As 2008 comes to a close, I will not be posting as often (because marching band has ended and new 2009 tasks will consume my time). For those select few who have followed this blog (yes you, I know you're out there!), thank you for taking time to read this. Feel free to leave me a comment (don't worry, they can be from "Anonymous") about anything - whether you liked the site, media, etc. I'd love to hear from you. Now for a special treat before the year's over. Seeing as videos from the "Purdue All-American Archive" are now off-limits to non-students, I thought I'd search for my favorite show on YouTube. I was lucky enough to find it. Here is the show, "Dancing with the Band." The first video is the full show, while the second is just the swing number with a percussion focus.
Again, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!
Color guard: the only time when the average Joe, or, more likely, Josephina, can play with large metal poles, rifles, and sabres without being considered a danger to society.
No marching band is complete with out its guard. The guard usually consists of a flagline (silks) and rifle and sabre sections. The guard is able to use color, props, and choreography to appeal visually to their audiences. In high school competitions, the guard is judged based on movement, equipment, ensemble analysis, and overall general effect. Usually, there is a caption award for "best color guard." This score is used in addition to the bands' score to determine the placements of the bands.
While most people are aware of the general information given above, the history of how color guards started is less well-known. History shows that the tradition was military. While the band played patriotic songs, an accompanying group would follow with banners depicting the army's colors. The military influence can be seen today through the equipment: banners, sabres, rifles, and flags.
Today, there is much more to auxiliary groups. In the winter season, the indoor percussion season begins. This consists of the drumline performing a full floor show with a guard group. If you would like more information on this type of organization, click here. In addition to being a part of a marching band or bugle core, the guard has its own organization. Once the band season ends, winter guard begins. Winter guard consists of the same style of performance as would be seen with a marching band or indoor percussion group, except there is no band or drumline. The guard performs to a recording of music, incorporating dance technique, equipment, and coordination skill. Below are a few videos I came across when looking up different winter guards. You'll notice that the last one is for a group called, "Insolita." I had to privilege of attending the group's performance at the 2007 BOA Summer Symposium. It blew my mind to see what they could do with flags, fire, dance, and percussion. A similar group that tours is "Blast."
INSOLITA If you would like more information on winter guard, check out the organization Winter Guard International.
"Hell yes, damn right, you bet, no sweat, gung ho, cha-cha-cha, unhh, samba, bicycle, cervesa, scooby-dooby-doo, and all that jazz, roses, yup, bufori, el baño, smax, howaya, peaches, reerr, butter, ciao, bush, chingay, sudler, alamo, FISS, coach, jing...AWESOME! THANK YOU."
Here's a special Purdue post for you all - an explanation of the historical "All-American" Marching Band "Band Cheer." This has been used since the 1950s and a new word is added for every major event the band takes part in. The cheer is performed on gameday before the Slaytor Concert and before the Fountain Concert.
Hell Yes: This was taken from a cheerleader cheer at the football games. The cheerleaders would say, "Are we gonna beat (insert rival name)?" The students would yell, "Hell yes!"
Damn Right: The band took the cheerleader's cheer and added this phrase just for kicks.
You Bet: The director tried to "clean up" the cheer, but this phrase never replaced "Hell yes, damn right."
No Sweat: Intense summer sweating stops in the fall. It's also referred to as the "November phenomenon."
Gung Ho: The AAMB is just that.
Cha-cha-cha:I'm not too sure what the reasoning is behind the words other than it has to do with the AAMB's running performance at Radio City Music Hall in 1963 (Fun Fact: Purdue was the first college band to perform there). Apparently, there was a latin number.
Unhh: The reasoning is similar to "cha-cha-cha." It has something to do with the Radio City performance.
Samba: This was the single word the band said during the Radio City Music Hall show in 1963.
Bicycle: During rehearsal, a college student tried to ride his bike through the band. I'm told that, "The guy came out the other side...the bicycle never did." (Fun Fact: It is illegal to cut through a band while they are parade marching.)
Cervesa: On a South America band trip to Venezuela, the head drummer sold the drum major to a prostitute for a round of beers. (Fun Fact: Please never try this ever again.)
Scooby-dooby-doo: This was part of the Radio City Music Hall show in 1966.
And all that jazz: See "scooby-dooby-doo" explanation.
Roses: The Rose Bowl was the band's first bowl trip.
Yup: In the past after long rehearsals, the band would be asked, "Have we got the best damn band in the land?" Their response was short and sweet.
