University of Miami math major Carmine Parente, B.S. `89, spent four years as a performing member of the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music’s Band of the Hour. Now, because he wants every band student to participate without financial constraints, Parente has pledged $1 million in matching funds to encourage donations in support of band scholarships.
The Frost Band of the Hour includes the marching band, which performs at football games, and the smaller pep band, which performs at men’s and women’s basketball games as well as select volleyball games. They are among the University of Miami’s highest-profile and most dynamic student groups. Students from across the institution participate, regardless of their major.
“I was in the band for four years, including one year as drum major,” recalls Parente, who believes the time he spent as a member of the Band of the Hour prepared him for his future as well as anything else he did in college. “As a band member, you learn how to follow, you learn how to lead, how to communicate with people, how to work with men and women, all those things I learned helped me be successful in my life.”
Parente owns and operates a manufacturing company that operates across Florida and North Carolina. His business career has enabled him and his wife, Eileen, to support the band that meant so much to him.
“Long before this amazing gift, Carmine Parente has for decades dedicated his time and resources to his alma mater and the Frost Band of the Hour,” said Frost School of Music Dean Shelly Berg. “I couldn’t be more grateful to Carmine for the leadership he continues to exemplify. This scholarship support will change lives and positively affect countless students over time. We are all in for raising the additional $1 million.”
