Passing the baton: Central Ohio high school creates unique drum major legacy through apprenticeship program

On a typical Friday night at the Lakewood High School football stadium, sophomore Caleb Mitchum didn’t stand out much from the crowd of uniform-clad high schoolers. The bell of his trumpet pointed high, in line with his bandmates’, Caleb seemed like every other student on the field. 

Just before 7 p.m. on Oct. 9, a stadium full of Lancers fans found out just how unique 15-year-old Caleb really was. In a uniform lined with red and blue trim, stark white boots and a hat taller than his own head, Caleb raced out in front of the band. His boots kicked high into the air, hat and plume leaning back towards the turf in a signature backbend. Baton in hand, Caleb blended in no longer.

Over the stadium’s PA system, a booming voice rang out across the field. “And now, your Lakewood Lancers Marching Band, led by drum major Caleb Mitchum!” the announcer said.

His dad, Steve, stood watching from the stands. He was beaming. 

The switch from trumpet-playing assistant drum major came quickly for Caleb, who learned the Wednesday prior – two days before – that he’d be taking over for the next three weeks while Colin Nichols, the senior drum major that Caleb had been learning under for years, was temporarily unavailable to perform. 

At the marching band’s regular Wednesday night practice, Caleb tried on the tall white hat for the first time. 

“It feels so weird,” he said, adjusting the strap. Standing alone outside of the high school, he started to spin the baton, running the same moves he’d been practicing. “It’s so much different.”

Caleb kept passing the baton back and forth, tossing it up into the air and stretching out his hand to catch it. As he practiced, the rest of the band could be heard playing their version of Fountains of Wayne’s “Stacy’s Mom” through the brick wall. If he was still the assistant drum major, he’d probably be inside with the rest of his section. 

As drum major, though, it’s just him. 

The Lakewood High School Marching Band– referred to as the ‘Lancer Band’– is an impressive program for a school of about 450 students. With over 100 members, including a color guard and the county’s only drum majors of a certain style, the marching band is a highlight for a high school with a football team that went 0-10 this year. 

“Lakewood drum majors are drum majors in the Ohio State University marching band style,” said Lancer Band director Lauren Domenick. “The term drum major at OSU refers to a featured twirler who performs in front of the band, adding another visual element to the shows. In most other circumstances, the term drum major refers to the student conductors of a competition style marching band.”

Domenick, an Ohio University graduate from Northeast Ohio, has been at Lakewood for 24 years, and became director of the marching band after four years as assistant director. She’s seen countless students come through the drum major program since its start in 2003, and said that Caleb was ready to take on the spotlight. 

“It’s been really exciting to see him step into the role,” Domenick said. “I thought that he would want a week to kind of mentally be ready, and he said, ‘No, thank you, I want to get right in.”

The director has known both Caleb and Colin, the head drum major, since they each started in middle school band – Colin in 2019 and Caleb in 2021. Domineck said that during their tryouts for the position four years ago, both students stood out— and the program was shifted to incorporate the assistant drum major position.

“There were about seven people who learned, and we did a tryout,” Domineck said. “Colin was in high school and was going to be the next candidate, but we decided to let Caleb stay on to learn as he goes. This is the first time we’ve ever done that.”

Before the game on Friday night, Caleb tried the drum major uniform on one more time. He fiddled with the silver buttons on the jacket, eyes locked on the band room wall in front of him. This uniform, which had been pulled out of storage last-minute, was made for a former Lakewood student who later became a drum major for the Ohio State University Marching Band after graduating. 

“He was one of the best drum majors ever,” Caleb said. “You feel like you can’t suck, wearing this.”

After making sure the uniform was ready for his debut, he slipped the jacket back off and stepped out into the hallway. One of the signature moments for the OSU-style drum majors that Lakewood prides itself on is the backbend — a move that requires a unique amount of flexibility and strength.

Caleb had been preparing for this for years, but one more stretch wouldn’t hurt. 