Bufori: The band chose this word after travels to the 1970 World Expo held in Japan. It means crab in Japanese.
El baño: During the band's travels to Mexico in 1972, more than a few students came to know "Montezuma's Revenge" quite well.
Smax: During the Holland trip in 1974, Professor Maxine LeFever got smacked across the face after taking a picture of a cathouse.
Howaya: The band decided to adopted the New Yorker's greeting during its time there at the Radio City Music Hall in 1974.
Peaches: This was added in honor of the Atlanta Peach Bowl in 1978.
Reerr: The band interpreted this as the sound of bagpipes at the Canadian National Expo in 1979.
Butter: This word represents the Houston-Astro Bluebonnet Butter Bowl in 1979.
Ciao: This stands for the trip to the Caribbean in 1981.
Bush: The band was invited to play in Bush's inaugural parade in Washington D.C. in 1989.
Chingay: This phrase represents the band's travels to Singapore in 1992 where it performed in the Singapore Chingay Procession.
Sudler: The band received this coveted prize in 1995. (Fun Fact: Purdue was the first college without a school of music to receive the trophy.)
Alamo: The band was able to travel with the football team to the Alamo Bowl in 1997.
FISS: This stands for the "Feria Internacional de San Sebastian." The band traveled to Spain to perform at this festival.
Coach: When Bill "Coach" Kisinger retired ater 37 years of service as director, he was honored with having his name added to the long list.
Jing: In the summer of 2008, the band performed at the "Meet in Bejing Art and Music Festival" before the Olympics commenced.
Today brings the official end to the marching season. After performing the Christmas Parade, students attended their final rehearsal today to fill out paperwork consisting of student leader and staff evaluations, recommendations for leaders next year, and petitions for leaders. Uniform check-in will happen on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. On a personal note, being in the "All-American" Marching Band was more than I could have asked for. It was surprisingly 20 times better than high school band - something I never thought would happen when I joined what is, in actuality, a pep band. For those of you who are not currently part of the music program at your own college or community, I highly recommend giving it a shot. You never know what you might experience.
On a brighter note, there is one more performance left for specific sections of the band. "Tuba Christmas" will be held this Friday at 7:00pm in Stewart Center. Join the baritones and sousas in a unique display of holiday cheer. Immediately following is the Purdue Jazz Band Concert at 8:00pm. If you happen to be in town, check out the excellent musicians of Purdue University.
I sent a message recently to one of my friends from high school who marched in a DCI drum corp. I asked him to give me a blurb on what it was like - if he liked it or hated it, how challenging it was, if there were any good band stories, etc. I asked him just to describe the experience in general. What I received back was the following:
"Life-changing."
When I was part of my high school marching band (a pretty mediocre one at that), I had a million words to say about it. If after only two years of marching with the same corp this was all he had to say, then there's no way this phrase can be taken lightly or dismissed as cliché.
DCI is short for Drum Corps International. In essence, it's as close as you can get to professional marching band. I first stumbled across this organization the summer before my freshman year when four friends and myself went to a local show. The only way I can describe it was like I was the little 11-year-old Harry Potter discovering Hogwarts and asking, "Oh my tea and crumpets! Whatever could this 'Quidditch' be?" (to be said in a dainty English accent). It was a completely new and completely complete world of its own. With quite a large fan base, there were multiple merchandise stands selling shirts, mugs, jewelry, and pins for the "Cavies" and "Bluecoats." Needless to say, I was blown away by how in depth the marching world was considering I had absolutely no experience in the subject.
DCI consists of three divisions with Division I (World Class) being the most followed (there is also Open Class [div.II/III] and International Class [corps from countries other than the US). Members of the corps are between the ages 13 and 21, and all must go through auditions for whichever corp they are interested in performing with. For a list of DCI drum corps, click Mhere. Auditions for groups are usually held in the fall and winter through camp sessions. By spring, the members are selected, and the competition season kicks off in June. The season culminates with the DCI championships, which, beginning in 2009, will be held at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. If you can't make it out to view the action live, ESPN2 usually broadcasts the competition. However, I encourage everyone to get out to see a DCI show at some point in your life. The high level of musicality, drill-execution, and overall performance will blow you away.
For more information, check out the Drum Corp International website. The "Drum Corps Planet" site is another valuable resource for DCI information.
That's one small step for man; one giant leap for...a baritone player?
It's the truth. Neil Armstrong was the first bandsmen to be rocketed into space and to set foot on the moon. He played baritone in the Purdue band program while attending the university. Purdue's long-standing tradition doesn't begin or end with him however.
