The Hawkeye Marching Band has a storied history, and this fall, Analisa Iole became an important part of it. She didn’t just join a list of drum majors that dates back to 1886; she became the first woman since World War II to hold the position.

Iole, a senior from Marshalltown, Iowa, studying human physiology, was introduced to the crowd at Kinnick Stadium during the Sept. 23 football game against Penn State. She took over from Isaac Anderson, who left for army advanced training in Fort Benning after holding the drum major role since 2015.

Iole says the experience has been great so far, even if it takes a while after each performance to fully comprehend it.

“People ask, ‘What’s it like to hear your name in Kinnick?’ And I say I don’t listen because in the moment, I block it all out to focus on the performance,” Iole says. “But when I think about it later, it’s awesome.”

Knowing she was one of the few female drum majors in the program’s history, Iole did some research, including digging through the Iowa Women’s Archives, to learn more about the women who came before her. Though she didn’t find anything, someone else did. Matthieu Biger, an administrative services coordinator in the departments of mathematics and computer science, emailed Kevin Kastens, associate director of bands and director of the Hawkeye Marching Band, to say he found the names of two women, Rose Day and Mary DuMont, and possibly a third, who served as drum majors during World War II.

Kastens says he’s not sure why more men than women have tended to audition for drum major, but he thinks Iole’s appointment will change that.

“It will be tougher for guys now!” Kastens says. “I think you’ll see as many women as men audition. Analisa has opened that up.”

This wasn’t the first time Iole had auditioned for the role. Kastens says as a freshman in 2015, she was runner-up to Anderson, who was a sophomore.

“She was right there. And this time she did another superb job. She was well prepared and confident,” Kastens says. “There are two parts to the drum major’s role: the part the marching band sees and works with on a daily basis, and the performance side that the fans see. She has strong showmanship skills and leadership skills. She’s a great teacher and has the respect of her peers.”

Iole says her transition to drum major has been so smooth thanks, in part, to being able to shadow Anderson during the summer and early fall. Anderson learned in spring 2017 that he may be called up for Army duty sometime during the fall semester, so auditions were arranged to name a backup. Most new drum majors wouldn’t have the opportunity to spend so much time learning from their predecessor—or to become close friends with them.

“Isaac and I were acquaintances before, but after going to camp together during the summer and working together early in the season, we became good friends,” Iole says. “I’ll occasionally send him a text asking for his advice for certain situations. It’s nice to be on a friendship level with the person you’re taking over for.”

The smooth transition hasn’t been lost on members of the marching band either.

“Making such a big change in the middle of the season isn’t ideal, but Analisa stepped in and took over with no problem. She’s been great,” says Alyson Krapfl, a fifth-year senior from Ely, Iowa, working toward a degree in music therapy.

Though Iole says she misses playing clarinet and marching with her fellow band members a bit, the experience is worth it. She appreciates the leadership opportunities the Hawkeye Marching Band gives its drum majors, including running the weeklong camp before school starts.

Iole is applying to the College of Pharmacy and will continue to lead the band behind the scenes and onto the field at Kinnick Stadium in 2018 as she finishes her degree.

“We’ll have a new band director (after Kevin Kastens retires in the spring), so that will be different, but I have full confidence that whoever will take over will be more than qualified,” Iole says.

And whoever that person is will join Iole in the ranks of Hawkeye Marching Band history.

Also check out:

20 years directing the Hawkeye Marching Band

Over the course of 20 years at Iowa, UI Marching Band Director Kevin Kastens has had an immense impact on the Hawkeye Marching Band and the UI School of Music: maintaining old traditions while adding new ones; finding the band a permanent practice facility; and developing software to design marching band routines.