A Message from the Marching Band Director
Dear Marching Bishops,
At the end of the academic year, Mary Kate McNally will be leaving Ohio Wesleyan to move home to Colorado to be closer to her family and return to public school education. She is an amazing conductor, the most compassionate teacher I know, and one of my favorite people in the band world. The marching band she started here enriches our campus and I’m proud to work at a school that has such dedicated students and teachers.
As the new director for the Marching Bishops, I feel comfortable taking on this responsibility because I know what it’s like to put in hours of sweat, effort, and teamwork for a performance that grabs the audience’s attention and makes you feel like you’re part of something special. I did this as the field commander for my college marching band, as a high school director leading my marching band to state finals, and I’m looking forward to building something special with you too, here at OWU.
Ohio Wesleyan is unique and our marching band should reflect that. There are a lot of outcomes to measure success and here are some of the best ways I know to see if we’re on the right track:
- When we finish practice, we’re all happy and proud of what we accomplished.
- When we perform, the audience excitedly responds to everything we do.
- When people need help, we work together to provide a safe, supportive environment where needs are met and goals can be fulfilled.
Finally, when people think of famous college marching bands, they typically identify large universities. To my knowledge, there are no distinctively well-known small college marching bands and I’d like to change that with the Marching Bishops. My longest-term goal is that when people across the nation think of famous college marching bands, their list includes OWU.
When it comes to marching bands, success is based on the drive, determination, and dedication of the students. I’ve taught in a lot of places around the country and I’ve noticed there’s a special kind of student who’s attracted to OWU: kind, smart, conscientious, and determined. We are exactly the kind of school and you are exactly the kind of students poised to break new ground in the college marching ranks.
I can’t wait to get started making history with you this fall.
Dr. E