Badger Band

One of the more interesting videos of Wisconsin marching band director, Mike Leckrone:

Born the fall of 1885 as the "Wisconsin Regimental Band," Wisconsin's band has grown from eleven members to 325 members. Here are what some bandsmen have to say about their experience:

"Marching Band has been one of the greatest experiences I've had in college. The challenges it has presented have been the toughest, yet most gratifying in my life. The memories and friendships I have gained are irreplaceable."

Luke Hoffman
West Salem, WI
Economics

"Band has been by far my best experience at UW Madison. It has provided me with great experiences, wonderful friendships, and lasting memories. The pride you feel when stepping onto the field at Camp Randall is like none other. The practices are intense, and it takes a high level of commitment, but the pride you gain from being a member of this band is more than worth it."

Ericka Binkley
Monroe, WI
Business Management and Marketing

It's no wonder why the feedback is so positive when the band performs dozens of traditions at every performance. A few are "The 5^th Quarter," "Sky Rockets," and the "Tuba March." "The 5^th Quarter" is the band's post-game show consisting of 50 minutes of musical entertainment. Unlike the situation at other stadiums, you'll find that thousands of fans stay to enjoy the performance. The band plays a traditional listing of songs, like "Beer Barrel Polka," "Dance Little Bird (Chicken Dance)", "Tequila," "Space Badgers," and many more selections. "Sky Rockets" is a tradition that used to be used by college students when greeting professors. It's now used by the band to address someone or to announce a song or cheer. The "classic" example, provided by the marching band's official website, goes as follows: "SSSSS ... BOOM ... AHHHH .... WHISTLE! Hey Seattle, is that the Space Needle or are you just happy to see us?" The last mentioned tradition happens on game-days when, at the start of the fourth quarter, the tuba section lines up and marches around the stadium playing songs such as "Semper Fidelis" and "On Wisconsin." This tradition, which started in 1950, has been banned and reinstated due to the support of the students and alumni.

To learn more about the band, check out this fellow blogger from MuMuPi (National Fraternity of Marching Saxophones). As the blog is fairly new, you can find even more information on the old site. If it's music you're looking for, check out "Varsity," the alma mater. More music links are found on the official website listed above.

[While on the subject on alma maters, I must say that I was greatly impressed by the performance of "Shadows" by Michigan State's band. With no marching winds except for saxophones, they were still able to achieve a certain warmth to their sound...very impressive if you ever get a chance to hear them live.]