McNeese Alumna Serves as First Band Director at Bell City High School 

Danielle Bourgeois is a McNeese alumna with a Bachelor of Music in instrumental education who is serving as the first band director at Bell City High School. The school wanted a band to accompany the football program that they are in the process of creating, as well as their existing choir, and she was chosen as the one to take initiative and bring the much-needed energy. 

Bourgeois wasn’t originally planning to pursue music education, as she attended McNeese seeking a psychology degree. She served as a member of the Pride of McNeese Marching Band where she rediscovered her passion for music and ultimately changed her major sophomore year.  

“At the McNeese vs. LSU football game in 2021, both bands did a joint halftime performance to memorialize the 20^th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks,” she recalled. “I remember the sound of the crowd roaring as I performed in front of over 94,000 people. This was my reminder that music was a universal language, and I hoped to continue sharing it.”  

At that moment, she decided to change her major to music education and prioritize music over everything. 

Her joy of sharing music with strangers was powerful, and she has never looked back. At McNeese, Bourgeois found unwavering support, a community to thrive in and all the resources to graduate with a clear mindset to step out into the world.   

“As a student, I had the most fun performing all 5 years of my attendance with The Pride of McNeese Marching Band and the Courtside Cowboys Basketball Band,” she said. “I made some of the most incredible memories of my life getting to cheer on the Cowboys with lifelong friends.” 

“Students should choose McNeese because you genuinely don’t get the Cowboy experience anywhere else. No other college experience will compare to the unique community, the closeness we share through the good and bad of natural disasters or the close bonds you make with fellow students and professors alike,” says Bourgeois.  

“There really is no place like McNeese and I couldn’t have imagined my college experience looking any different,” she added.  

She says to current students, “Show up to class! Do your work and turn it in on time, don’t be afraid to say ‘no’ and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Don’t allow yourself to drown in your degree, step out of your comfort zone, always be a friend and trust your gut.”