Without the music, I don t think Commencement would be the same, said Emily Threinen, associate professor in the Boyer College of Music and Dance, who will conduct the band during Temple University s main ceremony Thursday, May 16, at 10 a.m. in the Liacouras Center. There s something about Commencement that I find to be really beautiful in its tradition.

In keeping with tradition, Threinen will lead the band in Temple s alma mater and Pomp and Circumstance. However, she has also programmed additional compositions that she feels fits with the ceremony s majestic theme.

All of the repertoire has an English traditional feel to it, she said. So I try to find pieces that fit into that ascetic to give the ceremony that regal feel.

Threinen, who came to Temple in 2011, believes that the band s role during the ceremony is to evoke a sense of pride in the graduating students and their families.

I know whenever I hear some of these pieces I even get a little choked up, just because it reminds me of my own graduation ceremonies, she said. It just has a certain reminiscence of collegiality and tradition.