Albany State University’s Marching Rams Show Band will enter the 2026 HBCU band season with a history-maker leading from the front.
Edreka “Capriccio” Coleman has become the first woman officially named head drum major in Albany State history. The program celebrated the milestone through its drum majors’ social media account while also recognizing Coleman’s birthday.
“Today we’re not just celebrating a birthday… we’re celebrating HISTORY,” the program wrote. “Help us wish a very special Happy Birthday to our Head Drum Major, Edreka ‘Capriccio’ Coleman, who is making history as the FIRST FEMALE HEAD DRUM MAJOR here at Albany State University!”
The announcement places Coleman at the top of the student leadership structure for one of the most visible HBCU marching bands in the country.
It also requires an important distinction.
Coleman is not Albany State’s first female drum major. She is the first woman officially designated as the band’s head drum major.
A new chapter in an existing Albany State lineage
Women have previously served on Albany State’s drum major line.
According to a history shared in the comments beneath the announcement, that lineage includes Chasity Johnson in 2003–2004, the late Ashley Pinckney in 2006–2007, Fayola Braithwaite in 2011–2012 and Desiree Wesson in 2016–2017.
Coleman joined that group when she was named to the Marching Rams’ 2025–2026 drum major line. She served alongside the other student leaders while O’Darion Bennett held the head position.
Her promotion for 2026–2027 carries a different historical designation.
The band’s account explained that alumni were consulted to verify the milestone. If the head drum major title was used during earlier eras, the responsibilities attached to it were shared across the squad instead of being formally held by one person.
Coleman is therefore the first woman officially selected to occupy the singular head drum major position.
That clarification does not diminish the women who preceded her. Instead, it gives Albany State a more complete history. Coleman’s achievement represents the latest step in a progression that began with women earning their place on the line more than two decades ago.
Now, one of them stands at its head.
What it means to lead an HBCU marching band
In HBCU band culture, the head drum major is far more than the person standing in front of the musicians on game day.
The role demands musical knowledge, physical conditioning, precision and the ability to command an entire ensemble. Head drum majors help set the standard during rehearsals, direct field routines and represent the band during some of the university’s most visible appearances.
They are part field general, part performer and part campus ambassador.
That visibility has also made the position one of the most enduring symbols of HBCU marching-band culture. The high steps, dramatic entrances and commanding gestures may capture the crowd’s attention, but they are built on hours of conditioning, repetition and leadership away from the spotlight.
Coleman’s field name appears suited for the assignment. In music, a capriccio is generally associated with a lively, expressive and free-flowing composition. Those qualities fit the energy required to lead a show-style HBCU band from the front.
Women continue breaking barriers in HBCU bands
For generations, women have been essential to HBCU marching bands as musicians, dancers, flag performers and student leaders. Yet the drum major position was historically treated as a male domain at many institutions.
Women who challenged that tradition often had to overcome assumptions about the strength, authority and showmanship required to lead a band.
Howard University’s Dr. Mary Frances Spruce emerged as an early pioneer when she became the school’s first female drum major during the late 1960s. Felicia Carter-Johnson later led Tennessee State University’s Aristocrat of Bands in the early 1980s.
More recently, Cori Bostic became the first female drum major in the history of Florida A&M University’s Marching “100” in 2018. Oluwamodupe “Dupe” Oloyede took the next step in 2025 when she became the legendary HBCU band’s first female head drum major.
Women have also held drum major leadership positions at programs including Grambling State, Alcorn State, Tuskegee, Prairie View A&M, South Carolina State and North Carolina A&T.
Coleman now adds Albany State to the expanding list.
The significance is not that women have suddenly become capable of leading HBCU bands. Their history shows that capability has always been present. The change is that more programs are formally opening their most prominent student leadership positions to the best candidates available.
Albany State band enters another historic season
Coleman will take command during a period of significant momentum for the Marching Rams Show Band.
Albany State University traces its band tradition to 1944. The program developed many of its modern standards during Lamar Smith’s nearly three-decade tenure from 1976 through 2003.
Dr. William T. Brooks III became director of bands in 2023. Under his leadership, the Marching Rams have grown from 26 musicians to a stated goal of 160 members while earning increased national recognition. Albany State describes the ensemble as the “Soul of Southwest Georgia,” known for its precision, high-stepping style and powerful sound.
The band has performed at the Rose Parade, the Honda Battle of the Bands and the National Battle of the Bands. Its next major appearance will add another milestone to that history.
In November, Albany State will become the first HBCU marching band to participate in America’s Thanksgiving Parade. The Marching Rams will travel to Detroit for the parade’s 100th anniversary celebration, placing the program in front of a massive in-person and television audience.
That means Coleman’s first season as head drum major will not unfold quietly.
She will lead Albany State into one of the biggest appearances in program history while carrying a historical distinction of her own.
The Marching Rams Show Band was already preparing to make history in 2026. Now, the woman standing at the front will be making it, too.