Rebecca Perez is a senior at Glendale High School and has served as our drum major for the 2025-2026 field season. Before taking on this role, she served as the woodwind captain during her sophomore and junior years, while also playing the alto saxophone.
In addition to marching band, Rebecca serves as president of our jazz band and as lead saxophonist. She is also a member of Ignite, our school’s winter percussion group, she is a four-year member of our Explosion staff, and she works as a tutor.
Beyond school, Rebecca is involved with the Glendale Youth Symphony and the LA Youth Jazz Coalition. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching movies and hanging out with friends.
Rebecca originally thought that she would be in a sport, along with marching band, when she arrived at GHS, but her love and passion for music grew. Therefore, marching band eventually became her main athletic activity. After her first year on the team, she loved it so much that she focused all her time and energy on it.
Before becoming the head drum major, she served as the woodwind captain for two years. She said, “I absolutely loved my time as a woodwind captain, because it gave me such a unique opportunity to lead and march.”
Rebecca has learned that strict discipline is important for leading, but it should not overshadow kindness. She has found that inner balance of not yelling to get things done, but communicating clearly what she expects from people, without coming off as too bossy. In those two years as a captain, it showed her how to be the leader she is now, not only in the band, but in her life in general.
Looking back on her final season, Rebecca has some regrets. “I wanted to give everyone the best season that I could, not directly in scores, but [in terms of memories],” she revealed. “I initially hoped to get a score above 70, which did not happen.”
Rebecca’s biggest inspirations throughout all her time in marching band have been the Araki siblings: Hajime Araki, who was our drum major in 2023, and Urara Araki, who was our assistant drum major in 2025. “Hajime really fostered what marching band really meant [to me], and Urara was my mentor leading up to the years where I would be the head drum major,” she said. “She was the person I talked to all the time and got advice from when I was the drum major.”
In the times when Rebecca felt like giving up, she would rely on her top-five team and captains, and she also talked to previous alumni from the band. “They would remind me that I’m not doing this for a score, but to give people an experience that they will cherish,” she said.
One memory that Rebecca will always hold dear is their first competition, when she and her bandmates did the salute for the first time, and everyone was yelling and cheering. She will also never forget the Homecoming Game that our football team won in October. “I remember the last time that I made the battery play samba,” she recalled. “I teared up, because this is the last time I’m going to hear it as a cadence in the stands, while in this uniform, and in this position, and it was a very beautiful moment for me and emotional.”
A challenge that Rebecca faced going into this marching season was the leave of absence from our school’s legendary band director, Ms. Amy Rangel. She admitted, “It was very difficult to know when certain logistical things would happen.”
There were also little moments when Rebecca wished she had Ms. Rangel around to ask and guide her through, such as warming up for competitions, and when buses went missing, and providing the morale that she got in her first three years. Nevertheless, she’s very grateful for Mr. Frank Fox, who stepped in during the marching season, and Coach Evelyn, who handled mostly all the legal and logistical details during the marching season.
Although Rebecca’s time here at GHS is coming to an end, she will always remember the second family she has created, even before starting high school. It has made it easier for her to connect with others around her because of this jump-start in the band.
As a three-year leadership veteran, Rebecca has some advice for the new leadership. “It’s important to be flexible and amiable to the people you are working with, because everyone is different,” she said. “And as a leader, you should be doing your best to serve everyone in the same way.”
Rebecca will forever love and cherish her time in the marching band. She said, “It genuinely is one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve ever had in high school, and it’s something that I’ll always treasure forever.”
In the fall, Rebecca will be attending Seattle University, majoring in psychology, before (hopefully) attending law school. And she will continue to do music in college as a hobby. She encourages all underclassmen, or anyone really, to give the marching band a chance.
If you are interested in joining the marching band next year or any music program at GHS, email Mr. Jordan Friedman at [email protected]. And also make sure to follow their Instagram page for any updates: @glendalehighmarchingband.
Keep on marching, Nitros!
