How One Student Took An Unusual Way Into The Famous Texas A&M Aggie Band

Talk about fake it 'til you make it!

Gerardo Juarez, a Texas A&M graduate, has picked up a lot of attention after sharing his unbelievable story of how he spent four years in the school's marching band without ever playing a note.

Juarez told the story on the now deleted TikTok video, where he revealed how a mix up during his freshman year landed him in the band by accident. Juarez was unfamiliar with dorm selection when he got to the school in 2015, and since he was the first person in his family to attend college there wasn't anyone that he could get advice from, either. Seeking the cheapest housing, he unwittingly chose a Corps of Cadets dorm, which required band participation.

“I had only played an instrument in sixth grade, but it was too late to change housing,” Juarez explained. Juarez showed up to orientation even though he had an, at best, rudimentary knowledge of the instrument, and through an oversight, he didn't have to audition.

Juarez traveled all over the country for the next four years marching with the band. He performed intricate routines, such as the “four-way cross,” famed for its complexity. However, Juarez admitted he never actually played during performances.

“I just rolled with it,” he said, adding that it was “easier than you’d think” because the band’s repertoire consisted of military-style marches. Personally, I don't know if that's necessarily true. I spent three months in Marine Corps Bootcamp learning how to drill, and I think our training may have been a little more intense than Texas A&M.