With over 20 lively performances in just this academic year, The Cardinal Sound has become an essential part of William Jewell College’s school spirit. Since its creation, the band has captivated audiences and energized campus events with its enthusiastic performances.

“I was hired in part to help launch the athletic band. We started it from absolutely nothing but an idea,” shared Dr. Dorothy Glick Maglione (Dr. GM), who has been working full-time at Jewell since 2019. She was central to the founding of the Cardinal Sound and has served as its faculty director from its beginning. Dr. Glick Maglione reflects on the athletic band’s journey, highlighting milestones such as the introduction of a color guard and invitations to perform at the 2024 Achievement Day dinner.

“While I’ve been teaching for almost two decades at this point, starting The Cardinal Sound has been an absolute privilege,” Dr. Glick Maglione recounted. “Selecting the uniforms, purchasing instruments, composing music and creating traditions were all aspects of this new venture. I am honored to have had students who bought in, and I have been blown away by their dedication. Throughout this process, I have really learned how precious moments are with people. Four years goes by quickly, and it is such a joy to get to see the students go from high schoolers to starting their careers.”

Along with Dr. Glick Maglione, the Monitor interviewed three graduating students who have been in The Cardinal Sound all four years: Brynesha Griffin-Bey, Alexis Harper and Jolia Bernal.

Brynesha Griffin-Bey, who plays clarinet and aspires to become a music educator, spoke about her love for music: “Band is a beautiful thing to me. Band has taught me to be disciplined and strong (through procedures, practicing, leading the ensemble in multiple ways and just being a member of something where my presence matters), but it has also created an environment where I can be my true authentic self in front of others, and I want to take all of those things with me into my career and future.

“My favorite memories revolve around the people in the ensemble!” Griffin-Bey reflected. “I have made so many friendships and close bonds through performing and practicing with these members over the years, and that is truly unforgettable to me and will be the things that I will look back on once I graduate from Jewell. Performing under the direction of Dr. Glick Maglione has also been the best! She had inspired me and mentored me so much over the years, and that will also stick with me.”

Alexis Harper, a graduating senior who plays flute and piccolo, reflected on the influence that The Cardinal Sound has had on the fans at Jewell sporting events. “It is special to watch and support the WJC athletes in a way that incorporates my passion for music,” Harper said. “I remember a stark lack of enthusiasm from the crowd during the first football game The Cardinal Sound ever performed at. Four years later, a full crowd pumped their fists as we played the William Jewell College fight song at our last performance of this season.”

Harper also shared about her recent new experiences in The Cardinal Sound. “The Shenanigans Concert on March 24 was a downright goofy display of the talented people in the William Jewell College Performing Arts Department that was constructed by WJC Choral Director Dr. Anthony Maglione and actor and comedian Dave (Gruber) Allen. The atmosphere both on and off stage was different from any other performance I have done, and it was great to be a part of it with The Cardinal Sound.”

Jolia Bernal, a graduating euphonium and trombone player, explained how The Cardinal Sound has impacted her life. “Playing at the college level has given me the opportunity to push myself in my playing abilities. My biggest takeaway from my experiences in Cardinal Sound would be that you can create a home away from home with common interests and the people that you surround yourself with.”

Bernal, while involved in The Cardinal Sound, has also been a founding member of The Crown Jewell color guard. “Winter guard is a sport of the arts that involves flags, sabres, rifles, dance and interpretive movement. Our show this year was titled “Let In The Light,” and it was about new beginnings and kind of represented the start of this new team and legacy at Jewell.” she explained. “I was very excited to help start this team as a part of Cardinal Sound, and we had a very successful season as well.”

The Cardinal Sound is made up of 24 students this year, and the program is expected to grow in the future. While Griffin-Bey, Harper and Bernal prepare for graduation, their legacy as founding members of The Cardinal Sound’s will be maintained by returning members and newcomers.

Third-year trumpet player Carson Krop described how his experiences in Cardinal Sound have influenced his interactions with teamwork and dedication: “It provides a lot of structure and companionship. College band has a set time to meet and you can count on your peers being present at rehearsal,” he explained. “There were countless rehearsals that we have had that were tedious, but that tedious and persistent work that we put in consistently showed during our performances. If it weren’t for those small details that we perfected in rehearsal, no matter how tedious, then we would not sound the way we do nor have the reputation/name recognition on campus and throughout the community.”

For second-year percussionist Ali Thatcher, the athletic band offers opportunities for exploration and growth. “There are higher expectations in collegiate level band, but I also get to try a ton of new stuff that I haven’t done before,” Thatcher shared. “You can usually try something new and experiment if you just ask! The worst [a director] can say is no.”

First-year guitarist and drummer Caden Powell shared his journey of adaptation within the ensemble: “Something I’ve learned would definitely be mixing sound with everyone, and having to change the sound I usually use to something that cuts through the mix a bit more. My favorite memory would have to be playing at the Achievement Day dinner, everyone locked in with each other and Dr. GM let me turn up a little and just let it rip. It was so much fun.”

With each member contributing their unique perspective and talents, The Cardinal Sound continues to evolve, embracing new challenges and opportunities.

