The Collaborative International Dictionary
Drum major \Drum" ma"jor\ .
The chief or first drummer of a regiment; an instructor of drummers.
The marching leader of a military band. [U.S.]
A noisy gathering. [R.] See under Drum, n.,
Wiktionary
n. One who conducts and commands a marching band.
WordNet
n. the leader of a marching band or drum corps
Wikipedia
A drum major or Field Commander is the leader of a marching band, drum and bugle corps, or pipe band, usually positioned at the head of the band or corps. The drum major, who is often dressed in more ornate clothing than the rest of the band or corps, is responsible for providing commands to the ensemble, and leads them while marching, and directs them what to play, when to play, and what time to keep. The commands may be given either verbally, through hand gestures, using a whistle or a baton, or with a mace in the military. In modern-day high school and college marching bands, drum majors are responsible for leading the practices and performances of the band.
In addition, they serve as the liaison between the band director and the band. Essentially a drum major is the leader that keeps the rhythm and beat of time with the use of its baton or other forms of time keeping such as conducting. The drum major often holds the responsibility to keep the band organized and structured.
A drum major is the individual who leads a military band. It is an appointment, not a military rank.
Usage examples of "drum major".
A broken javelin tip protruded from his right shoulder, and he was slashed In several places, but still he wielded his saber like a drum major's staff, fighting gamely against overwhelming odds, which threatened to bring him down and get at whoever was behind him inside the cave.
I was going to double major in voice and piano, and with a little luck I could be the band drum major as well.
On the French quarter-deck someone - the drum major, perhaps - raised a long staff hung with brass bells into the air and brought it down again with a thump.
On the French quarterdeck someone the drum major, perhaps raised a long staff hung with brass bells into the air and brought it down again with a thump.
Immediately the flutes thrilled and the drums rattled, and the sitting room was filled with the opening march, when Boofuls was strutting like a drum major in front of a regiment of two hundred black minstrels, as they paraded along the levee.
A lesser man might have wavered that day in the hospital corridor, a weaker man might have compromised on such excellent substitutes as Drum Major, Minor Major, Sergeant Major, or C.