How the AUM’s musical ensemble is establishing itself on campus
AUM Spirit Band performs at a home basketball game at the Athletics Complex in the spring of 2025. (Photo courtesy of Chapel McCullough)
When you think of college bands you usually think of marching bands playing at football games, but at Auburn University at Montgomery it’s a little bit different.AUM’s three musical ensembles, the Spirit Band, the AUM Chorus and AUMcappella are active and making music on campus whether you know it or not.
The Spirit Band started in 2019 by now-retired fine arts professor Mark Benson and if you go or have gone to any home basketball games for both the men and women’s teams you might have heard them play.
Chapel McCullough, Assistant Professor of Music and the current director of all three ensembles says that right now they’re playing all home games for both teams. “They’re still new so we haven’t branched it out yet.”
The Spirit Band is open for anyone to join but having high school band experience is recommended and gets you $500 in scholarship each semester that they are a member.
He said he’d like to grow the band. “One of my goals is for them to perform a concert,” said McCullough, who hopes to form a jazz band and a concert band in the future.
As for which ensemble goes out and does the most? It’s the A cappella group known as AUMcappella, which was also started by Benson in 2016. It’s an all-female group and unlike the band, it’s an audition group but does have scholarship opportunities.
They are a lot more involved on campus. “They’ll perform at the new student convocation every fall. They’ll sing the National Anthem and the fight song,” McCullough said.
He also added that they’ve also performed at the MLK breakfasts and sang the National Anthem at Montgomery Biscuits games.
The last of the three music groups is the AUM Chorus. The choir is also an open ensemble for all voice ranges. “We invite staff and faculty to sing with us,” the director added. They have a holiday concert in December and spring concert in April or May as well as other experiences.
“Last year we went to perform at an assisted living home in Eastchase,” McCullough said, “And we’re going to go back there this spring and sing for the resistance again.”
So why join one of these ensembles? According to a 2024 study done by Anna Bussu and Marta Mangiarulo published by the National Library of Medicine playing in a band not only helps cognitive skills and academic performance but also “creating opportunities for self-satisfaction and developing effective interpersonal relationships with other young people.”
McCullough mirrored that sentiment by comparing being in a band to a playing sport, saying the hard work you put into it with others is rewarding. “That feeling of accomplishment and teamwork and comradery is really unmatched with a band.”
Grace Brennan, a communications/theater senior that’s a member of all three ensembles, explains that teamwork from within each group. “It has really taught me how to work in a group harmoniously without overpowering other members of the ensemble.”
She even mentioned how it’s helped her in a professional sense saying the ensembles “are an amazing thing to put on resumes. It has definitely helped me get professional theatre jobs.”
Even from a cultural perspective, Grace says being a part of a band, A cappella, and/or choir is an amazing experience.
“Doing all three ensembles has really given me a deeper understanding of music. Not only in the educational way but also the social way and how music affects people’s daily lives.”
Any students interested in joining or trying out for any of these ensembles should contact Chapel McCullough at cmccull4@aum.edu. Practice is every Thursday night and the Spirit Band performs at all AUM home men’s and women’s basketball games in the spring while AUMcapella and the AUM Chorus both perform at various events around campus.
