The Panther marching band is officially under new management.

After directing Eastern’s marching band from 2008 to 2011, Barry Houser took a position at his old alma mater, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, leaving his former position up for grabs.

R. Alan Sullivan chose to uproot his family from Nevada, where he previously worked as the director of Athletic Bands and associate director of bands to become Eastern’s interim director of bands, the director of the Panther marching and wind symphony.

After eight years at the University of Nevada-Reno, Sullivan said he was ready for a change.

“I was the No. 2 person there and here I am the interim director so that is a step up,” Sullivan said.

Everyone in the band has been very open to the suggested ideas and changes that have been made, Sullivan said.

On a day where it was 92 degrees, more than 100 sweaty Eastern students gathered on the Tundra to continue its daily practices, Sullivan said he was not surprised that band members showed up.

“This is what these kids do, we are outside when it’s hot and humid and when it’s cold and raining,” he said.

Ashley Stanley, a junior pre-veterinary major, plays the trombone in the marching band and said she has high hopes for this semester.

“I think he is doing a pretty good job,” Stanley said. “It’s going pretty well so far.”

Kayleigh Nuernberger, a sophomore music education major, who plays the sousaphone, said she has already seen growth in the material the band is able to perform.

“We got through a lot more drills than we did last year,” Nuernberger said.

Nuernberger said she would not have let Houser leaving keep her from continuing with band.

“I really like marching band so I was going to stick with it no matter what,” she said.

Sullivan also brought his daughter, Michelle Sullivan, who is the only female in the marching band’s snare drum line.

Michelle said she was nervous to be moving to Illinois on such short notice.

“It was nerve-wracking at first, but I felt really welcome,” she said. “Marching band tends to be all one big family and it’s great to be a part of that.”

Eastern’s marching band is a lot more serious than any other band that she has been a part of, Michelle said

“It’s nice that everyone works so hard,” she said.

Michelle said it is a little weird to be in a band with her dad as the director.

“But I get to call him Mr. Sullivan,” she said.

The weather is something that will take time to adjust to, Michelle said.

“In Nevada, it is more of a dry heat but here it’s the humidity you have to worry about,” she said.

Sullivan said the band is prepared for the first football game and is ready to support the sport teams and represent the university.

“We had a pretty good band camp and we wanted to make sure we hit the ground running,” Sullivan said.

Nike Ogunbodede can be reached at 581-2812 or ovogunbodede@eiu.edu.

R. Alan Sullivan, interim director of bands, leads the Panther marching band in exercises prior to practice Wednesday on the Tundra. Sullivan will also conduct the Eastern wind symphony. (Kimberly Foster

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