REV graduate Jacobo Herrera rallies the troops before the 101 Festival at the Hollywood Bowl.
Jacobo Herrera, a Redlands East Valley High School graduate, is the new face of the USC Trojan Marching Band, also known as the “Spirit of Troy.” Each time he dons the drum major’s custom armor, sandals and tunic and raises the highly polished sword, he becomes the embodiment of the USC fighting spirit.
Herrera got his start in music in middle school in Redlands, where he played saxophone. When he was getting ready to go to REV, band director Brian Hollett encouraged him to switch to trumpet. Herrera did and loved it. He participated in marching band all four years at REV, eventually becoming drum major his senior year.
Herrera also played trumpet in the Redlands Youth Symphony and marched with drum corps The Watchmen and Gold during the summers, where he continued to hone his drum majoring skills.
With this background, it’s no surprise that Herrera always knew he’d join the marching band when he got to USC, where he is majoring in music industry with a minor in trumpet performance. He explained his major as essentially a business major, but one focused on the specific needs and demands of the music industry and musical artists.
Unfortunately, Herrera’s freshman year at USC was spent entirely online due to COVID. Not only did he attend all his classes remotely, but band was remote, as well, with rehearsals, sectionals and social events conducted over Zoom. During that Zoom year, he learned the marching band’s core repertoire, but there were few, if any, live performances.
Thanks to COVID, Herrera did not set foot on the USC campus until fall of 2021, his sophomore year. By then, things at the school were starting to return to normal and that meant the marching band was back in business, too. Herrera relished his chance to perform with “Hollywood’s Band,” from weekly football games to performances with celebrities and fundraisers. COVID still caused periodic disruptions, however, like when the entire UC Berkeley football team caught COVID and that game, ordinarily a highlight of their season with a special side trip into San Francisco, had to be rescheduled.
One thing Herrera noted that is different about the USC marching band compared to his high school or drum corps experiences is that the Spirit of Troy learns a new field show every week, to be performed at that week’s football game. In high school and drum corps, the band learns a single field show and fine-tunes and perfects it all season long. Herrera called starting from scratch each week “a very different kind of grind,” but one he has embraced wholeheartedly.
Herrera’s path to the drum major position began in January, when the previous drum major announced he would be stepping down. The outgoing drum major invited any interested band members to join weekly clinics on how the drum major job is done. Then, three weeks before finals, the formal audition process began. First, there was an interview with the band director Jacob Vogel, student leaders and administrators. The next step was a physical evaluation, where Herrera and the other four hopefuls did a dry run of their pre-game routine in front of the director and band section leaders. This was to see that they knew the routine and could perform it.
The prospective drum majors received helpful critiques and tips as they went into the final step in the selection process: leading the entire band.
Afterward, the band members voted for their choice of drum major in a ranked-choice voting system.
He said that each of the applicants was talented and any of them could have been picked. Herrera is humbled and proud to have been selected by his peers.
The USC Marching Band is well known for its signature style; dance steps are frequently incorporated into their field shows and all band members wear sunglasses with their colorful uniforms to emphasize the mystique of Southern California cool. Nevertheless, the drum major stands out. The highly polished breastplate is custom fit to each drum major by a Los Angeles area blacksmith who specializes in creating armor for Hollywood productions.
The tunic and sandals are custom tailored for him, as well. Herrera explained that not only is his uniform different from the rest of the band members, but he does not wear sunglasses, which can provide a comforting bit of anonymity for the rest of the musicians.
“You never get to turn it off when you’re in the armor. The spotlight is on you all the time.”
Herrera’s job is to do more than pose for photos with the fans, however. Leading the band of 250 to 300 musicians is big responsibility and one he takes seriously. Herrera subscribes to the servant leader approach, and tries to lead by example, whether he’s interacting with the section leaders or the band directors and administrators.
Also, the musicians all know that if they need something, they can always come to him. He knows he’s constantly being evaluated by his peers and must earn their respect.
He has already led the band a few times, including in performances with Gwen Stefani at the Hollywood Bowl and at a “Battle of the Bands” event against cross-town rivals UCLA.
When asked for his closing thoughts on being selected as drum major and how he will balance the demands of that honor in the coming season, Herrera didn’t hesitate: “Fight on!”
