ATLANTA—Zoe Leiner sets the beat for the 23-member Marching Golden Lions band standing atop a podium as she signals with her hands, revealing a secret code.  

Her snappy salute to the crowd signals the start of the band’s spooky Halloween-themed halftime show, “Graveyard Shift.”  

There are “zombie hands” for “Thriller,” crossed arms for skull and crossbones, a Peekaboo look for surprise and the American Sign Language sign for Halloween.  

That salute, which she created herself, is just one way Leiner has made the drum major role her own.  

Now in her senior year, Leiner, 17, leads the marching band at St. Pius X High School with pride. She has been part of this community for four years. She started as a freshman on the clarinet, which she learned at St. Jude the Apostle School, then switching to saxophone for two years before earning her biggest role.  

In her senior year, Zoe Leiner, 17, leads the marching band at St. Pius X High School. Photo by Julianna Leopold

As the drum major, she is the beat of the band. As its metronome, she keeps a consistent tempo for every musician, even if she must “lock eyes” on the students to keep them together. Standing above the field at George B. Maloof Stadium, she marks the cadence with her hands, controls the volume and guides the student performers through their nearly nine-minute field routine.  

When Leiner accepted the drum major position, she already expected to memorize the 41 sets of complex marching formations and a dizzying number of musical cues. She has to know the dozen songs the band plays from the stands, including when to ready the band members for specific songs during make-or-break moments on the gridiron.  

She did not anticipate the leadership roles beyond the music. She’s come to realize relationships matter as much as the musical duties. She acts as a support system for the band, carrying snacks and sunscreen, or just checking in with each performer. 

Leiner makes a point to connect with every band member. To help them improve with feedback, they want a relationship first, she said. To guide her in the role, she’s in contact with past drum majors, who remind her that feeling overwhelmed comes with the position.  

After a victory, one of her favorite traditions is when the band, the football team and students gather at the school bells in the courtyard for a celebration and selected football players conduct the school’s fight song.  

“Conducting is a strong term for that, but they at least count off,” joked Leiner.  

A dedicated band 

This fall, the band will compete at two competitions in the smallest classification. Leiner recently earned top honors in the conference as a drum major at the Lake Lanier Tournament of Bands. The color guard also earned first place, with the band overall taking second place.  

Band Director Ian LaBreck said Leiner has been a leader from the start.  

“Zoe, since she showed up her freshman year on day one, she was that kid who always asked what she could do to help in any capacity,” he said.  

This isn’t her first time as a leader. During last season’s basketball season, she led the band from the bleachers. Leiner also served as a band captain during her junior year. 

Ask Leiner about the thrill of standing on her podium in a stadium crowded with fellow students, parents and fans, she does not talk about the spotlight on her. Instead, her eyes are on the drum line, the band and the color guard. The best part is “being able to just see my whole band that I’m very proud of,” she said.  

Sophia Gallegos Tang plays the saxophone on the field during the middle school fall festival at St. Pius X High School. The Marching Golden Lions band performs at football games and participates in competitions.

“Graveyard Shift” is this year’s entry at its two band competitions. For the Golden Lion band, performing at football games is simply fun, but the band’s real focus is preparing to compete against other musicians. 

St. Pius X High School music leaders designed the show, spotlighting five musical numbers, in addition props of a large graveyard gate and gravestones enhance the show. 

The show balances the “artistic element as well as the entertainment element” for the student performers and fans in the stands, said LaBreck. 

LaBreck, a veteran trumpeter himself who marched with the University of Georgia’s Redcoat band, said the show features “a fun, fast opener then a ballad in the middle and then ending on a high note.” 

The storyline follows a worker on their first overnight shift. The music moves from “Somebody is Watching Me” to “This is Halloween” from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” movie then the always popular “Thriller.” The centerpiece is the soft ballad “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica before closing on the hope-filled song by The Beatles, “Here Comes the Sun.”    

LaBreck, who oversees all band activities at the high school, said the band membership has declined in recent years. He hopes the current situation is the low point. He is making a concerted effort to visit parochial middle schools in a show of support for the bands programs and to invite experienced middle schoolers to campus for practice with the opportunity to perform with high schoolers.  

“The students we have, they’re awesome. They’re really dedicated,” LaBreck said. “And they’re great kids. They kind of roll with whatever I throw at them as far as music.”