Breaking Barriers: Holly (Nike) Bertram is the first woman section leader of the Spartan Tubas

In the 155-year history of the Spartan Marching Band, there has never been a female section leader for the Spartan Tubas in the Michigan State Marching Band.

Until this year.

Meet Holly "Nike" Bertram, a criminal justice senior from St. Johns, Michigan. Bertram began her musical journey in band as a trombone player, and is customary, she transitioned to the tuba in middle school when her middle school band teacher, Michael Scholes, encouraged her to try it out.

"My middle school band director said we need some tuba players, and I think you'd be good for it," said Bertram. "The mouth piece was cheap - my parents paid for (it) - so I decided to try it out. (I thought to myself) I'll try something other than a slide, I'll try some valves ... and I really liked it."

Then marching band season came around in eighth grade.

"That's when I got to actually try out the sousaphone, and I loved it," she said. "Loved it ever since. The music was fun, we could do a whole lot, we were flashy, and I was big."

The Spartan Tubas stand out amongst the crowd in Spartan Stadium (Photo Credit: Marvin Hall/Spartans Illustrated)

When discussing her path to becoming a section leader, Bertram reflected on a pivotal moment that cemented her decision to pursue the role. Like many members of the Spartan Marching Band, she had been a section leader in high school. While talking with another band member about the possibility of trying out, she mentioned that experience - only to be reminded that nearly everyone who survives the demanding audition process and earns the privilege of wearing the green and white had led their sections back home.

That realization pushed her to aim higher. If she wanted this position, she would need to go above and beyond. So she did exactly what a leader does: she committed herself fully.

The process to become a section leader requires even more dedication than the already rigorous path to earning a spot in the MSU Marching Band.

“It is a lot of time and effort,” Bertram said as she outlined the steps - multiple interviews with the directors and the full tuba section, a written essay, and a recorded piece. Beyond the interviews and writing samples, candidates must demonstrate the most important skill of all: the ability to lead.

The weight of the accomplishment of being the first woman section leader for the tuba's is not lost on Bertram.

"Oh, it means a lot", said Bertram. "I've had a lot of people that I've never met before outside the band, some alumni, come up to me and they know who I am. They know my name, they've seen the (social media) post, they've seen about me. It makes me realize every single time how big this is, not just to me, but to other people. I'm shocked it took this long for a girl to get this position. But I'm very grateful for this position. I'm happy it's me. It means a lot and it's given me a lot of experience and insight into leadership."

Holly Bertram speaks with an aspiring young fan of the Spartan Tubas (Photo Credit: Sydney Padgett/Spartans Illustrated)

On top of dedicating her time to the full marching band and performing at football games, Bertram is also a member of the Spartan Brass—MSU’s “pep band” that fires up the crowd at men’s and women’s basketball games, men’s hockey, and women’s volleyball. During Michigan State hockey’s game against New Hampshire, she was carrying out her usual duties when a high-school boy tapped her on the shoulder.

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