Purdue's "All-American" Marching Band, 1995 Sudler recipient, began its history in 1886 as an ROTC band consisting of five members. For the most part, the band remained a military band until Paul Spotts Emerick joined the band program in 1904. In 1905, he was elected director by his fellow bandsmen and remained in the position until 1954 when he retired. Emerick was the first to introduce the block P in 1907 (the first time a band broke military ranks on the field to form a letter). This tradition continues today but with a much larger band of 340 members. However, this is not the only tradition the band has continued to perform. In 1919, the band started the tradition of carrying the Big Ten flags every gameday and in 1920 was the first band to play the opposing school's fight song during pregame. Both traditions are alive today along with the tradition of every member of the band turning their hats backwards after a Big Ten victory. In addition to football game performances, the band has also upheld the tradition of playing at the Indianapolis 500 every spring.
The band is not solely composed of musicians. Auxiliary members include a flagline (Golden Silks), a pom squad (Goldusters), and a twirling line, which includes four feature twirlers (Silver Twins, Girl in Black, and Golden Girl). The unique position of "Golden Girl" began in 1954 when Purdue was home to quarterback, Len Dawson, nicknamed "Golden Boy." Under director Al G. Wright, the solo twirler position came to be known as the "Golden Girl" in order to match the quarterback's status. Ever since then, the title has been passed down each year to the lucky twirler who earns it through spring auditions.
Purdue bandsmen take part not only in full band traditions, but also in section traditions. For example, the piccolos and trombones always take part in the "Picc-a-bone Party" at the end of band camp - nothing too complex, just a party where piccolos and trombones intermingle. Similarly, at the end of band camp, the trumpet takes part in "Trumpet Pizza" - senior trumpets buy pizza for the entire section. The following video is proof of the special trumpet tradition: For more information and for more "special" videos of trumpet traditions, check out their section site.
There's much more to the Purdue marching band, like the Big Bass Drum and the "Band Cheer," but those will be discussed in later postings. If you'd like to get ahead of the game, take a look at the band's official site here.
The football season is officially over, but the band continues to marching. Check out the "All-American" Marching Band this Sunday in Lafayette, Indiana. The band will be performing in the Lafayette Christmas Parade which kicks off at 1:30pm and will be the last band before Santa. Music selections is the holiday jazz tune, "Jingle Jams" and of course, "Hail Purdue." The band will be in full uniform with additional Christmas ornamentation. The usual parade marching will also be altered slightly to get into the holiday spirit. Hope to see you at the parade!
[If that promotional video didn't inspire you, don't feel bad. It's not your fault...boiler up!]
Putting aside the "unfounded regional hatred," as my drum major likes to call it, this band has recently proven their worth in the marching band world by receiving the Sudler Trophy in 2007. Indiana's Marching Hundred has been a long-time symbol for the university. It was first established in 1896 with 22 members. Currently, the band has over 240 members. Musicians are chosen only partly through audition. If you happen to be a brass player, you lucked out because all brass are accepted into the band. Woodwinds on the other hand go through playing tests and a short interview. If there is interest in joining this band, check out the official website.
Since 1896, a few traditions have taken hold, including pregame. The following video exhibits each major section of the IU pregame:
In addition to pregame, traditions like "The Walk and PowerPlay!," the playing of "Sing, Sing, Sing!," and section competitions during band camp have all become a part of this band. The first in that line-up occurs before the game when a small group of trumpets plays "The Rock Fanfare" to the football team and the student and Bloomington resident they happen to choose for that day. The trumpets rejoin the rest of the Marching Hundred and play pregame songs until reaching Memorial Stadium where they set up concert arcs before the game. The Hoosier rendition of "Sing, Sing, Sing!" has become a tune to look forward to because every year, a brand new drum solo is created. Finally, one of the traditions that many band members look forward to is the section competition at the end of camp. This event consists of a three minute performance by a two sections put together that are pitted against all other section pairs. The competition process continues until the winner is selected. The winning section gets the coveted prize of eating first at the band banquet.
If you're interested in the tradition of music at IU, check out the music link found at the sousaphone section's site which will lead you to sheet music.
For detailed information on the drumline, take a look at this site.