Alongside Bernal, Avalon Autrey, a second-year at Jewell, also contributes her talents to The Crown Jewell color guard team. Collaborating with The Cardinal Sound band at athletic events, Autrey fondly recalled their favorite moments from their inaugural season. “My fav event so far has been homecoming! It’s also my favorite memory from how large the crowd was and the energy they brought, and winning the game made it even better!” Autrey reflected. “Dr. GM and my guard coaches have taught me that it is okay to be the last one to leave practice sometimes, especially if you’re the last one to get to practice in the first place!” 

After attending and winning their first Mid Continent Color Guard Association (MCCGA) State Championships at Willard High School on April 6, The Crown Jewell winter guard came home with five first place, and one second place, finishes in the six competitions in their inaugural season. With their first show “Let In The Light,” The Crown Jewell won the title of Independent Regional A Champions of 2024 against six other college independent color guards: Beautiful City Independent, Wildcat Winter Guard, Divine Light, Elegante Independent, Parkway South-West Winter Guard and Queen City Independent.

If you’d like to learn more about The Cardinal Sound or The Crown Jewell, you can reach out to Dr. Glick Maglione at maglioned@william.jewell.edu or follow @williamjewellbands and @thecrownjewellguard_wjc on Instagram.

Cardinal Sound 2023-24 Performances
9/2/2023 Jewell Football vs. Fort Lewis
9/9/2023 Jewell Football vs. Kentucky Wesleyan
9/30/2023 Jewell Football vs.Upper Iowa Homecoming
11/4/2023 Jewell Football vs. Southwest Baptist
11/14/2023 Jewell Women’s Basketball vs. Newman University
11/16/2023 Jewell Hoops vs. Washburn University
11/18/2023 Jewell Hoops vs. Newman
11/21/2023 Jewell Hoops vs. MO West
2/8/2024 Jewell Hoops vs. Southwest Baptist
2/10/2024 Jewell Women’s Basketball vs. Drury University
2/17/2024 Jewell Women’s Basketball vs. Rockhurst University
2/17/2024 Jewell Hoops vs. Rockhurst University
2/29/2024 Achievement Day Dinner
3/2/2024 Jewell Hoops vs. MO S&T
3/8/2024 Jewell Hoops vs. Truman State 2024 GLVC Tournament
3/24/2024 Shenanigans 3

The Crown Jewell Competitions & Scores
2/3/2024 Blue Springs South – First Place – 61.12/100
2/17/2024 MO State University – Second Place – 67.14/100
3/2/2024 Lee’s Summit West – First Place – 73.99/100
3/9/2024 Belton – First Place – 79.27/100
3/23/2024 Lee’s Summit North – First Place – 80.40/100
4/6/2024 Championships at Willard – First Place – 82.22/100

Every family has their own Thanksgiving traditions. Some try something new every year, but my family’s tradition has been the same for as long as I can remember. 

My mom, two younger sisters and I have always had Thanksgiving dinner with my grandma, who we moved in with a few years ago. Each year, we spend the day cooking and prepping for dinner. First, we begin roasting the turkey in the oven, then work on the many side dishes. This task takes up most of the day, but afterwards we can enjoy the food. My main cooking responsibilities are usually making the green bean casserole and cranberry sauce and helping with the pumpkin pie.

When dinner time finally arrives, we eat an array of foods such as turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, candied sweet potatoes, stuffing, corn, green beans, homemade rolls and pumpkin pie. Sometimes dinner also includes ham, green bean casserole or macaroni and cheese. We have these foods each year, but on occasion, my mom will find a new recipe to try out like a side dish or dessert. 

The foods I most look forward to are the turkey with cranberry sauce, candied sweet potatoes and green bean casserole. My younger sisters tend to enjoy sweeter foods like pumpkin pie the most. We all also really enjoy the homemade rolls and macaroni and cheese. 

My favorite part of this yearly Thanksgiving tradition is the extra time I get to dedicate to my family. Cooking with my mom throughout the day brings back memories of helping my grandma cook when I was younger. Most of the time, I am too busy with school and work to have a nice sit-down meal with my family, so Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to spend the day together cooking, enjoying a homemade meal and watching a holiday movie. 

I am so grateful to have a family that is so close to one another, and I look forward to spending Thanksgiving with them this year – and every year!

If you haven’t heard, there is a new dessert shop on the Liberty Square, called Icebergs Italian Ice & Gelato. They serve various flavors, offered in multiple sizes, of Italian ice and gelato, and you can even get a mixture of both, which is called gelati. You can get one, two or three scoops of Italian ice and or gelato. You can even mix and match flavors.

During the Fall Festival, I tried their chocolate gelato, which has the addition of chocolate chips. I thought it was a very refreshing treat and would love to try their other flavors in the future. Some other gelato flavors offered during the Fall Festival included vanilla, sea salt caramel and apple pie; the Italian ice flavors included sour apple, strawberry, pina colada and mango. If you are interested in visiting their shop, they are located at 111 N Water Street in Liberty, MO. They are open from 12  to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays through Thursdays, 12 to 9 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday.