The Spirit of Northwestern Marching Band (SON) is one of the athletic bands available to students at Northwestern State University. SON performs at multiple different events throughout the year, including Family Day, Senior Day and the Natchitoches Christmas Parade, as well as out-of-state competitions and events.
Violet Hawkins-Fisher, a freshman liberal arts major, is a new member of the band. They play percussion, including drums, melodics and auxiliary. “My favorite memory has got to be playing at my very first game,” Hawkins-Fisher said. “Seeing the huge crowd, hearing the cheers at the end, the whole day was the best day ever. My favorite part about being in band is that I am allowed to indulge in this hobby, to play music without expectations of perfection for the sake of playing music.”
“I highly look forward to presenting concert pieces this year,” Hawkins-Fisher said. “My favorite season of band has always been concert season. The music is so different and the environment itself is amazing.”
There are many different parts of the band, led by the head drum major and assistant drum majors. Mason Windham, a senior music business major, serves as the 2026 head drum major.
When it comes to memories from his three seasons in the band, Windham recalls Classic on the Cane as his most memorable. “There were a lot of high schools in the area that showed up to watch us perform, and it was so cool to conduct the show knowing I had thousands of students behind me,” Windham said.
“I just finished my first year as drum major, so going into my second year, I have some experience and I’m gonna be a lot more comfortable right off the bat, so I’m excited to have a lot more momentum at the beginning of the season,” Windham said.
Classic on the Cane, one of the many performances from SON, is also a favorite of Morgan Vaughan, a sophomore secondary education major and marimba player.
“There’s always just something about being in front of that many people and having that much applause hit you at the end of the show you worked hard on,” Vaughan said.
“I’m very excited for the next show, and I know that next year, during the spring, we’re taking a trip up to Ireland and getting to perform in the St. Patrick’s Day parade up there. I’m very excited about that,” Vaughan said.
For Noelle Cabrera, a freshman music education major and bass guitar player, SON is about improving as a musician and building relationships. “My favorite part of being in SON is getting out there, playing my heart out and leaving knowing I played my best,” Cabrera said.
“My favorite memory is when I first performed the pregame show as a cymbal player,” Cabrera said. “I wasn’t a stranger to performing on fields in front of huge crowds, but it was my first time marching around on a field as opposed to being in the front ensemble.”
The Spirit of Northwestern Marching Band is a place for students to play the instruments they love and meet new people while pursuing performance opportunities and bringing fellow students closer to music.
