Over the next few weeks LamarCardinals.com will be speaking with several members of the Lamar University Athletics staff that don't get much attention. These people work behind the scenes, and often their contributions go unnoticed by the public. It's our hope that after reading each of these articles Cardinal fans will come to appreciate just how important each person is to Big Red's success.

Our next profile focuses on Eric Shannon, LU Director of Athletic Bands and assistant professor of music. He sat down with LamarCardinals.com for a short interview which follows below:

What do you do at Lamar?

My title is director of athletic bands, so my primary responsibilities are directing the marching band in the fall and the basketball band in the winter and spring. I'm also an assistant professor of music, so I also conduct the symphonic band which is the second concert band. I teach class on the music education track. I'm also audition and admission coordinator for the department of music.
 
My primary job here at Lamar is to facilitate an experience through band and music but also through school spirit for our students. I do that through our bands both marching and our basketball bands. A big part of our job is to help improve school spirit and help to make sure that everyone enjoys their gameday experience. I enjoy being a part of the pageantry of collegiate athletics.
 
How did you get started in this career field?

I played sports growing up, but in middle school I had an opportunity to play in the band. My dad played piano and guitar and growing up he bought me a drum set. So, I already had a love for music. In the sixth grade I joined the band and by the time I was in high school I chose the band over soccer and baseball. My junior year of high school I went to tech school to do networking, but during that time I really missed the things I was doing in high school. By the time my senior year arrived I knew that I wanted to do music and band for my career.
 
I went to college for a music education and following graduation I became a high school band director. Then I went to grad school because I kept finding myself curious about music content, and now I'm here at Lamar University.
 
What's a typical day look like for you?

A lot of my day is spent writing drill. I spend a lot of time on specific computer software working on the sets (shapes) the band makes while marching on the field. I then take the music that we've acquired and work to fit it in the window that we have for halftime. Like every job, I also have a lot of administrative work.
 
We have a short amount of time to rehearse, so a lot of my off time is spent planning and preparing. That is done so when we get to rehearse we're efficient and get a lot done. We meet Mondays regarding timing, and we rehearse Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons and Tuesday evenings. I would say I have an open schedule, but it's a full day.
  
If you had to explain your job to someone who knew nothing about college athletics, what would you compare it to?

If I had to put my job in athletic terms, I guess you could compare it to a coach. The outside element is similar too. When our kids are practicing, I'm out there with them getting hot and sweaty too. Being a marching band director is like being a coach, but the big difference is no one is trying to beat us.
 
College band is a difference between us and professional sports. Even now in professional sports they are starting to adopt some of those features. The Texans now have a drumline. A lot of professional teams are starting to add drumlines, horns, etc. Marching band is unique because you find it nowhere else but in the fall surrounding football. When you pair the unique sound with the look and the movement it is very scintillating.
 
Another similarity we have to coaches is that we also have to recruit members of the band, like they recruit players. We recruit kids encouraging them to come to LU. We do a lot of things through social media and make videos geared toward recruiting new members. We also visit high schools and put on performances for them to show students what they can expect to be a part of. We also do a lot of exhibition performances. Two years ago, we performed at the Houston Texans game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Last year we performed at the Texas State Marching Contest. This year we will be performing at the biggest venue yet in terms of band ilk – the Bands of America Super Regional in San Antonio.
 
We must meet students and build a relationship with them. We have to be honest with them about what we are and what we are not. We have grown significantly since the first year we brought football back. In 2010, the band had roughly 160 members, and we've grown each of the past four years. Last year, we had 212 members in our marching band.
 
What are some of the challenges you face, and what are the rewards?

Honestly, we don't really face too many challenges here. We have a good tradition for band. I think we always try to get more students in the band so we're always trying to communicate with as many potential students as we can about possible opportunities we have. We can offer a scholarship, we can live in the Monroe Dorm so there is a special dorms perk, we have the ability to enroll a week early and our kids also receive a lot customized gear.
 
If I were name a challenge, I would say that a lot of schools still march in the traditional military style. We don't march in that way. We march in the modern corps style. The two styles can get confusing, but corps style basically means we face the pressbox. We will march sideways and backwards the whole time facing the pressbox. The military style (Texas A&M is an example) you're always marching forward like a soldier.
 
A lot of students come to us having never marched in that style and have to learn in two weeks. Every year we have roughly between 30-40 students who march in the first game of the season having never marched corps style prior to arriving here and they always learn it in those two weeks before that game. It's a testament to the students we have, and our staff's ability to prepare those students in a very short period of time.  
 
In terms of the rewards, we have phenomenal students at Lamar. We also have a very rich tradition in band going back to Dr. Simmons and Dr. Dyess. The marching band in the 1970s was very big and something that everyone was proud of. It was unfortunate when it went away, but we have their support. The No. 1 reward for me is being able to work with these great students and amazing faculty that we have here.
 
Is there anything about bands that people don't know that you think they should?

Our 2017 grade-point average for band students was a 3.41. The band is 42 percent comprised of non-music majors, and we represent 45 different fields of study. Last year, we represented 84 different high schools from Texas, Louisiana and New York.
 
I think band students suffer a lot. They have to wear a full suit during performances when it is really hot, especially early in the season. We rehearse on asphalt. Band students are some of the most hard-working and giving of their time. A lot of people know this, but when we're out there we don't really have a threat of serious injury, but we're right there with the teams, cheerleaders and dancers working out. We enjoy bringing it all together for the audience. We look across the field and we see Mike Schultz coaching the team, and he is our coach and we fully support the Cardinals!
 
Most band kids not only really love sports, but most of them played sports. We love our Lamar teams and wish them the best.
 
Fun Fact Sheet about Eric Shannon

• Birthplace: Tulsa, Okla.
• College: University of Oklahoma and I had the privilege of being able to march in each BCS Bowl game during my college career. My last game in the band I was the drum major the night Boise State defeated Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. I went to Houston for my master's degree and went back to Oklahoma for my doctorate.
• Favorite Sports Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
• Favorite Phrase: I'm always working with our students to problem solve and I believe that true leadership doesn't happen without problem solving, so in this setting I would have to say my favorite phrase is "figure it out."
• Twitter: @ericcshannon