Ask Josh McCune
Josh McCune is a senior this year at CMHS who plays a significant role in many different clubs and activities. Josh is the president of both Tri-M and Drama Club. Within Drama Club, he is also this year’s sound lead. Outside of clubs, Josh is the head drum major for the Marching Eagles alongside other drum majors, Arianna Wright and Gilly Gross. Recently, he was also accepted to perform at ILMEA. Ultimately, because of Josh’s significance to CM, the Eaglet has decided to choose him for this article.
Q: What made you decide to become head drum major and president of Tri-M/Drama Club?
A: “I’ve been heavily involved with all of the groups that I’m in my current positions for (Band, Tri-M, and Drama, respectively) since the very beginning of high school, and the groups are all ones that I’ve been invested in and wanted to contribute to their growth in any way possible. What this meant for me was applying for the leadership positions, as I felt like I would’ve been able to fill the roles properly and completely, and it seems like my peers agreed with me, as I’m now serving as the president of two groups and as a member of the band’s student leadership team. TL;DR, the positions felt right for me to apply for, and so I did.”
Q: What is your favorite part about being able to lead these clubs?
A: “Related to my last answer, it’s gotta be the service and contribution that I can provide for the organizations, and the hopefully lasting impact that I’ll have on them. When I applied for these positions, I never did it for myself or to look good; I knew that my purpose when doing my job was always going to be doing a lot of work both in and behind the scenes, and most of my effort would go unnoticed, and it didn’t dissuade me in the slightest. I’m perfectly fine with doing something for a group’s benefit without receiving any recognition or thanks for it, so long as the effects of my actions have a lasting positive impact on the group. Also, it’s nice that my opinions on how decisions are made/put in place are given a little more weight than they would if I wasn’t a leader, but that’s more of a perk than anything else.”
Q: Why should other students participate in these activities?
A: “Art is such a large part of what makes life fun, especially for those who are already involved with it, but really it really is for anyone and everyone. If you like music, theater, or anything related to the performing arts and you’d like to see it have a larger presence in your community and/or develop a stronger personal relationship with it, then I fully recommend joining any combination of band, choir, drama club, theater, or even any other performing arts group or organization that interests you. There’s nothing that makes me more ecstatic than seeing a school that has a healthy fine arts program, and any successful program starts with actively involved students.”
Q: Is there anything else you would like to add on?
A: “The world of performing arts can feel stressful to work your way into if you’re only starting out in high school, but trust me, if the only thing that’s stopping you from signing up for theater or music is your anxiety that you won’t perform well enough, I can assure you that all of the programs here promote positive and safe environments for everyone involved, no matter what their ability level is. It doesn’t matter to us, and we’d rather have a person join drama or music and make mistakes as a part of a learning process than just have them give up and not sign up at all any day.”