[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/faulkner-band-program-hits-high-note-with-remarkable-year-of-growth\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/faulkner-band-program-hits-high-note-with-remarkable-year-of-growth\/","headline":"Faulkner Band Program Hits High Note\u00a0With\u00a0Remarkable Year of Growth\u00a0","name":"Faulkner Band Program Hits High Note\u00a0With\u00a0Remarkable Year of Growth\u00a0","description":"Students with the “Marching Eagles” band perform at halftime during the 2025 Homecoming Game. Faulkner University\u2019s\u00a0\u201cMarching Eagles\u201d\u00a0band is\u00a0shaping the rhythm of campus life\u00a0as\u00a0the department of music\u00a0expands\u00a0opportunities for student musicians and\u00a0establishes\u00a0new leadership for its growing program.\u00a0\u00a0 In just one year, the…","datePublished":"2026-05-22","dateModified":"2026-05-22","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/rburylo\/#Person","name":"Rebecca Burylo","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/rburylo\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37a0c97fbd1eda89e38697defcaf0573?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37a0c97fbd1eda89e38697defcaf0573?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Faulkner University","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","width":480,"height":128}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/DQ1A4624-1200x800.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/DQ1A4624-1200x800.jpg","height":"800","width":"1200"},"url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/faulkner-band-program-hits-high-note-with-remarkable-year-of-growth\/","about":["News"],"wordCount":878,"articleBody":"Students with the “Marching Eagles” band perform at halftime during the 2025 Homecoming Game.Faulkner University\u2019s\u00a0\u201cMarching Eagles\u201d\u00a0band is\u00a0shaping the rhythm of campus life\u00a0as\u00a0the department of music\u00a0expands\u00a0opportunities for student musicians and\u00a0establishes\u00a0new leadership for its growing program.\u00a0\u00a0In just one year, the Faulkner University\u00a0Band\u00a0has\u00a0grown from 13 members to 50, a transformation that has\u00a0energized the department\u00a0and elevated school spirit\u00a0during football and basketball games, pep\u00a0rallies\u00a0and away games.\u00a0The growth follows the hiring of Robby Glasscock as director of bands and Michael Bird as assistant director of bands. The longtime collaborators came to Faulkner from Tallassee City Schools, where they spent 20 years together building a respected and competitive music program. Bird dedicated much of the past year to traveling the state, visiting schools and sharing Faulkner\u2019s vision with band directors and students. The effort paid off. \u201cIt was hard work, but it\u2019s been rewarding to see the department quadruple in size,\u201d Bird said. \u201cFaulkner is all in when it comes to growing the university. We are trying to build a culture on campus where students feel welcomed from start to finish. A place where they can know and be known.\u201d\u00a0Faulkner University band members play at the Sweetheart Concert.That culture extends beyond rehearsals and performances. The directors have prioritized creating meaningful experiences for students, from traveling to Nashville to perform at an away football game and explore the city\u2019s music scene to team-building outings at Montgomery Whitewater and movie nights at the Faulkner football stadium. \u201cWe want our band students to feel like they are a part of something special,\u201d Bird said. \u201cIt\u2019s a great way for us to build those connections with them that are both entertaining and fun.\u201d Bird, a Montgomery native and graduate of Robert E. Lee High School, earned his bachelor\u2019s degree in music education and master\u2019s degree in education from Troy State University. During a 28-year career in public education, including 20 years in Tallassee, he founded the Tallassee Jazz Festival, hosted the Capital City Classic show choir competition and produced annual stage musicals while directing multiple choirs and assisting with band programs. The Faulkner University Band, the university\u2019s largest instrumental ensemble, performs as the \u201cMarching Eagles\u201d in the fall and as the concert band in the spring. Membership is open to music majors and nonmusic majors, and students are selected by audition. Scholarships beginning at $16,000 per year are available to qualified applicants regardless of major. Students eligible for the marching band may receive close to 70 percent off tuition, a significant draw for recruitment. Another major recruiting event is Mass Band Day, held each fall in conjunction with Homecoming. In fall 2025, the event drew a record crowd and became the largest attended athletic event in university history. Eight high schools brought more than 400 students to campus to perform alongside the Marching Eagles during halftime.\u00a0Participants received lunch, a T-shirt and the opportunity to connect with admissions counselors and program directors during a college fair before the game. Feedback from visiting students, parents and directors was overwhelmingly positive. Glasscock, an Elmore County native, earned his bachelor\u2019s degree in music education from Troy State University in 2000. He later completed a master\u2019s degree from Alabama State University and earned both an education specialist degree and a doctorate in music education from Auburn University. After briefly teaching in Albany, Georgia, he returned to Alabama and served 24 years as band director at Tallassee City Schools. He was recognized as one of the \u201c50+ Directors Who Make a Difference\u201d by\u00a0School\u00a0Band and Orchestra Plus magazine.\u00a0At Faulkner, Glasscock oversees the marching band and concert band. He describes his transition from middle and high school settings to a private Christian university as a blessing. \u201cComing from\u00a0a middle\u00a0school, then\u00a0a high\u00a0school and now a college band, there has been\u00a0a progression,\u201d Glasscock said. \u201cI really enjoy building these relationships with students at a college level. They are in a different stage of their lives and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a blessing to help prepare them for their careers and for real life.\u201d\u00a0He said the university\u2019s faith-based environment enhances those relationships. \u201cBeing at a private institution is a positive in every way,\u201d Glasscock said. \u201cStudents have the freedom to stop by my office just to talk about their day or about their classes. It\u2019s nice to have those opportunities.\u201d In addition to marching and concert bands, Faulkner is home to the \u201cSwingin\u2019 Eagles,\u201d a traditional jazz combo and big band that performs music from swing, bebop, funk and fusion styles. The group, overseen by Bird, presents at least one on-campus concert each semester and hosts the annual Faulkner Jazz Festival each spring, typically welcoming about six schools from across the state. The program\u2019s momentum shows no signs of slowing. New band uniforms are currently in development and will mark the first redesign since the original uniform debuted in 2009.\u00a0Faulkner University Swingin’ Eagles Jazz band Ensemble."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Faulkner Band Program Hits High Note\u00a0With\u00a0Remarkable Year of Growth\u00a0","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/faulkner-band-program-hits-high-note-with-remarkable-year-of-growth\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]