Taking the lead: Lindsey Gustafson ’27

On fall Saturdays, the Spirit of LR Marching Band is hard to miss. The ensemble fills the Moretz Stadium stands with full sound and campus spirit under the leadership of drum major Lindsey Gustafson ’27.

“I didn’t have marching band in high school, so when I came here as a freshman, I didn’t know how to read a drill chart. I didn’t know anything about marching — even little things, like you always start with the left foot,” said Gustafson, a music education major from Lexington, N.C. “By my junior year, I was applying for assistant drum major. I had never conducted in my life.” 

After serving as clarinet section leader during her sophomore year, Gustafson was considering other leadership positions as a junior when a senior suggested she try out for assistant drum major. Gustafson wasn’t convinced she was ready, but she trusted her bandmate’s confidence enough to audition — and got the job.

“We don’t approach leadership as a hierarchy. We like to flip the pyramid upside down,” she said. “As a servant leader, technically I’m at the bottom, helping all the sections equally. My job is to facilitate collaboration and help bring everybody’s ideas together into something we can all love and be proud of.”  

That collaborative approach fits an ensemble that has developed an identity around making the most of its strengths.

“We don’t have a huge band, so we don’t get to do some of the grandiose things you see on TV,” Gustafson said. “For the Spirit of LR, it’s about playing to our strengths and bringing spirit to every game day — we deliver the energy!”  

Game day is only part of the Spirit of LR’s season. The band also performs exhibitions at high school marching competitions, participates in events such as Newton’s Centro Latino Festival and marches through downtown Hickory in the city’s annual Christmas parade. These special appearances build connections to the community that grow the ensemble.

“At the high school competitions, everyone is there for band, so the crowd is always fun,” Gustafson said. “We have band members this year who saw us at those competitions when they were in high school. I have friends who came to LR because they saw our show. We have other community members who join us because they enjoy performing.”  

Gustafson knows the impact of those early connections. She first came to LR in middle school to attend youth summer music camp and returned every year through high school. Today, she serves as a counselor at the same camp and is enrolled in LR’s accelerated master’s program to become a band director, making her work as drum major practical preparation for the career ahead.  

“If you put 20 people in a room and try to get them all to do the same thing, think about how hard that is,” she said. “At any age or level of experience, playing in a band teaches you to listen to each other and open your ears. Your part isn’t the only part that matters. You need to listen across the band.”