Drum Major auditions for the MMB were this past Tuesday. The 3 candidates who auditioned in the finals this year in front of the entire MMB also made it to finals the previous year but lost to Cody Martin, the incumbent Drum Major at the time. Here's footage of the twirling portion of all 3 candidates' auditions: #1 Rich Main http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XQZ8tVevI4 #2 David Hines http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePoB6nRMboA #3 Sarah Zelenak http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_lvel5C_9I Candidate #2 was voted into the position of Drum Major for the 2009 season. Just a bit more on the position of Drum Major in the MMB from wikipedia: The Michigan Marching Band has one drum major, commonly referred to as the "Man Up Front," for the entire 350+ member ensemble. Like in most Big Ten bands, the MMB drum major is not a conducting position. The drum major provides whistle commands to provide song tempos and parade instructions. While it is not required of the position, most drum majors perform twirling routines during the halftime show. The drum major is also responsible for teaching proper marching techniques during Band Week. The drum major is best known for the back bend performed during pregame. The drum major is considered the best marcher in the band. Auditions for this position are held yearly in a two-phase process. The first phase is held in front of the MMB staff which narrows the field of candidates. The second phase is held on the last day of classes for the winter term and the final vote is decided by the current members of the MMB.