Standing several feet above the marching band, Gina Ciolli surveys the field. She waits in anticipation as an announcer introduces the band to the audience. The crowd quiets as she takes a deep breath and lifts her hands. “Set! 5, 6, 5, 6, 7, 8.”

Senior Ciolli and junior John Wilson, this year’s field commanders for the Revere High School marching band, attended a Fred J. Miller (FJM) summer clinic for marching bands, performers, and student leaders. The camp teaches conducting basics, leadership skills, teamwork, and more. Though the camp supplies instruction in many areas, including dance and baton twirling, Ciolli and Wilson attended the camp devoted to field commanding.

A field commander stands on a pedestal on either side of the band and helps the players keep time. Field commanders also have an important role as a leader off the stand.

“A field commander is the student leader of the band. They are responsible for conducting the shows and any pep tunes we have, but they are also basically the band’s student directors. They are the bridge between the students and the staff,” Wilson said.

Wilson held the position last year as well, and he discussed his passion for conducting. He mentioned his reason for returning to the role.

“I had the experience and the other drum major last year was a senior, so I did not want to have 2 new people coming in. That would be really difficult for them. It is a great opportunity, it is a good leadership position, and it really looks nice on a resume too,” Wilson said.

Comparing this year’s show to last year’s, Wilson said the show looks different.

“[The show] is a lot more complicated and involved and our band is really young this year, so it is a big responsibility to get those new people ready for what is to come in the marching season,” Wilson said.

Ciolli mentioned how much they enjoy meeting new people through their job.

“When you are in a single section of the band, you do not really get to know everybody else, you just know the section you are in. This way I get to know everybody, especially all the freshmen,” Ciolli said.

Revere High School band director Darren Lebeau explained the essence of the camp and why he requires field commanders to attend.

“[Fred J. Miller] is a national organization that hosts these camps all over the country. They bring in current college-age students as counselors and they have adult teachers that have been doing the motivational and conducting aspects for years. There is also a program for color guard, dance instructors from off-Broadway who come and teach, or you can do the leadership side where you’re learning to be in charge of a large number of kids. It is no different than student council or fooball camp. It is students leading students. You can cover leadership, percussion, marching, or you can go as just a student leader. I required the two of them [to attend] because they need to hear how things are done outside of Revere High School. It is all people consumed with marching band, so it is one big nerd fest. Sometimes it is nice to get into that bubble where it is all about one thing. [Attendees] all have this one thing in common, and they hopefully bring those [new] skills back to us and can lead the band better,” Lebeau said.

Though skeptical at first, Ciolli said she warmed to the camp after a few days.

“I hated [entering camp] because I did not know anybody and I was not used to conducting. John already had a year of experience, so I was not really comfortable with it [at first], but by the last day I had a lot of fun. It was great because you would practice this one song during the day, and then you would perform it at night for everybody else. They had these cheers that got you pumped up and everyone was super supportive. By the end of it, I liked it a lot,” Ciolli said.

Wilson also talked about how the camp themed the weeks with phrases like “Dare Greatly.”

“Each year you learn something new. I learned so many new things this year that were different than last year. They have a theme each year, so my first year it was ‘Dare Greatly’ and they base a lot of discussions on that theme. This year it was about pushing boundaries,” Wilson said.

As the band rounds out its final notes, Ciolli turns around to salute the judges and retrieve her hat. She dismounts the podium and smiles, feeling confident about her performance and the band’s as a whole.