Conference tournaments are about basketball but also so much more: the fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The CAA Tournament is taking place this weekend in Washington, DC, and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD will be covering all of the action so you can look forward to a cascade of coverage in the days ahead. Jon Teitel keeps things going with Towson trumpet section leader Grace Kaminski, who talked about being a leader and her prediction for the Tigers.
You are from Philadelphia: what made you choose Towson? I had a friend from my area who came here and really liked it, which made me want to come here.
How did you 1st get into trumpet, and what is the best part? I got into it through the whole environment of marching band. I think the trumpet has a lot of cool melodies and gives you the ability to play everything.
What do you think the role of a college band is today, and how has it changed over time? I think the general role is to entertain the audience regardless of the sport. It has grown more into a creative art to tell different stories/ideas.
You are the leader of the trumpet section: what is the key to being a good leader? For me it is about knowing how to be a good follower. Back in the day I looked up to our leaders and have used that experience in my own leadership, such as expecting what they might need from me.
You are majoring in music education: why did you choose that subject? Music has always been a really important part of my life and has helped me throughout much of my life. I want to be that person for someone else.
What is the post-college plan? Ideally I will become a music teacher. I want to work with older kids and advance their enrichment.
Your basketball team only won 4 games in 2021 but has now had back-to-back 20-win seasons: what is the atmosphere like on campus now that the conference tournament is finally here? It is a lot more lively/energetic. You can see the difference in the crowd reaction: it is so much more fun even for a person like me who does not know basketball as well as other people do.
How does your school decide who gets to go to DC, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? Our director sends out a sign-up sheet and almost anyone can go, which is really cool. It will be a really meaningful thing after seeing our team excel all year, and now they get a chance to show what they can do on a higher level.
Does your band have anything extra-special planned for this weekend? Not that I know of: just going to the game.
Any predictions for your 1st game on Sunday night? I think that we will win regardless of who we end up playing.