There’s a certain comfort that comes from the acoustics of a bathroom.
Whether starting the day or unwinding from a long one, there’s something relaxing about singing a favorite song in the shower.
Derek Eaton, a fourth year student at the University of Idaho, said he has been singing in the shower for as long as he can remember.
Photography by Alex Brizee | Blot
In elementary school, Eaton said he participated in choir before deciding that band was a better fit for his interests. The trumpet was his instrument of choice, and he’s stuck with it for 10 years.
For eight of those years, Eaton was a member of marching band. He played all four years at his high school in central Washington, although he admitted that participating in a parade for their rodeo was the extent of the performing aspect of it. He has also been a member of the Vandal Marching Band since his freshman year and said joining the band was likely the best choice he could have made.
As a mechanical engineering major with a minor in mathematics, Eaton said he was originally concerned about whether he would have enough time to participate in marching band. What eventually influenced him to take on that commitment was Torrey Lawrence, director of the Lionel Hampton School of Music, Eaton said. Lawrence gave a spiel that let Eaton know that non-music majors would be able to make time for marching band.
Many engineers have made the same decision, according to the Director of Athletic Bands at UI, Spencer Martin. Martin said at one point, engineers were probably the second most common major in the band, after music majors.
The 2015 fall semester will be slightly trickier for Eaton, however, due to a class conflict that prevents him from attending every practice.
“This year is the first year that I’ve actually had a class conflict with marching band, and I’ve definitely noticed that it is harder to learn the music and learn the drill because I’m not there every single day,” Eaton said.
Martin said that he has no doubt that Eaton can manage the workload.
“He’s a very, very hard worker, and so when it comes to having his music learned or his drill learned, or anything like that, he always has it ready to go,” Martin said.
Martin said that, while maintaining good grades, Eaton has made time not only for marching band, but also for the basketball band, volunteer performances and now the “Band Beesten,” a project that involves making a robotic drum-set for marching band.
This project is unique in that it combines both of Eaton’s main interests into one. The university has been doing “Band Beesten” since 2012. Most of the students involved this year are or were previously involved in the marching band like Eaton. As a band member, Martin said Eaton is both an excellent musician and someone that his peers respect as a person.
Martin said that he has no worries about Eaton’s success after he leaves the university. Indeed, Eaton’s future looks bright. Last year, Eaton said he was handing out resumes at the career fair when he stopped at the Navy table and applied for a job.
Eaton said that the interview process was intense. It included taking an exam in Washington, D.C., and having a personal interview with the admiral over the summer. However, immediately after the interview, he found out that he had been accepted as a nuclear propulsion officer for the U.S. Navy.
The rest of Eaton’s education will be paid for. After he graduates from UI, he will attend officer candidacy school, followed by nuke school and eventually go onboard a U.S. submarine as a nuclear engineer, he said.
“If I was to give a definition of the type of person you want in this band, that would be Derek,” Martin said.