Blaine Majors dreamed of being a band director for eight years; this December, he’ll be one step closer to making that happen.

Blaine Majors loved the saxophone from the time he first picked it up. 

His mother encouraged Blaine and his brother to try an instrument when they started middle school. She’d been a flute player, building special memories in band, and she wanted that for her kids. 

Eleven years later, Blaine will graduate from Texas Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in music education from the J.T. & Margaret Talkington College of Visual & Performing Arts. 

Being from Corpus Christi, Texas Tech wasn’t always on his radar. He envisioned attending college somewhere closer to home. But Texas Tech’s School of Music’s Band & Orchestra Camp changed that.

Early Investment 

Some people realize early on what they’re put on this earth to do. Blaine is one of those people. 

“My first year of high school, my band director asked me what I wanted to do with my life,” Blaine recalled. “I told him, ‘I’m going to be a band director.’” 

Band had been a constant in life – providing fun, friendship and a creative challenge. At 14 years old, Blaine knew he wanted to provide that experience for others. 

Live music has been a refuge for adolescents for a long time. In the wake of COVID-19, its sense of communal creativity became more important than ever. For many teenagers, music was one of the activities they could still enjoy in their home. When restrictions were finally lifted, musicians across the country reunited in emotional performances. In a societal landscape where adolescents show more mental and emotional distress than any decade prior, ensembles such as high school band have turned from an elective to a lifeline. 

“All my best friends and best memories came from band,” Blaine said. “It’s a place of belonging.” 

Blaine knew he’d become a band director, but as a first-year high school student, he wasn’t sure how to get there. A few months later, a friend invited him to Texas Tech’s Band & Orchestra Camp. When he found out he’d be playing with some of the best students from around the state, working under collegiate faculty and staying in college dorms, he gladly signed up. 

“The idea of living on a college campus for a week was exciting,” he said. 

While the allure of semi-independence initially drew him to camp, he returned each summer during high school because of the people. One of those people was Associate Director of Bands Eric Allen. Allen conducted the ensembles Blaine was part of each summer. 

“Blaine has always been a special musician,” Allen said. “He’s always been intense about music and sought every opportunity he could find.” 

Another critical relationship Blaine built at camp was with Professor of Saxophone David Dees. Blaine was coached by Dees from the beginning. It’s a mentorship that’s grown over the past eight years, giving Dees a front row seat to Blaine’s time at Texas Tech.  

“Blaine’s growth was dramatic once he became a student at Texas Tech,” Dees said. “During his third year here, he started putting things together musically. His understanding of musicianship and musical expression rapidly expanded.”

Dees gave Blaine a few free lessons here and there throughout high school. Most studio professors do not do that. But for Dees, it was a way to stay in touch with prospective students. 

“It’s insane how generous David is; he is one of the kindest people I know,” Blaine said.

When it came time for Blaine to choose a college, those lessons paid off. He was accepted to the University of North Texas, the University of Texas and Texas Tech. It came down to a decision between the latter two schools. 

Blaine knew many of the top saxophone players in the state from competitions. When he texted the group and inquired where everyone was going, the players who were staying in Texas, were almost all attending Texas Tech. 

That, paired with his connection with Dees, sealed the deal. 

Fortissimo 

Blaine was ready to hit the ground running when he enrolled as a Red Raider. With four years of Band & Orchestra Camp under his belt, he knew the faculty, the campus and the traditions well. He wasn’t showing up to college as a complete novice. 

However, he found campus to be very different when he arrived.

Blaine graduated from high school in 2020. Like many students that year, there was no prom, no big commencement program and no senior band banquet. While he knew moving to campus during a pandemic would be less than ideal, he wanted some sense of normalcy. 

“That was another big reason I chose Texas Tech,” he explained. “I already felt isolated, so I wanted to go where I’d already know people.” 

In August 2020, Blaine moved into Wall Hall and started his first year of college. The only class or activity he was able to do in-person was Dees’ saxophone studio class that met once a week. They’d go to Clapp Park and stand 6 feet away from each other and perform whatever etudes or solos they were working on.

Blaine says those days in the park kept him sane. 

Every other course in his first year was online. For music theory and aural skills, he provided his own staff paper and had to get an electric keyboard. Blaine says his dorm room looked more like a practice room by the end of the semester. 

“I didn’t have any set expectations going into that first year,” he said. 

That was wise, as some elements of the traditional college experience fell short due to the pandemic. But Blaine noted there were parts that exceeded his expectations, because of the pandemic. 

When restrictions lifted in 2021, Blaine found himself surrounded by artists who had an untapped level of dedication to making music. Like many students, Blaine wanted to fit four years of experiences into three. He joined the concert band, jazz band, folk orchestra ensemble, saxophone quartet and Kappa Kappa Psi – a service-oriented fraternity that volunteers on campus and the community. 

Blaine became president of Kappa Kappa Psi, organizing community outreach opportunities like having Goin’ Band From Raiderland members march side-by-side with rural high school bands.

“We got out and marched with the high school band in New Home last year,” he said. “It was really inspiring to be with the students and see their wide-eyed excitement.” 

Blaine joined the Goin’ Band in his first year at Texas Tech. While there wasn’t any marching happening, he tried out for its student leadership team and made it. It’s a position he’s held ever since. 

The team is student-run, allowing music education majors hands-on experience in teaching. Because of the surplus of free time everyone had that first year, Blaine got hundreds of hours of mentorship and advice from older students he wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. 

“We held a leadership clinic every Sunday for three hours,” he recalled. “How I teach today is largely influenced by what I learned that year from the older students.” 

Some of the clinics covered pedagogy and culture; others honed in on language. 

“One thing we talked about was using precise language when directing,” Blaine said. 

In the world of music, there is a lot of superfluous language that catches on. While it sounds impressive, it sometimes falls short of being helpful. It’s something Blaine keeps in check now that he’s student teaching at Flower Mound High School in Lewisville Independent School District – the final crescendo before graduating this December. 

Coda

After student teaching, Blaine will embark on his next adventure as a junior high or high school band director. 

“I never once changed my major,” he said. “This is what I’ve always wanted to do.” 

Texas Tech gave him the tools and tenacity to make it happen. Dees says Blaine will make for an exceptional band director.

“He has strong leadership abilities that will serve him well,” Dees said.

For many musicians, they’ll have a higher aptitude for teaching or performance. It’s rare to meet someone who is truly incredible at both. Dees told Blaine he could attend any graduate school he wants if he wanted to go the performance route – he’s that good. 

But that’s never been the plan. Like a good marching drill, Blaine stays the course. 

“Blaine knows what it takes to put in hard work,” Allen said. “There are high expectations of music educators in the state of Texas.” 

Because of those expectations, Allen challenges his students to meet high standards during their time at Texas Tech. 

“I know that can feel like tough love, but it’s because I really do love those students,” he said. “I want the long road to be a successful one.” 

Unlike his high school graduation, Blaine will actually get to walk in his college commencement ceremony. Although, the ritual is not unfamiliar to him. 

“I’ve played at least 15 commencement ceremonies in my time at Texas Tech,” he said. 

As part of the commencement band, yet another activity he took part in, Blaine has a good idea of what to expect this December. But it’ll be a new vantage point. 

“This will be special, because this time I’m the one walking,” he beamed.