Travis Mansfield
Title:
Redcoat Sousaphone Player
Major:
Elementary Education
Year:
Class of 2026
Hometown:
Americus, GA
The next time the Georgia Redcoat Marching Band blares the tune “Choppa Style” during a game, just know that rising junior Travis Mansfield is having the time of his life playing his favorite song.
Mansfield is his happiest with a sousaphone slung around his shoulder. Or a flute in his hands. Or piano keys under his fingers. Or a drumset sitting in front of him. Really, it’s not an exaggeration to say that he can quickly conquer any instrument.
That’s what he did with the sousaphone to secure an envied spot in UGA’s revered Redcoat Marching Band. When his flute audition did not hit the mark, he reached out to director Brett Bawcum and said: “I’ll play whatever you need.” Two days later, you would have never known Mansfield learned the sousaphone in a weekend.
“When I first got the email that I didn’t get into Redcoats, I was pretty upset about it,” Mansfield recalls, “but I emailed and said, ‘Any instrument you want me to learn, I will learn it,’ because marching band is my life.”
I appreciate Redcoats for really pushing me and progressing me in my music education career.
Travis Mansfield
Redcoat Sousaphone Player
Sumter County High School turned out a top-notch musician who could juggle arranging music and being the sole drum major. So after a lifetime of cheering on the Bulldogs and creating music, the Redcoats were a dream come true.
“It was the best day of my life. I’ll never forget it,” says Mansfield. “Redcoats has definitely helped break down my shield and shyness. I can just see how much progress I’ve made not just with the band, but also as a person in general. Hopefully, I can leave behind a piece of myself in the program.”
During his time in Redcoats, Mansfield has served on the service team as a librarian for two years, participated in Spring Sports Band, and wrote two arrangements for the band.
Each of Mansfield’s music instructors was—pardon the pun—instrumental to Mansfield’s education. They not only pushed him to pursue his musical dedication but also opened the door to becoming an educator himself. As a future educator, his philosophy is to “turn students’ interests into passions” because that’s exactly what these educators and his parents did for him. In studying elementary education, Mansfield also expanded his teaching repertoire, including research into math curriculum in Texas, and has taken on a leadership role in UGA’s Minorities in Education (MIE) organization.
“Growing up, I didn’t really have a lot of African American male educators, especially in the elementary classroom,” he says. “When I’m gone and teaching, I hope I can see that MIE is still thriving and growing and that we get more diversity in the classrooms.” During his limited spare time, Mansfield mentors students in all kinds of environments. From tutoring to coaching multiple summer music camps to serving as a resident assistant in Brown Hall, Mansfield already has the empathy and wisdom to excel as a teacher.
Mansfield also mentors students in all kinds of environments. From tutoring to coaching multiple summer music camps to serving as a resident assistant in Brown Hall, Mansfield already has the empathy and wisdom to excel as a teacher.
“After being introduced to the world of marching band, being able to teach music education or some type of band is a cool progression. I appreciate Redcoats for really pushing me and progressing me in my music education career.”
Performing with the marching band this upcoming season, Mansfield plans to cherish it all—every note, every measure, every performance. He is marching in the present for now but hopes he can one day watch the next generation of marching band enthusiasts become part of the tradition.
“I remember just coming home and hearing the UGA fight song on the TV and thinking it was the best thing ever,” Mansfield says. “Now being on the sidelines, it is surreal. Going to bowl games and championship games and seeing myself on the TV—I never imagined that I’d be in the place that I am today.”
