Young Black man smiling with a drum set
Category: Student Experience

Title: This Public Policy Junior Drums for the Washington Commanders on NFL Sundays

A lot of Emmanuel Assefa’s (C’27) life at Georgetown revolves around music.

A percussionist who can also play the piano and sing, he’s involved with multiple music clubs and organizations at Georgetown, including the Guild of Bands, a jazz trio he’s starting this year, an Asian American musical group, the JAM club and other miscellaneous ensembles that Assefa performs with for gigs on and off campus.

Young Black man carrying a shoulder bag outside
Emmanuel Assefa’s (C’27) is a junior in the Joint Program in Public Policy who is immersed in Georgetown’s music scene.

“There are some jobs that you know the job is for you, not because you love everything about it, but because the parts you do love, you love so much that you’re willing to put up with the other stuff, and that’s music for me,” Assefa said. “That is through and through, what I absolutely adore doing.”

As a junior in the Joint Program in Public Policy, Assefa studies at the Capitol Campus and bikes to the Hilltop every day during the week to make music with other Hoyas.

This year, he also has a new musical gig — playing in front of tens of thousands of football fans as part of the Washington Commanders Marching Band.

To and From the Capitol Campus

Assefa entered Georgetown as a biochemistry major. While he loves science, he realized that he didn’t want a career in biochemistry and started to explore different paths.

He took the intro courses for six different majors during his sophomore year, exploring economics, government, English and philosophy. Through the focus on the liberal arts in the College of Arts & Sciences, Assefa was able to explore divergent interests as he narrowed down what he wanted to focus on at Georgetown.

Young Black man riding a bike in a maroon polo shirt
Assefa uses his bike to get between the Capitol Campus, Hilltop Campus and practice for the Washington Commanders Marching Band.

“What matters the most to me is that I give my classes my best,” he said. “There’s a little bit of something I love in everything. I still love science, chemistry classes, bio classes, all of those things.”

In public policy, Assefa discovered a field where he could combine his passion for science, math and writing all in one major.

Young Black man on a bike with a helmet riding toward the Capitol

While Assefa’s public policy courses are downtown, he has some classes and musical extracurriculars on the Hilltop Campus. Assefa said he loves going between both campuses and returning to his campus apartment downtown at 55 H St. after a long day of class and music.

“This is not just what I needed but also what I wanted out of my college experience,” he said. “I get time to rest, to come home, to recount what happened for the day, what I have tomorrow. There isn’t a better experience than that for me.”

Assefa bikes to get between the campuses. He rides fast and said he can usually make the commute in 15 minutes.

Now in the middle of the NFL season, Assefa has one longer bike trip every week: riding 11 miles to District Heights, Maryland, for marching band practice for the Washington Commanders.

Drumming for the Commanders

Assefa has been a football fan all of his life. He grew up rooting for the Georgia Bulldogs and the Seattle Seahawks.

“I’ve watched football since I was a child, as long as I can remember. Football has always been on my TV,” he said. “I remember the day and age when NFL Sunday tickets were as affordable as a pizza.”

During the summer before his sophomore year, Assefa discovered a new volunteer gig playing drums at a local church. When Assefa met someone in the Commanders Marching Band at the church, the thought of auditioning for the drumline loomed for months. In the meantime, Assefa trained, practicing music and preparing his knees for the intense workout associated with marching band.

Young Black man takes drumsticks out of a bag
Assefa practices with the marching band once a week in District Heights, Maryland. He also spends time on his own practicing and memorizing the band’s music.

This past February, he auditioned and won a spot on the drumline. For Assefa, he said that the first time he walked through the tunnel and set foot in Northwest Stadium was surreal.

“There’s always this cliche, this trope about walking out onto the field. I thought it wasn’t real,” he said. “I’m walking out having never been to an NFL stadium before or watched a game in person. I’m looking up and around just like, Wow. I was taken aback. That was such a cool moment to walk out of the tunnel and look up and around the stadium.”

As a member of the drumline, Assefa will perform at all eight of the Commanders’ regular-season home games. He practices with the band every week on Wednesdays and spends time on his own memorizing the set list for the band’s performances.

He’s excited for the season to unfold, but he has Nov. 2 circled on his calendar. That Sunday, the Commanders will face the Seattle Seahawks. Drumsticks in a bag with an ID card

“It’s an 8:30 game too, so the lights will be down. Night sky. Just pure football,” he said.

On game days, Assefa is at the stadium seven hours before kickoff. Before the game, band members perform a pre-game show outside of the stadium and then parade into the stadium for a marching performance before heading into the stands, where they perform music throughout the game. The band also performs a post-game show if the Commanders win. Throughout the year, Assefa may also join the band in parades and events throughout DC and will be involved in other performances if the Commanders host any playoff games.

For Assefa, music has always been about being with people passionate about music and sharing the same sense of urgency and purpose in a performance. In the Commanders Marching Band, Assefa said one of the best parts of being on the drumline is playing alongside other musicians from all walks of life, from federal workers to nonprofit executives and professional musicians.

“I’m standing here looking at these people like, Wow, I’ve got to go to class tomorrow. I just left my little university, and I’m here playing drums for this NFL team,” he said. “This is crazy. I am in so much awe of this life that I get to live.”