Drum major makes history at Houston high school

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- There's a young man who's making HISD history. He's the first Hispanic drum major in a school with a predominately black history, and he's only a sophomore.

Meet Brandon Palleres. He is a leader for Booker T. Washington High School's marching band called Baby Ocean of Soul.

"My parents had been telling me it's a big deal. But to me, I was just like I'm just doing band. I'm just doing what I love," Palleres said.

In recent years, the historically predominately black high school has grown increasingly diverse. Principal Lashonda Bilbo-Ervin says Hispanics lead the diversity swing.

"I think that Brandon becoming the drum major signifies the cultural diversity and the shift in the city of Houston," Bilbo-Ervin said.

"I'm the first. So it's a big deal not only to the community and everybody, but it's a big deal to my race because we're moving up, I guess you could say," Palleres said.

Band director Eric Garcia says he saw leadership in Palleres as a freshman, which is why he has chosen him to lead the drumline.

"I've gotten somewhat of a pushback through technicalities. But at the end of it, they're like, 'Maybe you're right,'" Garcia said.

As part of his responsibilities, Palleres leads the 75-piece powerhouse in a different show every week.

"I have to worry about coming up with something new, or worry about a new dance routine we may have or a new field show we may have," Palleres said.

The drum major says he wants to study engineering in college, which is still a couple of years away. He says wherever he goes, the band has to be hot, and the engineering program has to be hotter.

"He's serious about the band. He's serious about his academics," Bilbo-Ervin said.