Instrumental music fills the air, followed by the sound of loud cheering from the crowd. The McNeese band members step in line and follow the rhythm the drum majors supply them with. Those drum majors wear uniforms decorated in blue, white and yellow, but one of them used to wear the colors of an LCM Battlin’ Bear – green and gold.
LCM Traevin Nelms, who graduated from LCM in 2021, is now in a position of leadership as a drum major for the McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Nelms’ love for band started in middle school under the leadership of Mauriceville Middle School director Kathy Smith and then later, Justin Hargraves.
“After many and many and many times of him convincing me not to quit when I got to high school, I stayed in,” Nelms said of Hargraves. “I talk to Justin Hargraves all the time now, and I’ve never thanked him for keeping me in band (I probably never will either). Seriously though, he was the sole reason I stayed in band in high school and one of the two reasons why I am who I am today.”
Nelms attributes the other reason to his high school band director, Jose Ochoa.
“The ability he had to connect with everyone while at the same time being such a great leader motivated me to want to become a band director and on top of that, follow in his footsteps and go to McNeese just like he did,” Nelms said. “Throughout high school I wanted to quit because of the stigma that band isn’t ‘cool.’ Glad I didn’t, though, because every time I get on the podium at McNeese I feel like I have aura. Ochoa was able to show me that it doesn’t really matter what anyone thinks other than myself, and that has stuck with me even until today.”
According to Nelms, he has wanted to be a drum major for a long time, since he was in high school.
“Thanks to Jose Ochoa, I never was in high school because he would make up some excuse to never pick me,” Nelms said. “Now, however, the idea of a drum major should be, ‘what can I do to help the band?’ and that’s exactly why I wanted to become drum major.”
At McNeese, the process of becoming a drum major includes many different steps – the first of which is getting past the popular vote, where everyone in the band ranks the drum major candidates from their first choice to their last.
“The directors take the top five candidates and let them move on to the actual audition where you have to conduct an excerpt from the previous show and our school song ‘Joli,'” Nelms said. “After that you have to have an interview with the staff in front of the whole band. Then, the hardest part – you have to wait months until you find out if you made it or not.”
Nelms said his drum major duties vary, depending on the day and what the band has going on.
“We always start with stretches and then transition into breathing gym and warm-ups,” Nelms said of a typical practice. “After those, it depends on the day. Sometimes we’ll split up into sectionals, marching fundamentals, or we’ll just go into setting or rehearsing drill. I think these are essential to producing a good visual and musical performance.”
One of Nelms’ favorite parts of being drum major is having an accessible way to be able to talk to everyone and interact with those who are in the band.
“More than half of the band are majoring in something that doesn’t relate to music, so it’s interesting to meet with them and hear all the things going on in the different areas on campus,” Nelms said.
His goals as a drum major include being there for people the same way his directors were there for him.
“That is the biggest thing for me,” Nelms said. “Even if you are having the worst day ever, you signed up for those responsibilities. So push those feelings to the side so we can help the rest of the band enjoy their time here. Without saying too much, we have a lot of traditions. We are very big on being a family and making sure no one ever goes through anything by themselves. We are big on being there for each other, and I think that’s a great tradition.”
Nelms is currently student teaching at Iowa High School and working toward the LMEA State Marching Contest.
“That takes up up most of my time,” he said. “When I’m not there or at college marching band, I am most likely doing something for my fraternity. I am the Fraternal Education Officer of Phi Mu Alpha at McNeese. My job is to educate the potential and current brothers on our values and history. I have held this role for two years now and have loved every second of it. I don’t have much time to think, which is honestly a blessing in disguise and I would have it no other way.”
Nelms said he is thankful for his mom, dad, and brother Calin, who have helped him get to where he is today. He thinks others would describe him the same way he would have described his mentors, Ochoa and Hargraves.
“Hopefully a leader, fun, and humorous,” Nelms said. “Hopefully that I have a really good ear for music, and probably sarcastic. I genuinely think LCM set me up for the success I have today. From the teachers (not just band), to the people I surround myself with, and especially the tradition we have at LCM. Go Bears and Geaux Pokes!”
