Aly Collins, 18, can say that she walks in her father’s footsteps – literally.

In 1983, Aly’s father, John, served as drum major for Plum Senior High School’s marching band, and this year Aly shares the same honor, making them the only first- and second- generation family members in the school’s history to hold the position.

The similarities between Aly and her father don’t end there. They share the same birthday, they attend the same drum major camp and they both play the saxophone. “She’s a much better player than I was at that time. She’s surpassed me at that age,” her father said.

And, fittingly, they share the same whistle. Aly needed a better whistle when she became drum major and her father just happened to have his old one.

“I’m kind of a pack rat. I still had some of my ribbons put away in a box and I had my whistle hanging on my workbench. When she said she wanted to be a drum major, I thought it’d be kind of nice,” Collins said.

The sentimental value of sharing the same whistle as her dad means a lot to her, Aly said. She also appreciates being able to share the experience with one of her best friends, Rebekah Lecocq, 17, of Plum, who is a drum major with Aly.

“I played the flute up to freshman year. I started playing sax in ninth grade with her. We’ve wanted to be drum majors together,” Aly said.

Drum major tryouts were last May and several seniors competed.

Jason Birch, 28, band director at the high school, said band students who are chosen to be drum major are the cream of the crop. “They need to have exceptional leadership skills and musicianship skills,” Birch explained. From conducting the bands, setting the tempos, helping with rehearsal, setting up all the equipment to tearing it down, “they’re involved with everything,” he said. Aly and Rebekah were chosen for the position by staff members and fellow students.

“It is an honor,” Birch said.

In addition to her role as drum major, Aly also plays in the concert and symphonic bands and jazz ensembles. She will participate in the Alle-Kiski Honors Band performance this year. Next month, she will lead Plum’s marching band in a parade at Walt Disney World as part of Festival Disney, a yearly competition for middle and high-school musical groups. Plum Senior High School does not attend the Festival Disney event every year, Birch said. The marching band did, however, participate when John Collins was a junior in high school, though he was not yet drum major.

Aly and her brother J.J., who also plays the saxophone, grew up listening to their father play music.

John Collins has played the sax since the fourth grade. While he now mostly plays bass guitar in his two local bands, The Businessmen and The Blissterz, he uses his father’s 60-year-old saxophone when he isn’t playing the bass.

Aly is using her father’s old saxophone.

The matriarch, Daria Collins, is the only family member who doesn’t play the sax, but she does serve as president of Plum Music Boosters, which supports the band, chorus and orchestra at both the junior and senior high schools.

John foresees a day when he and his children will play music together on stage but, for now, Aly has plans to play in the University of Pittsburgh’s marching band when she attends college there in the fall.

“It’s really nice to see her take what we’ve given her and expand on it,” Collins said.

Copyright ©2026— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)