The Athena Brass Band rehearses for their performance at the Ohio Music Education Association Conference in Columbus, Ohio. Photo courtesy of Dr. Erika Schafer.
When Dr. Erika Schafer picked up the trumpet for the first time in the fifth grade and saw there were only three buttons, she thought it would be easy.
Now, as a professor of trumpet at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Schafer admits she was in over her head.
“It turns out that you still have to play all the notes that everybody else plays,” she said. “I guess it backfired a little bit.”
The challenge did not prevent her from pursuing music, though. On Feb. 1, Schafer performed with the Athena Brass Band at the Ohio Music Education Association Conference in Columbus, Ohio, the third-largest music conference in the country. For this performance, she wielded a new, similar instrument, the cornet—which she began learning in 2023.
The Athena Brass Band, named after Athena—the Greek goddess of wisdom—is an all-female ensemble featuring brass musicians from across the country.
Schafer first heard of the band when she searched for new performance opportunities.
The Athena Brass Band rotates its members, so Schafer had to send a submission form to play. Because the band does not have a fixed membership, the performers only had two days to rehearse together before the event.
According to Schafer, this was not an issue due to the camaraderie between the women.
“There were a lot of hugs,” she said. “People were just really happy to see each other; it was a very supportive environment and it felt more nurturing than some other experiences. At rehearsal there was a lot of frequent verbal praise for each other.”
Dr. Erika Schafer
Back in her high school days in New Jersey, Schafer said there were several other girls in the marching band, but the number of female brass musicians dwindled when she became an adult.
After earning her master’s degree in trumpet performance, she was selected for the U.S. Navy Band in 2001, and was the first female trumpeter in the U.S. Navy Band Concert Band.
“A lot of (women) feel underrepresented,” she said. “A lot of us had the experience where in groups, we’re looking around like, ‘Oh, I’m the only female here.’ Sometimes that’s fine, but you don’t have a role model. You don’t necessarily have a mentor or someone to help you navigate some difficulties that can arise from being the only female.”
Not only was performing with the Athena Brass Band a rewarding experience, she said, but so were the conversations.
“To brainstorm about how we can problem-solve on a micro-level … to a macro-level helping people feel supported whereas in some circumstances you might feel excluded, it was great to feel like you’re not alone and people can relate to you,” she said.
Schafer hopes to carry her Athena Brass Band experience into the classroom.
“It has brought the importance of that bond to the forefront for me, so I want to make sure that I’m inspiring and nurturing to all my students,” she said.
She hopes to play her new instrument and see her new friends in the Athena Brass Band soon.
“I hope to be able to play again,” she said. “It was one of the highlights of my career.”
Dr. Erika Schafer (white sweater) and the cornet players in the Athena Brass Band.
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