Known for their "Script Ohio," the Ohio State University Marching Band is on of the most well-known bands in the Big 10 Conference. However, after watching the video, I couldn't help but think of Dr. Seuss and the Whoville horns. If someone would like to enlighten me as to what instrument that is (0:44), please feel free to leave a comment. In any case, this band has existed since 1896 when it was formed to play at sporting and military events. It continuously expanded slowly to become the 225 member band it is today. This is an all-brass and percussion band with no woodwinds. Like Michigan State's band, I'm still slightly impressed at how the band can still achieve such a warm sound with no woodwinds. This can be heard through this recording of "Carmen."
A band with that kind of sound has thousands of fans without a doubt. The most dedicated take part in the long-standing "Skull Session." This tradition began in 1932 when the director decided to schedule one last rehearsal for the bandsmen to think and play through the show before game day. The practice started to become so popular that tickets were distributed to the musicians so that their parents would be assured seating. Today, the "Skull Session" is now a pep rally with more than 10,000 attendees. Directly following the pep rally is the band's traditional "Ramp Entrance." After marching to Ohio Stadium, the drumline section leader sets a tempo of 180 and yells, "Drums on the side!" This signals the beginning of pregame. The drumline takes the field first while repeatedly chanting, "O-H-I-O, Ohio." After all ranks have taken the field, the band plays "Buckeye Battle Cry," and the drum major performs the traditional back bend. A final tradition is the playing of "Hang On Sloopy." The song was first played by the band in 1965 when, after playing it in the stands, the crowd demanded more. A fun fact about this song is that it was used on more than one occasion to test the structural stability of the stadium. In fact, in 1988, the band was asked to refrain from playing the tune until officials could make sure the pressbox was stable enough to endure the song's power. To learn more about this tradition and others, check the official band site. If it's the history of the band you want, check this out.
Working hard to get my fill, Everybody wants a thrill. Build me up, Buttercup. Don't break my heart. Does your conscience bother you? Tell the truth. We've got to hold on to what we've got. It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not. Lay your weary head to rest. Don't you cry no more. That's the way I like it.
No, fortunately that is not a new hit single. The lyrics are however this year's final "All-American" Marching Band show music. For the first time in Purdue history, the senior class has gotten a chance to literally design all aspects of the show - from music to drill. For the past to weeks the band's senior show committee has been working hard to piece this final show together. The band will feature "Carry On Wayward Son," "Get Down Tonight/That's the Way (I Like It)," a medley of "Sweet Home Alabama," "Build Me Up Buttercup," and "Living on a Prayer," and "Don't Stop Believing." All songs come with their own drill sets with the exception of "Get Down Tonight." The band will start off with traditional drill for "Carry On Wayward Son" and will feature the trumpets and trombones in the center of the field. In the medley, the band will make formations corresponding with each song. "Sweet Home Alabama" drill consists of a house complete with windows and a doorknob. The very appropriate buttercup flower will be used for "Build Me Up Buttercup," while a cassette tape will be used for "Living on a Prayer." The finale of "Don't Stop Believing" features all styles of marching (glide step, low chair, and high chair) and proves to be a high-energy culmination for the 2008 season. Directly following the show, the seniors will make their way to the front of the field to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne" in order to hit the Big Bass Drum, symbolizing their final performance with the band.
Band geeks are commonly the butt of many a joke, which is why we decide at one point or another to join the fun and make fun of ourselves. Here is a compilation of a few of the better ones [F.Y.I. These are clean jokes.]
Q: Why is a dead snake in the road more tragic than a dead trombonist in the road? A: There are skid marks in front of the snake.
Q: What do you call someone who hangs around with musicians? A: A drummer.
Q: How do you get a guitar player to play softer? A: Give him some sheet music.
Q: How can you tell if a plane is full of flute players? A: When the engines stop, the whining continues.
Q: How many trumpets does it take to change a light bulb? A: Only one; he holds it and the world revolves around him.
Q: A conductor and a violist are standing in the middle of the road. which one do you run over first, and why? A: The conductor. Business before pleasure.
Q: How do you get two piccolo players to play in unison? A: Shoot one.
Q: Why don't baritone players play hide and seek? A: No one will look for them.
Q: What's the purpose of the bell on a bass clarinet? A: Storing the ashes from the rest of the instrument.
Q: What do you call a beautiful woman on a trombonist's arm? A: A tattoo.
Q: How do you get a drummer to play an accelerando? A: Ask him to play in 4/4 at a steady 120 bpm.
Q: What is the main reason for air pollution? A: So much of it has passed through sousaphones.
Q: What's the difference between a clarinet and an onion? A: No one cries when you chop a clarinet into little pieces.
Q: What would a musician do if he won a million dollars? A: Continue to play gigs until the money ran out.
