Civil engineering student named Texas Aggie Band commander

Junior civil engineering student Nicholas Rossi loves music. The rhythm, structure, and creative expression speaks to him. It’s no wonder that as a member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band, Rossi enjoys the rigid structure and camaraderie of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, where artistic expression and discipline are married together in every note and footstep that echoes off the walls of Kyle Field at halftime.

Rossi is the current combined band sergeant major for the Corps but will serve as the combined band commander for the 2019-20 school year. The position is one of privilege and service within the organization and will embody the culmination his Corps leadership experience, which began, like all cadets, as a freshman.

“I knew (the Corps) would be a different kind of challenge,” Rossi said. “I did band in high school and I liked the camaraderie I had there, so the fact that the band and Corps were paired together made it seem like the place for me.”

Now, as the highest-ranking junior in the band and soon to be the highest-ranking senior, he has faced many challenges as a part of his leadership experience. It has taught him that one of the most important aspects of leadership is just showing up.

“Being a leader requires you to be present,” Rossi said. “You have to be consistent and show up every day.”

Rossi will face some new challenges as the band commander, as band practice will now be housed in the new music activity center and cadets will no longer practice on the band field behind the student Corps dorms. This will be a significant logistical challenge for the band, as it will change long-standing procedures for morning practices. However, despite the rank and responsibility, he will still be a bandsman and that means participating within a unique student culture on campus.

“What is special about the band to me is that we really do have a major unit identity,” Rossi said. “There are times when we all come together and we drop our outfit (individual Corps unit) identities we bring out there and for a moment we are all Aggie bandsmen. We all wear the same gear and we all have that common ground.”

According to Rossi, that same culture has also opened him up to one of his favorite morning rituals, talking to other cadets. Whether he is getting chow at Duncan Dining Hall or walking down the quad, he enjoys getting to talk with others and share perspectives, which is one aspect he thinks is crucial in any leadership role.

“Getting to talk to people and treating them like people and as not just subordinates is very important,” Rossi said. “(It’s important to) continue to foster an environment where people not only want to meet each other but want to form relationships with one another.”

In addition to his current responsibilities as band sergeant major, Rossi is also a member of the Ross Volunteer Company. He is looking forward to participating in an internship opportunity with civil engineering firm CivilCorp this summer, where he will get the opportunity to gain some hands-on experience based on what he has learned in the classroom. Looking forward, Rossi is excited to help make positive change for the bandsmen under his leadership and apply what he has learned in the Corps to his post-college experiences.

“The Corps is a four-year picture,” Rossi said. “I really do think there is something to be said about this four-year leadership experience. I don’t think you get something like it anywhere else.”