Rachel Gonsalves
  • anthropology
  • Class of 2017
  • Yorktown, VA

Rachel Gonsalves of Yorktown, Virginia is part of award-winning JMU band

2013 Oct 2

Rachel Gonsalves of Yorktown, Virginia, is a member of the 2013 Marching Royal Dukes, James Madison University's 485-member marching band.

Gonsalves, a freshman majoring in anthropology, plays in the band's clarinet section. The Marching Royal Dukes date to 1972 when JMU established a football program. Membership in the band is open to all JMU students, regardless of their academic majors. This year, about 400 members are non-music majors.

The band performs at all home football games, travels to select away games and represents JMU at local and regional high-school exhibitions and community events.

James Madison University, located in Harrisonburg, Va., is a comprehensive university that is part of the statewide system of public higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is the only university in America named for James Madison.