Upon entering the band program his freshman year at FHN, sophomore Aaron Johnson only expected to meet some new friends and improve at his saxophone. Little did he know, he would become the newest and youngest assistant drum major the following year.

“I was speechless [when I found out], because I never thought of him being drum major,” Aaron’s father Eric Johnson said. “I always saw him playing music because he loves it so much. Detaching him from his sax is a monumental task.”

The role of drum major is to keep time while conducting and directing the marching
band around the field. While they don’t play their instruments, drum majors play a vital role in marching
band. Alongside Johnson is senior Tyler Compton, head drum major. Johnson and Compton work well together and share advice.

“We get along, we don’t fight or argue about anything,” Compton said.
Usually the title of drum major goes to an upperclassman because of the respect required from the musicians. It’s also important to know how things within the band work and how things need to be done. In most cases, an upperclassman is more qualified, but Johnson was an exception.

“I knew he could be a drum major when he stepped up as a leader at the first competition and through his work ethic in class,” Marching Band Director Jeff Moorman
said.

In class, Johnson is described as being focused, hard working, dedicated, and generally quiet. It’s also been said that he has a great sense of humor and is often cracking jokes. Johnson proved himself worthy of being a leader to the marching band by showing strong leadership skills while still maintaining respect for other students and never becoming “power hungry.” However, some people were initially skeptical that Johnson was ready to be drum major.

“I wasn’t sure anyone would listen to him because he’s younger. [At first] I thought he might be too young, but he’s fine,” Compton said.

It’s safe to say that Johnson has successfully earned the respect of the students in band. The decision to make Johnson the assistant drum major was up to Moorman, who says it was for the band’s betterment.
So what’s in store for Johnson in the future? While he doesn’t know what college he wants to attend yet, he is sure of one thing…

“I really want to do music when I grow up. I want to teach music to people,” Johnson said.