Q: What do a saxophone and a baseball bat have in common? A: People cheer when you hit them with a bat.
Q: What's the difference between trumpet players and government bonds? A: Government bonds eventually mature and earn money.
If you've ever been a member of the band, you probably know someone like "Dan."
Q: What is the definition of perfect pitch in a piccolo? A: When you throw it in the toilet and it doesn't hit the rim.
Q: Why can't a gorilla play trumpet? A: He's too sensitive.
Q: How many trumpet players does it take to screw in a lightbulb? A: Zero. They just complain about the darkness until a trombone player does it for them.
Q: Why is the French horn a divine instrument? A: Because a man blows in it, but only God knows what comes out of it.
Ah, those blissfully ignorant of what color guard is...
Where can you find a cross between Louis Armstrong, Justin Timberlake, Ozzy Ozbourne, Artie Shaw, and Charlie the Unicorn? Why, marching band of course! Marching band members are a breed of their own. Band kids are so unique that even my own band director told us, "Never permeate the species," when it came to dating drummers. Naturally, a number of stories would result with such a mix of people.
Quite obviously, band camp stories are eminent. From a massive water-gun fight to "Ghetto" day, there was never a dull moment. With my band, it was always a tradition to have senior wills around a bonfire the last night of band camp. Here are a few of the testimonies:
"I used to hate marching band...now I don't hate it as much."
"I don't know you, but I love you!"
[tenor speaking to his fellow snare] "I really used to hate you - like last year. I had a really sh- [glances at director] poopy car, and then you crashed into it. Now, we're really good friends."
[Note: be aware that not all testimonies are coherent.]
"If I had stuck with basketball, could I have been the greatest?"
I recall the days when a friend and I decided porta-potties were disgusting, so we went 15 straight hours without a bathroom break. I remember discussing the awkward males who, after marching with a DCI corp all summer, decided it was okay to go shirtless. Later in the season I was subject to seeing sousaphones attempt to catch footballs in their instruments only to utterly fail, dent the horn in the process, and have the director severely scold them. Speaking of directors, there was one night when mine was so completely ecstatic over the run-through we had just preformed that he ripped the railing off of his metal podium and threw it into the night sky almost wiping out the entire pit section completely. There were the bus rides full of Egyptian Ratscrew games, Spanish dialogue and singing, breakouts of Disney song, and playing the wholesome game of "Would you blank my blank?" (ex. Would you shine my trumpet?).The author of this blog was able to find a few stories of her own including a kid who asked a friend to lock him in a tuba locker overnight. If you have any band confessions or stories, feel free to leave a comment. We could all use a laugh every once and a while.
[For those who don't know who Charlie is or why he would go to Candy Mountain.]
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 5th Quarter," "Sky Rockets," and the "Tuba March." "The 5th 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.]
The "All-American" Marching Band will be performing twice on Friday as well as at the Michigan State football game on Saturday. Performances include the College Football Hall of Fame at 12pm and at Okemos High School at 7pm. Check out these concerts if you're in Michigan!
[A big thank you to all of the Okemos families that will be hosting our band!]
After much deliberation, the "All-American" Marching Band has decided to bring the "Detective Show" performed last weekend to Michigan State. Originally, the band was going to perform "Dancing with the Band" (the show featuring "Boogie Down," "Dance Medley," 1941's "Swing, Swing, Swing," and drum sets taking the field). While at first a disappointing change of plans, there was good reason behind the decision. The following is a summary of an e-mail update explaining the show switch sent out to the marching band:
1. MSU is having its "Senior Day" this Saturday and the show must be cut to five minutes long. The slaughtered version of "Dancing with the Band" would only be a ghost of the exciting show that was performed at the Penn State game. Much of "Detective Show" can still be kept, except for the omission of "Live and Let Die." 2. A semi-truck would have needed to be rented to transport the drum sets. If it were to rain, the drum sets could not be taken onto the field. The money needed to rent the truck would have put a large and unnecessary dent in the budget (with a 60% chance of rain on Saturday). 3. "Detective Show" could be perfected since it is fresh in the minds of the band and be performed at a phenomenal level. 4. The band would have more time during rehearsal to perfect the revised pregame.
While much of the band, including myself, was intent on seeing the swing show come to life at Michigan State, "Detective Show" seems to overwhelmingly be the better option at this point. In order to fit within the time constraints, the band will omit "Live and Let Die," as previously stated, scratch the first half of the medley and go directly into "Detective Vamp." The ending of the show will remain the same except for the final drill. The band will come off of the field while playing the last strains of the medley instead of the traditional "Hail Purdue." Despite the last minute changes, this weekend will still prove to be a great one for the Purdue band program. Come out and support the Boilers and the "All-American" Marching Band at Michigan State this weekend. Let's bring home another win - Boiler up!
