Please consider donating to the Jack R. Snider Band Alumni Association Fund! We hope to give scholarships to Cornhusker Marching Band members starting this fall. There are many amazing students in the band and the story below highlights one of those students. There is a DONATE NOW links to the right of the screen on the main page that will allow you to make an easy and secure donation to the fund. Thank you for your consideration!
My name is Brian Edwards and I am a clarinet player in the Cornhusker Marching Band and Big Red Express. Getting a scholarship to play music for one of the most well-known and respected organizations in the country would mean a lot to me. I started playing the clarinet in the 5th grade. I chose the instrument because it looked cool and I had also missed the intro to each instrument the day or two before. I was planning on quitting after my 6th grade year because I was no longer interested in playing. Luckily, my band director at the time said we could work out a deal so I could be in the classes I wanted to be in and still play music. I agreed to the deal and could not be happier. I went into high school as one of the strongest members of the band, having my music memorized before many of my peers did even though they had been in band longer than I had. I became a section leader my sophomore year and came back to do it my junior year. I was also involved in Wind Ensemble and absolutely loved it! My senior year I became drum major of my high school band while also taking part in wind ensemble. I wasn’t quite sure going into my freshman year of college if I still wanted to march or not. I auditioned and thought, “If I don’t make it it’s not a big deal. I just really want to get into pep band.” Immediately I made many great connections with the people around me in the clarinets who were auditioning. I ended up making the Cornhusker Marching Band and it was one of my proudest moments. There is something about getting to practice in Memorial Stadium every day that sends chills down your spine. As we all know, game days are special too. I cannot describe the true atmosphere and how special it is to play in front of 90,000+ people each home game. It is truly and honor and a privilege. To close, being able to receive a scholarship for something I truly love and care about would mean the world to me. I don’t get any scholarships from UNL and it would help me pay my way through college. I am also not getting any guidance from my parents and am having to pay for everything by myself. Thank you for your time and for listening to our stories!