“I gotta get ready for the backbend,” he said, getting down on all fours and stretching his back towards the sky.

Back in uniform, Caleb and the rest of the band trudged out to the makeshift practice field to run the show one last time before kickoff. From the director’s platform, Domenick watched as Caleb landed a baton throw that he said was “70% luck.” Smiling, she took out her phone and started taking photos of the student she’d been guiding since the 5th grade, now ready to take his place on the field. 

For Caleb’s parents, this night was the culmination of three years of work, practice, and rides to and from OSU’s drum major training clinics. Watching proudly from the stands, Amanda and Steve Mitchum said that the time has been worth it— even if it wasn’t a time commitment they were expecting.

“He just came home one day and had an interest in it. And we were like, okay.
 So, I don’t think we realized how big of a deal it was initially, and you never know at that age when they’re gonna be like, nah, that’s not for me,” Amanda said. “He didn’t have that with this, so… who knows where we’ll go from here!”

Caleb’s parents emphasized how proud they are of their son, and how excited they are for him to continue this endeavor in the future. After he graduates in 2029, Caleb intends to become a drum major at OSU and study aerospace engineering.

“He has his plan set out. Yeah, we’re gonna be spending a lot of money at Ohio State,” Steve said, laughing. 

Just before halftime, the band’s color guard instructor, Katie Brehmer, grabbed Caleb by the shoulders. A 2012 graduate of Lakewood, Brehmer was also Caleb’s middle school English teacher.

“You rock. I am so proud of you,” she said. “You’re gonna do so good.” 

As the band lined up for their halftime show, the centerpiece of Caleb’s night, his sisters stood in the stands with a handful of their friends. The group of 10-11 year old girls clad in Lakewood football merchandise shouted their support for the drum major all through the show, over the band’s renditions of the songs “Dude Looks Like a Lady,” “Stacy’s Mom,” and “Uptown Funk.”

Nearby were Steve, Amanda, and Caleb’s grandparents, recording the performance through smiles and tears. His dad seemed to be bursting with pride.

Earlier that day, Caleb said that he’d been nervous about the show, and that it really “clicked” that afternoon that he’d be performing in the spotlight Friday night. The anxiety didn’t last, though— “Right before halftime was when it all just went away,” he said. 

Coming off the field, Caleb was beaming. A friend from school came over, rushing towards him. “Oh my god, Caleb, dude,” his friend said. “You killed it. First time off the bench, right?” 

Since the band is typically allowed to go get food and hang out with friends during the third quarter of a game, Caleb made his way over to where his parents, grandparents and sisters were waiting to congratulate him. 

“The look on your face after you took your hat off at the end— you were glowing,” said his step-grandma, Tammy Oberly. As one of his grandfathers pulled him in for a photo, he passed Caleb some cash for his birthday. His sisters and their friends gathered around him, too. “I’m so proud of you,” they echoed. “Did you see him? He did an awesome job.”

Even though the Lancers lost that night 48-7 against Utica, Caleb was in high spirits as he led the band back towards the high school. He laughed as he packed his uniform back into its bag.

“What am I gonna do next?” he said, describing the feeling of catching a high baton toss or landing a hard move. “I’m always thinking about the next thing.”

Colin’s last toss 

Three weeks later, on Oct. 30, 17-year-old Colin returned as head drum major for some of the band’s final performances of the year, called “Hi-Lights.” The show was held over two nights the week immediately following the end of the football season. Aidan Cunningham, assistant director of the Lancer Band and middle school band teacher, said that these two shows are a culmination of all the work the students do each year. 

“We’re playing everything that the kids have played this year, they’re doing it all from memory. It’s about 20 to 25 songs usually, in a given year,” Cunningham said. The show also acts as a recognition for all senior members of the band, as it is typically the graduating students’ last chance to perform during the marching season.

“There’s a lot of respect for tradition here,” Cunningham said. 

