“Oh my gosh, a girl!” Kehlani exclaimed when she spotted Solana Mahabeer among a sea of Morehouse men during a surprise visit to a “House of Funk” rehearsal before Homecoming 2025.
As the band blared Kehlani’s “Folded” during rehearsal, the singer’s attention turned to Mahabeer, an alto saxophone in hand, standing out in a section where she has grown accustomed to being the only woman.
Mahabeer, a Spelman College junior from New York, is currently the only woman instrumentalist in Morehouse’s House of Funk.
Mahabeer first picked up the saxophone in elementary school after growing up surrounded by music. Her father, Michael Mahabeer, introduced her to artists such as legendary saxophonist John Coltrane, while jazz, reggae, R&B, soul and hip-hop filled her home.
She considered the trumpet, but the saxophone captured her imagination.
“The saxophone looked cooler to me because there’s so many buttons,” Mahabeer said. “I was like, ‘Okay, this is different.’”
She played simple band music in middle school before transitioning to classical pieces in high school. By her junior year, increasingly difficult music came more easily. For the first time, Mahabeer could hear her own progress.
As she approached her first year at Spelman, she considered joining House of Funk. However, she knew she would have to tackle new territory: marching and memorizing.
Then, Elijah Gray, whom Mahabeer considers one of her first “big brothers” from Morehouse, encouraged her to take the chance.
When she joined the House of Funk, Mahabeer did not realize she would soon carve out a place of her own, while continuing a legacy built by Spelman women before her.
Women have been part of Morehouse’s House of Funk for decades, and Mahabeer is continuing that legacy as the band’s only current woman instrumentalist.
Christel Jackson, a Spelman student who became the first woman to serve as a drum major for Morehouse’s marching band, faced scrutiny from within her own college. According to a 2019 “Medium” article, Dr. Roland L. Allison, then chair of Spelman’s Music Department, criticized her attire and performance style.
“You are a Morehouse man. You walk around in this skimpy little uniform. You’re a Morehouse man,” Jackson recalled Allison telling her.
Despite the criticism, Jackson became Morehouse’s lead drum major while maintaining the femininity and performance style that made her stand out.
Decades later, Lila Grant became the second woman to serve as drum major. But Grant’s experience also exposed a divide that existed beyond the music.
In a 2018 HBCU Gameday interview, Grant described the scholarship disparity, saying, “Most of the Morehouse men that are in the band, they get scholarships for doing this, but Spelmanites in the band, we’re just here out of the love of music.”
Now, Mahabeer echoes the same concern.
“Spelman students aren’t allowed to receive scholarships band-wise because it’s not our institution,” Mahabeer said.
She emphasized that current band director Chad Hughes is actively working on the issue.
Hughes fully supports women joining House of Funk, but also understands the sacrifice Spelmanites would have to make to be a member of the marching band.
“I would love to have more Spelman involvement because there’s so much talent over at Spelman,” Hughes said. “We just got to find more ways.”
Although Mahabeer has raised concerns about Spelman students being ineligible for band scholarships, she said the issue has not created a divide among the musicians.
Mahabeer loves spending the long hours with her bandmates and even said, “They treat me like a little sister.”
Bandmates don’t just treat Mahabeer like a “little sister.” They also recognize and respect her leadership both on and off the field.
Saxophone section leader Cole Kennedy, remembers one of Mahabeer’s first days with the band. On a night when only Morehouse students were required to remain at rehearsal, Mahabeer could have left.
Instead, she asked to have a practice room unlocked.
“I remember that was the day I was like, ‘Oh yeah. She’s going to be excellent,’” Kennedy said.
Kennedy described Mahabeer as a “calm presence” and said that her saxophone reflects her personality.
“It’s not necessarily the loudest, but it’s very smooth,” Kennedy said. “You’ll hear it when you need to hear it.”
Drum major Michael T. Banks has watched that calmness evolve into authority. When Kennedy is absent, Banks said, Mahabeer often runs the saxophone section through their music.
“I’ll come in and she’ll already be running them through music, playing it herself,” Banks said. “She’s always taking that extra step.”
Before every rehearsal, Mahabeer blocks out nearly four hours of her evening. Once she enters Ray Charles Performing Arts Center (RayPac), everything else temporarily disappears.
“As soon as I step into RayPac, it’s like a mindset of discipline,” she said. “I’m here now. Let’s focus.”
Though Mahabeer may not be the loudest player on the field, she blares her presence through her leadership and discipline that resonate far beyond the notes pouring from her saxophone.
Women before her danced, marched, and provided leadership. Now, Mahabeer is a trailblazer in her own tune; saxophone in hand, surrounded by Morehouse Men, unmistakably herself.
As the House of Funk prepares for its Homecoming football game this Sunday, October 11th, 2026. Mahabeer will take the field once again, representing something far greater than the performance itself.
And for the next Spelman woman wondering whether there is room for her in that formation, Mahabeer has a message.
“Continue to hold it down for Spelman and bring that representation,” she said. “Don’t fall for the trap of thinking it’s just something for men… Bring your own flavor to it.”
