Alabama A&M’s Zakiah Goodlow, Percussion Section Leader: ‘We Are Here to Annihilate’

By Je’Don Holloway-Talley | For The Birmingham Times

When it comes to this year’s Magic City Classic, Zakiah Goodlow, a junior at Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (AAMU), is all business.

The 20-year-old is the first female band captain and percussion section leader to take the reins under AAMU’s Band Director Carlton Wright since at least 2013. Goodlow is just one of many female band members representing The Marching Maroon and White on a high level.

“Representation plays a huge role because, ever since females have started stepping into leadership roles in the band, we have recruited more females, and they are becoming more passionate and interested in our band culture,” said Goodlow, who plays the tenor drum. “The drumline alone has five females [out of 28 total members], and that’s the most females the section has ever had.”

Ready For Battle

Zakiah Goodlow, junior, band captain and percussion section leader in Lewis Crews Stadium on AAMU’s campus. (Amarr Croskey, For The Birmingham Times)

Speaking of her section, Goodlow said every member knows what the percussionists mean to the entire 272-member band.

“When it comes to the band as a whole, the drumline is the easily the heartbeat, the lungs, and the pulse all at the same time,” she said. “There is a lot of power in the drumline.”

The 83rd annual McDonald’s Magic City Classic presented by Coca-Cola will be played between the Bulldogs of AAMU and the Hornets of Alabama State University (ASU) at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 26 at Birmingham’s historic Legion Field Stadium. The fervor for the historic rivalry is equally about the football game and the halftime show—but nothing gets the crowd’s adrenaline pumping quite like the drumline face-off.

For Goodlow, there is no question about who will win the battle of the bands.

“Everyone feels the need to compare us to each other, and every year we have to show that there is no comparison,” she said. “No matter who is across the field from us, we are here to annihilate.”

Goodlow, a multi-instrumentalist who is a formally trained pianist and self-taught drummer, looks forward to the Magic City Classic experience every year.

“Nothing compares to the energy from the fans,” she said. “Marching into the stadium, battling in the zero and fifth quarters — [before the football game begins and after it ends] — performing at halftime. … I am ready to soak it all in and show [ASU] that we are a force to be reckoned with.”

“I Keep It Very Calm”

Goodlow was named band captain and percussion section leader in April: “I was excited, nervous, and honored all at once,” she said.

“Being able to represent [AAMU] and Black girls in general like this means the world,” she added. “I have been in leadership many times throughout my band career but never on as big a stage as the [Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)],” one of the leading collegiate athletic conferences for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

The drummer describes her leadership style as observational and authoritative.

“I observe before I speak or correct anything,” Goodlow said. “I put in a lot of effort to make sure I am communicating effectively so there’s no confusion. I’m authoritative, but I try not to do a lot of yelling because it is not about how loud you say it, it is about what you are saying, so I keep it very calm.”

She also delegates a lot because there are five sub-section leaders: the bass, tenor, and snare drum sections, as well as the quints (a marching drum set of five tenor drums mounted on a single carrier) and the cymbals.

Goodlow explained, “[Each sub-section leader] looks after each specific [instrument] in their section, so I delegate responsibilities to make sure material can be taught and understood faster. I am firm, but I still leave room to have camaraderie with the people in my section.”

“Wanted to Be the First”

Zakiah Goodlow fell in love with AAMU’s band during her freshman year of high school. (Amarr Croskey, For The Birmingham Times)

Goodlow grew up in Hillsboro, Alabama, (near Decatur, Alabama, and west of Huntsville, Alabama), where she and her older brother, Zachary, were raised by their parents, Kalethia and Ronnie Goodlow.

Zakiah, who joined her first marching band in the sixth grade, discovered her love of music at an early age. At 7 years old, she began taking piano lessons after being inspired by her older brother, who also plays the piano.

“I went to my mom and told her that I wanted to take lessons. A few days later, I went to my first lesson and never looked back,” she said. “I started teaching myself how to play the drums a year later. I wanted to be able to play the drums when my brother was playing the piano. … [Also], because there were no female drummers in my area, I wanted to be the first.”

Goodlow played in “the beginner band” in the fifth grade at East Lawrence Middle School in Trinity, Alabama: “I joined the band because I wanted to know the technical side of playing the drums, and I knew that joining the band would give me an outlet to learn more instruments and help me get better at my God-given talent.”

She fell in love with AAMU’s band during her freshman year of high school. “When I was in high school, I didn’t even know HBCUs existed. Then someone showed me a video of [the AAMU] band playing a stand tune called ‘4, 5, 6,’ [by rap artist Solé], and I instantly fell in love. When I received a full-ride scholarship to AAMU it felt like destiny in a way. … No other bands captivated me like [AAMU’s],” Goodlow said.

She added, “I became the first person in my high school’s band program to be a section leader as a freshman, and I was the only Black person in my high school band for all four years.”

Discipline And Dedication

Balancing her academics and commitments at AAMU requires discipline, said Goodlow, who carries a 3.9 GPA.

“It takes a lot of discipline and strong time management skills,” the percussion section leader said. “I always try to work ahead of the class [syllabus], especially in the fall semester because of the band’s hectic schedule.”

A well-rounded instrumentalist, Goodlow also plays the keyboard, organ, snare, tenor, and bass drum, drum sets (quads and quints), cymbals, marimba (a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets), and the timpani (a set of percussion instruments that are typically played in an orchestra), and she is looking to add more instruments to her repertoire.

“I’m trying to find a way to learn the violin, trombone, and the guitar,” she said.

Future Endeavors

Goodlow’s major is business administration with a concentration in information systems, and her minor is in finance. She has built an impressive academic profile in addition to her extracurricular activities. She is involved in the university’s Finance Club, is a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success, and serves as an annual youth member of the NAACP.

She already has things in place for her postgraduate future, too. Goodlow plans to aid African Americans in acquiring resources to work their farmland through government-provided programming and funding.

“After I graduate, I will be working for the United States Department of Agriculture [USDA] in the Farm Service Agency. I will be working with the state office in Mongomery, [Alabama], which is a part of my full-ride scholarship [through the USDA 1890 National Scholars Program],” she said

For now, Goodlow is focused on not just school but her section mates. “I want to leave behind a powerful legacy that shows it is possible to be a great scholar and a great bandsman at the same time. I want my legacy to inspire them to not limit themselves to one skill or instrument—be a sponge and learn all you can learn about our craft. Ultimately, try to be an asset to this band program, not a liability. Allow God to open doors for you and be ready to walk through them,” said the AAMU percussion section leader.

The 83rd annual McDonald’s Magic City Classic presented by Coca-Cola will be played between the Bulldogs of Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University and the Hornets of Alabama State University at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 26, 2024, at Birmingham’s legendary Legion Field. Details about road closings, accessible parking, shuttle services, and more are available at magiccityclassic.com.

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