The high school’s auditorium was packed full of family, friends and supporters of the band, cheering as they watched over 100 uniform-clad students filed onto the stage. The show lasted about two hours, with 21 songs and featured the color guard, spotlighted band dancers, and put Colin– in the same tall white hat and boots— front and center. 

After the show, Colin stood in the lobby with his friends and family, laughing and taking pictures. All of Colin’s brothers and sisters have all been members of the Lancer Band over the past 30 years, and his parents, Tom and Lisa McNichols, said that it’s going to be hard to say goodbye to this chapter of their lives. 

“We’ve had nine kids in this band,” said Tom, beaming as he looked over at his youngest son. 

“Yeah, we haven’t stopped in a while,” Lisa said. “He’s the first drum major, but we’ve had flags, drums, and trumpets…”

Colin started out playing trombone in 5th grade, but said that even though he loved the marching band as a whole, didn’t love playing an instrument. The change from an instrument to a baton wasn’t hard, he said.

“I started way better at this than I was ever at trombone,” he said. “So it wasn’t that bad of a switch. I went to a lot of practices and training.”

For his parents, these last performances represent the culmination of three decades of being band parents and supporters of the program. 

“It’s sad,” Tom said. “During the senior show, all eight times, I would tear up a little bit. But this one was hard, because this is the last.” 

They also said that this wouldn’t be the last time they’d come out to support the band. 

“We’re lifers,” he said.

Despite the years as a drum major, Colin said that Friday that he wasn’t sure if the end would sink in until after tomorrow’s show.

“I don’t think it’s hit me yet, because I’m sad that it’s done, but it’s almost bittersweet because it’s a lot to do. It’s a lot of commitment. It takes up a lot of my time, but I do do a lot of other things. Once this is done, I will have more time,” Colin said.

Colin is also a member of the boy’s varsity soccer team at Lakewood. Their season wrapped up around the same time as football season, but he has more performances to look forward to as an actor right alongside Caleb in the drama department’s production of Radium Girls. He hopes to join the military after graduation, and is starting to prepare for that. The band is also starting their training sessions for new potential drum majors, and Caleb and Colin both are involved in helping the next generation learn their skills. 

“It’s a lot of alone time. You’re by yourself a lot,” Colin said, reflecting on the work he’s done over the years. “So if you don’t like that, then don’t get into it. You’re almost never with people, unless you’re at practices or performances.”

“You get used to it after a while. Once you realize that [the audience] doesn’t care a whole lot whether I drop it or catch it, they just want to see something cool and it’s better if I catch it, obviously, but as long as I’m out there trying,” he said.

Their director, Domenick said these two nights are the grand finale of months of planning, arranging, practicing and performing— on top of years of building relationships with her students.

“For many of those seniors, you know, I’ve been their teacher longer than any other person. You might have an English teacher for freshman English for one year. You might have a coach for 2 years, but you very rarely have a teacher for 8 years,” she said. “It’s like your kids. You meet them when they’re ten, and you teach them how to hold an instrument for the first time… We have years and years and years of doing this, you know, they always say that life is all about people and human connection. That’s really what we do here, we just do it through music.”

She also said that while she’s sad to see Colin go, she’s proud of the progress and commitment he made when he became the Lancer Band head drum major in 2024. 

“Nobody’s born with this skill,” she said. “It’s a skill you have to learn, practice a lot, drop a lot, hit yourself a lot. [Colin and Caleb] were able to kind of push through and keep at it. Because you have to be able to push through your failures in order to do this.”

Colin and Caleb said goodbye to their friends and family Friday evening, turning down the hall to the band room. The boys laughed and talked, walking side-by-side. Identical “L”s for Lakewood embroidered on the backs of their uniforms moved in sync.

Despite years of solo performances and practices, both drum majors still had the community supporting them the whole way: their directors, their families, and each other. 

Margo Ellis writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.