Though junior Bianca Cima balances being an Enchords member and Jazz Band player, the most influential part of her musical career has been marching band.

Cima’s musical trifecta began in 2015 after she watched her sister, Julia Cima, perform in the Central marching band.

“I saw [Julia perform] for the first time her sophomore year and I totally fell in love with the marching arts and everything that had to do with marching band,” Cima said.

Come freshman year, Cima was looking for a community to join at Central.

Landing on the marching band was one of the best social choices she made; she made lots of connections at Central. The cultural environment was a contributing factor in Cima’s success as well.

“Marching band is a completely uplifting and positive environment; we do a lot of hard work together,” Cima said. “[We] look out for each other in a different way.”

Fellow junior drum major Athena Chen shares Cima’s passion. Next year, Chen and Cima will serve as the senior drum majors.

“We’re gonna be completely different people at the end of our senior drum major season,” Chen said.

 As a junior drum major this year, Cima welcomed new members to experience Marching Band.

“I think being a musician is one of the best things a student can do for themselves,” Cima said. “It’s a stress reliever; it’s an outlet for creativity.”

Teamwork is important for Chen and Cima considering their position. Cima and Chen attended the Smith Walbridge Drum Major training Camp in Charleston for the duration of last summer, which helped them connect with each other prior to the fall marching season.

“Even [during the drum major camp], we felt that we had chemistry and that we clicked well together,” Chen said.

Coordination and teamwork are crucial between leaders, considering the impact they have on the band.

“I remember last year I really put the drum majors on a platform,” Chen said. “My confidence during competitions was based on how they felt and just since we watch them all the time.”

Cima and Chen thank each other for the commitment and time each gives the sport, since they can truly appreciate what the position requires.

“There’s people’s emotional struggles, we’ve had a lot of people sick, [and] keeping people motivated,” Chen said. “There’s all these skills that you can learn that you can apply to other settings.”

The leadership position means a lot to Cima, and she remembers her early experiences.

“I joined the marching band as a lost freshman,” Cima said. “I just remember immediately feeling like I was a part of something.”

Bianca wants to create a welcoming environment and the kind of community she sought coming to the Marching Band.

“I always thought of her as a social butterfly,” Chen said. “She’s always that person who makes you feel friendly and welcomed.”

Leading the marching ensemble is a great responsibility, and though it dominates a lot of her life this season, Cima stays positive.

“Bianca is a good friend,” Chen said. “Not just a coach or manager, but also a really good friend.”

Bianca reminds that leadership is not everything, and that she has lost out on positions of leadership she wanted.

“I think just being a part of something is so powerful within itself, that really your position doesn’t matter,” Cima said.