Author: Nicole C

The 2017 Russ Swanson Outstanding Bandsman Award was presented this year to Paige DeDecker! This award was renamed in 2012 in Russ Swanson’s honor. Russ was a french horn player in the marching band and was a part of the 1941 Rose Bowl Band. He was also a WWII veteran serving on an air bomber crew. He was a charter member of the Band Alumni Association in 1974 and was on the board until a little over a year before he died in 2011. He and his wife were dedicated volunteers for activities of the BAA board.

Paige DeDecker is a percussionist from Flower Mound, Texas. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Percussion Performance at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). She has been in the Cornhusker Marching Band all four years during her time at UNL, and she has had the privilege of being rank leader for the Front Ensemble for three years and the section leader for the Drumline during her senior year.

She has also had the opportunity to perform in UNL’s Wind Ensemble under the direction of Carolyn Barber and Percussion Ensemble under the direction of Dave Hall and Tony Falcone, which most recently performed at the 2016 Percussive Arts Society International Convention as a winner of the International Percussion Ensemble Competition’s Call for Tapes. Paige was also a member of the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum & Bugle Corps Front Ensemble from 2014 to 2016, and the percussion section was the recipient of the Fred Sanford High Percussion Award in 2014 and 2016.

After graduation, Paige will attend graduate school to continue her study with percussion performance, and ultimately, she hopes to perform in a chamber ensemble or work for a nonprofit arts organization.

Congratulations, Paige!

This year, we will be collecting stories, from current CMB members, as well as from alumni, in an effort to connect the band community more, as well as share memories with each other. Recently, a story was submitted by a current CMB member, Geli Gonzalez. I hope it brings a smile to your face, and brings you some happiness during this week.

I have so many great memories from CMB, but what happened at our last home football game against the Rutgers has struck a chord in my heart. We had just gotten back in the stands from halftime and a young boy and his mother were coming up the stands. He stopped suddenly in front of Colleen Hacker (front left, white sunglasses) and wanted her to play for him. She gladly accepted his request and played a bit of one of our fight songs, which brought him such excitement. I was smiling widely throughout the whole interaction and when him and his mother were moving up the stairs, I waved and said hi to him. I wasn’t expecting him to stop and ask me (far right, sunglasses) to play, even identifying my instrument (the clarinet). I went ahead and played the melody to Dear Old Nebraska U for him, and he asked Trenton Buhr (center saxophone) to play for him too. It was honestly the best part of that whole football game, and I’m so happy I got to share this moment with some of my fellow CMB members. This little boy reminded me how much music can make an impact on people and bring such joy into one moment.