Alumni Spotlight: Doug Bell

Doug Bell, North Penn Class of 2018, is certainly making some noise at Oklahoma State University, and not just with his music. Bell is in his freshman year at OSU studying Music Education with his primary instrument being trombone. This semester, he focused on personal practice and improvement to get up to speed with a college level of playing. He is a member of The Cowboy Marching Band, which practices during the fall semester and performs at all home football games and several away games.

Outside of OSU, Bell is a Drum Major for Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps. He recently earned this role and it is a fantastic opportunity for him to develop as a leader and as a musician. Carolina Crown, like many Drum Corps, spends a month in spring training to learn a complex show, and then tours the country for around 45 days.

“We live out of buses and high school gyms all summer and we get to perform in front of thousands of fans in roughly 30 states. I am really looking forward to this summer!” said Bell.

In his years at North Penn, Doug was involved primarily in music. He was a member of the Chorus, Men’s Choir, Chamber Singers, and Wind Ensemble. He participated in the musical sophomore year, North Penn Winter Percussion junior year, and played trombone in the Columbia Jazz Band senior year. In his junior and senior year, Bell was the Drum Major for The Marching Knights. Outside of music, he wrote for The Knight Crier senior year.

One-on-one with Doug Bell:

What is your favorite part about college?
“My favorite part of college is the opportunity to develop myself more as a person. I know that sounds very cliché, but it is very true. I have always considered myself as someone who thinks for themself, but that has become especially true since I got to college. When there is no one there to criticize or question your decisions, you really learn about yourself. Sometimes, this freedom leads to mistakes, and I have certainly learned from mistakes this semester. But sometimes, this leads to great decisions and developments as a person. When I moved to Oklahoma, I told myself that I was not moving halfway across the country to sit in a practice room and be the same person. I have only scratched the surface so far, but I can tell that I am at the right place.”

What do you miss about North Penn?

“I miss the familiarity of North Penn more than anything. It is very daunting to move to somewhere like Oklahoma for school and you don’t know a single person. Of course, this has pushed me to meet people and in the end I have loved that aspect of where I go to school. However, I have certainly found myself missing the familiarity of North Penn on days when I am down. I knew most of the people who were involved in music at North Penn, and it was nice to know I could feel at home in that part of the high school no matter how my day was going. I know I will get there eventually with OSU, but F-pod of North Penn High School will always feel a little bit like home.”

Any advice for high school students?

“Best advice I can give to high schoolers is to take a deep breath and relax. I spent SO much time in my junior and senior year stressing about my future. I tried to sit and figure it all out in my head, and I would just go crazy overthinking everything. I have found that my best opportunities have occurred at the least expected times. You simply never know when you are going to meet someone or experience something that changes the course of your future. Just when you think the puzzle pieces have fallen into place, something comes along changes it all. On the contrary, just when you think all is lost, something comes along and picks you back up. The bottom line is this: don’t force your life to happen.”