Football season is ahead, but everyone knows that no game on the gridiron is complete without elite performances from Tallahassee’s prestige marching bands, as the old Florida State saying goes “we always win the halftime show.”
But for the first time ever, this year’s wins will be championed by two young women who have been appointed as their respective universities head drum major for the 2025-2026 school year.
Florida A&M student Oluwamodupe “Dupe” Oloyede is the first woman ever appointed for this position in the “incomparable” Marching 100’s 79-year reign. On the other side of the tracks, Florida State student Kate Curley has been appointed as the head drum major for the Marching Chiefs, whose legacy dates back to the 1930s.
“I hope this moment reminds young women that they don’t have to wait for permission to lead, whether it’s on the field or in life. You’re allowed to take up space, to be powerful and to be excellent,” Curley said in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat. “If seeing me and Dupe in these roles helps just one girl believe that she can step into leadership, that means everything. We’re not just making history, we’re opening the door wider for the next generation to walk right through it. That’s all I can hope happens from this year.”
Florida State’s first woman drum major after the university became coeducational in 1947 was Paige Kubik. She got the position in 1985. In 1990, Florida State alum Claudine Cacioli Ashley obtained the lead position.
“I just remember telling the director at the time — and it was my final year at school — is it written anywhere in stone or black and white that a female can’t be a head drum major?” Ashley asked.
The now early childhood music director said that each school year she would audition for both roles — assistant and head drum major — each time she was given assistant.
“I said this coming year I’m not marking down assistant drum major because I want to be a drum major,” Ashley said.
She described the moment she secured it as “exhilarating and overwhelming,” the word she uses to describe how she feels for Curley and Oloyede is “proud.”
“When I was growing up there were so many positions where women didn’t even imagine themselves,” Kubik said. “Now to see where people with this skill and leadership, are being recognized regardless of their gender and seeing how much women are accomplishing in music and these two young women especially, I mean it just gives me goosebumps.”
Curley will serve as the university’s sixth woman Head Drum Major.
Devan Moore, Florida State’s first female band director since July 2024 called this moment “inspirational.”
“It’s just a special moment in time for all band programs in the city of Tallahassee,” the former saxophone player for the Marching 100 said about never seeing a woman in these positions during her tenure. “These two really powerful women that are at these organizations completely deserve to be there. They are the absolute best candidates. They carry themselves in a way that we want somebody at the highest level in the marching band to carry themselves.”
Both ladies will have the role of leading their bands musically, and while they share some of the same responsibilities, the respective universities have their own character and legacy that they have the privilege to uphold with their personal flare.
For Curley, it’s all about keeping the tradition. From the high step marches, to the iconic war chant and pregame stride, her goal is to maximize the group’s power to continue having “really elaborate shows,” but on a whole new level.
How it all started
The 22-year old public health Florida State student hailing from Orlando, Florida, fell in love with the trumpet in middle school, but she began to dream of being a part of the marching band, specifically the Marching Chiefs, in high school.
“I saw the head drum major strut out onto the field before pregame, and I just fell in love with it. I also remember thinking there’s no way I would ever be good enough to do that, but I still really couldn’t shake that feeling,” she said. “I watched countless YouTube videos over and over going through high school, and I worked nonstop to make sure that I could come to FSU.”
Curley, who’s practiced martial arts for 10 years, says she took a methodical approach to the helm.
“I was in male dominated spaces and had to lead and kind of be disciplined, and unshakable. I didn’t take a traditional path here, but every step is essentially what got me to the podium here,” she said.
Curley worked her way up serving as a mentor to incoming students. Last year, she served as assistant drum major before securing her new role.
“Kate is incredibly poised. She doesn’t let anything get her flustered. She takes things as they come at her. She looks for solutions, which I think is really important when you’re working with 430 people every single day,” Moore said. “There was never a moment that she wasn’t prepared for, so she was the obvious choice for this role.”
Words of advice from the trailblazers
FSU’s first woman assistant drum major and head drum major have words of advice to the ladies following in their footsteps.
“Lead with confidence, humility and heart. Remember your strength lies not just in your voice or presence on the field, but how you uplift and unify your band family,” Ashley said. “Stay grounded in tradition, but never be afraid to make your mark. You’ve earned your place — own it with pride.”
The first assistant drum major, Kubik says, “be fearless, to have confidence in themselves. They’re in those positions because the people involved in making that choice and putting them in those leadership positions knew that they had not just the music and performance ability, but they had the leadership.”
This article includes previously reported information. Kyla A Sanford covers dining and entertainment for the Tallahassee Democrat. New restaurant opening up, special deals, or events coming up? Let me know at ksanford@tallahassee.com. You can also email your suggestions for a future TLH Eats restaurant profile.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: A major first: Women take the lead role in FSU Marching Chiefs, FAMU Marching 100 bands
Reporting by Kyla A Sanford, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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