the 300 milestone.”
Another reason for the band’s growth, according to Jones, is Lopez himself. “He is like the Pied Piper for bands. Wherever he goes, the students go. He is great!”
“That is very kind of Dr. Jones to say, but it is not just me that is creating this growth. We truly have a world class faculty in the School of Music that are not only recruiting music majors, but interacting with high school band students across the entire region,” Lopez said. “The School of Music hosts many music events throughout the year that draws literally thousands of high school band students. Most of our current Javelina Marching Band members have been on our campus and interacted with TAMUK students and faculty many times prior to them applying to attend TAMUK.
Lopez continued, “In the Pride of South Texas Javelina Marching Band, we believe in creating a welcoming environment that fosters hard work and high performance standards and provides a family atmosphere in which we practice selflessness by serving each other, our university and purposes larger than our individual selves. We encourage students to be uninhibited in their expression where they can be themselves without fear of judgement.
“By cultivating these ideals, we have created a place where students can achieve at high levels, be a part of something that inspires others, and have a fun time doing it. The students have bought into this philosophy whole-heartedly, and thus the Javelina Marching Band is a desirable organization in which to be a part,” Lopez concluded.
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