JTC 25: Breaking Barriers, Building Bands

Sydney Rush attended band tryouts on a whim in sixth grade. The Jonesboro, Arkansas, native didn’t come from a musical family, but her best friend encouraged her to join the band. 

That decision set her on a path that would lead her to the University of Mississippi and its Master of Music Education program.

Rush, who is set to graduate in May, played clarinet in the wind ensemble and marching euphonium at Arkansas State University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in music education, performing with the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps in the summer of 2022.

“In college, the band director said there were too many clarinets,” Rush said. “He asked if anyone could switch to low brass, so three weeks into my freshman year, I picked up a euphonium and just learned it on the spot.

“Music’s always come naturally to me.” 

That ability to adapt and thrive has defined her journey. The oldest of three siblings — with three step siblings in the mix — she was the first in her family to pursue music.

Rush knew early on that she wanted to be a band director. She said she loves the process of young people discovering their instruments and growing through their participation in band.

Tim Oliver, UM director of bands, has mentored Rush since high school, and she performed in wind ensemble under his baton at Arkansas State.

"When I was the director of bands at Arkansas State University, I recruited Sydney into that program because she was a great musician, and I could tell she possessed uncommon leadership qualities,” Oliver said.

Rush “repeatedly distinguished herself as a musician and scholar” during her undergraduate years, so he recruited her as a graduate assistant for the Ole Miss Bands.

“Not only has she grown as a musician, but it has also been incredibly satisfying to watch her emerge as a creative music educator, thoughtful researcher, detail-oriented administrator and role model for others,” Oliver said. “Sydney is destined for a fantastic professional career and someone we will all be proud to call an alumna of Ole Miss.”

Rush made an impact with Pride of the South right away. She worked closely with associate director Randy Dale to write a drill for the 2024 pregame show. She also manages equipment and uniforms, schedules auditions, and coordinates rehearsal prep and pep band travel.

Her favorite memories of Ole Miss include traveling with the band to the 2025 NCAA women’s basketball tournament in Spokane, Washington, and the Pride of the South’s 2023 trip to Peach Bowl in Atlanta.

Though she’s been in Oxford only two years, Rush has found a community of friends, faculty and fellow graduate assistants.

“I did not expect to be so impacted by this university, but I could not imagine not being here,” she said.

Her ambitions reach beyond the field. Her master’s thesis, “The Feminomenon of Athletic Band Directing: A Multiple Case Study,” advised by Elizabeth Hearn, digs into the underrepresented world of collegiate marching band leadership, particularly for women. 

“It has been a privilege to serve as chair for Sydney Rush’s master’s thesis, which explored the experiences of female athletic band directors with both intellectual depth and personal conviction,” Hearn said. “Her interest in qualitative research was sparked in my qualitative research class and quickly blossomed into her thoughtful, rigorous and impactful scholarship.”

Research on marching bands is rare, Rush said.

“Most of the focus goes to pedagogy or conducting,” she said. “It is important to bring work into a topic that impacts so many students, to keep promoting equity and inclusion.

“Marching band leaders have a direct impact on students — approximately 300 kids per band and that band performs in front of 60,000 fans. Marching bands have biggest face of the music program.”

The Department of Music honored Rush with the Graduate Achievement Award in Music, as well as the Outstanding Graduate Student Award. Besides marching band, Rush performs with the Wind Ensemble and — despite having no previous singing experience — she joined the University Chorus and Glee ensembles.

She hopes to earn a doctorate either in musical arts or wind conducting, but she is eager to spend time in public education first, honing her skills and staying close to her support system in the South. Her ultimate goal is to lead a Division I marching band, preferably in the Southeastern Conference.

“Through my thesis, I’ve had the chance to talk to women who are already teaching collegiate marching band, seeing their successes, challenges and looking at how my career could be shaped by that,” Rush said. “Seeing what they’ve accomplished and realizing I’m following that same path — it’s empowering. I know I can do this.”

Top: While pursuing her Master of Music Education at Ole Miss, Sydney Rush has made significant contributions to the Pride of the South marching band while researching the underrepresentation of women in collegiate band leadership. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

See more photos from Sydney Rush's Journey to Commencement