Imagine reinventing a well-known song and then having the original artist recognize and support your rendition. Student arranger and member of Howard University’s Showtime Band, Corey Goddard, doesn’t have to imagine–because he lived it.

The sophomore biology major from Delaware had the experience of a lifetime as his musically arranged rendition of Victoria Monet’s “On My Mama” was performed for the Jaguar herself. 

On Sept.14, Monèt and her team caught the students by surprise as they popped up at a Showtime rehearsal while the band played her hit song. 

As a new arranger, an opportunity like this is next level for Goddard. 

Goddard first gained interest in arranging music after he formed his own jazz band in high school. He carried that knowledge to his collegiate endeavors with the Showtime Marching Band, Howard’s coveted band. The decade’s old band has graced the D.C. community and beyond with a goal to musically shape students like Goddard into leaders on and off the field.

“I got into arranging in the early summer around June because this song came out and I really wanted to do it for my jazz band that I made in high school. So I did that. But as I started hearing more music, I started thinking about things like, ‘Where can I go further with this?’ I started thinking about the Howard University band, and I was like ‘What if I write some stuff for them?’” he said.

Goddard did just that. Serving as the first trumpet for Showtime, Goddard searched for ways to contribute to the composition of Showtime’s arrangements by requesting to join the group chat.

“I talked to one of my friends that was in the student arrangers chat, and he looked over some of my stuff and said, ‘Yeah, it's pretty good.’ So he let me into the chat and I showed other people and they approved of it,”  Goddard shared.

Once in the chat, Goddard wasted no time in going after large responsibilities despite his underclassmen status. 

“I remember I was making some songs people liked and they were like ‘You should arrange this song [‘On My Mama’]… I was like, okay… so we were in the [band] lounge and our director came in and he looked at a song we're listening to. He's like, ‘That reminds me of something.’ and goes to his office and makes the call to Monèt’s PR Team,” Goddard added.

Despite this encounter being a surprise to most, Showtime Band Director, Michael Fitzhough, had been in contact with Monèt’s team all along. She had requested that they arrange her song in time for her visit to DC as she stopped there on her Jaguar tour. After Fitshough agreed, Corey volunteered to take the lead. 

“I was like ‘Okay, this my chance’…I think it'd be something of bigger and greater possibilities. I asked him and at first, he said no because it was a very big commitment. ..but I still decided to make the baseline to start it off and after about a couple of hours, he called me into his office, and said ‘Do you really think you could do this?’ And I said, ‘Yes.’”