Choosing his education path more than four years ago, Iola’s Joel Tidd weighed his options and went the way of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.
Tidd found a way to combine many of his interests in the Navy: education, music, interest in the military and travel.
“I’ve always been interested in the military and enjoy traveling. You know ‘Join the Navy and See the World’ seemed to work well. Plus music has been in my life, always,” Tidd said.
Tidd is in Iola on summer leave from the Naval Academy.
It is his final summer as a midshipman. Tidd enters his first-class year, his senior year as part of the “Brigade” at Annapolis. It’s also his fourth year as a member of the Navy Drum and Bugle Corps, the Naval Academy’s marching band.
“The D&B gave me an opportunity to still be part of music at the Academy,” Tidd said.
Tidd began playing the violin at 3, even though Iola had no orchestra at the time.
His mother, a former music instructor, had an extra trombone and trumpet. Brother Josh took the trombone, Joel the trumpet. He switched to the French horn in high school.
The switch proved beneficial.
Arriving at Annapolis, Tidd smoothly went from French horn to mellophone — a marching French horn — in the Drum and Bugle Corps.
“Being a part of the Drum and Bugle Corps has allowed me to travel a lot,” he said. “It goes to all the football games. My first game was at Ohio State my plebe year. It was amazing.”
In his “firstie” year, Tidd and the Drum and Bugle Corps will travel to Ireland, where Navy plays Notre Dame in Dublin on Sept. 1.
“I’m really excited about this trip,” he said. “We’ve already begun working on the music.
“I’m also excited about it being my final year at Navy. I’ve enjoyed being at the Naval Academy,” Tidd said.
Tidd serves as the Drum and Bugle Corps parade drum major, leading the group in parades on and off campus.