Like many other Big 10 bands, this group is the largest student organization on campus. The band is composed of 240 musicians with one drum major, a Golden Girl twirler, and the Iowa Dance Team. To find out more about this band in a formal format, check out the university's official website. If you're looking for an informal approach to getting to know this band, I recommend the section sites. For example the saxophones provide us with a wonderful version of the fight song - disco version. Check it out here under "Media" then "Sounds." After looking at a woodwind section, it's only fair to give the brass their time to shine. Watch a video of the trumpet cheer here. When looking at the band as a whole, numerous traditions are present, like the pregame show:
In addition to the pregame tradition of "The Boom" which begins pregame, other musical selections have become an integral part of the program. "Hey Jude" and the "Hawkeye Victory Polka" are two main pieces, the latter being the most notable. Another name for it is perhaps more common - "In Heaven There Is No Beer." Originally, beginning in 1960, this song was a stands tune. However, it was banned in 2001 when the president of the university deemed the lyrics to promote alcohol abuse. After much protest by the band and their fans, the song was brought back and is now played only for special events and after a Hawkeye victory. The song is still kept on the down-low, as no sheet music is printed and new members are not taught the notes. Students now learn the tune by ear.
Traditional section bonding is also evident. The annual "Sousy Bowl" is a game of contact football played between the sousaphone sections of the University of Iowa and Iowa State University of the Big 12. "Saxamatone Kickball" is another bonding tradition between the sax and baritone sections. No others may participate except for the drum major and Golden Girl who can choose to be on either team.
I came across this story a few days ago. Watch this video to see a short segment about high school junior, Josh Johnson, breaking out of the status quo.
It's always refreshing to see people, especially teenagers, step out of their cliques. As much as we make fun of stereotypes, band geeks aren't nerd and jocks aren't as dumb as a pile of rocks. Personally, I discovered this my freshman year of high school. My next door neighbor happened to play the tenor drums and was drumline section leader that year. He marched with a DCI corps over the summer and needless to say, he was the epitome of what we all termed to be "hardcore." When the football season rolled around, he marched with us out to the field, played the cadence, then stripped his uniform. Underneath was a uniform of another kind - a cheerleader outfit. I have to admit, I was in awe that first game. The guy who was one of the most intense drummers around was also a cheerleader. It just goes to show you, no one is as black and white as we would sometimes like them to be.
[For any "High School Musical" fans out there who are still riding the wave of the third movie, I bet this was a reason why you loved the movies.]
Marching bands around the nation are all unique organizations, yet music is the single thing that binds them all together. This bond isn't just limited to what these musicians play on the field because, believe it or not, they are ordinary people too. In honor of Halloween, I've look up marching band's relationship to the holiday. The answer is quite simple: Michael Jackson's "Thriller." Whether you love the song or hate it, you have probably heard it a good number of times and know part of the dance. It also seems to be a favorite of many a marching band. The following videos are of select college marching bands who all decided to incorporate the song into their shows. You decide who gave the best performance.
The Blue Band drum major flip definitely is one of the best marching band traditions I've seen. It was started in 1971 was one drum major was uncomfortable about tossing his mace into the air. Instead of flipping his baton, he flipped himself. He continued doing back flips when the crowd absolutely loved the routine. When a new drum major filled the position for two years, he was ruthlessly booed by the fans for not performing the flip. Ever since then, the flip has become a Penn State tradition for all those involved with the football team. Over time the flip evolved - first becoming a running forward flip and then increasing the difficulty by adding the splits after the flip. The drum major flip is not the only Blue Band tradition. The term "Blue" in the name came into being in 1924. When the band was first started in 1899 with six members, the band owned khaki uniforms. In 1923, blue uniforms were bought for the band. In 1924, a group of band members in the new blue uniforms formed a block "S" with khaki-wearing members surrounding them. From that day on, the band became known as the "Blue Band."
The 2005 Sudler-receiving band consists of 310 members [260 winds,34 silks, 14 Touch of Blue (majorettes), 1 Blue Sapphire (feature twirler), 1 drum major]. One major highlight in the band's career was being the first band to perform at a major fashion show - the Marc Jacob's in New York during Fashion Week 2005. Among other events, the band has performed at 33 bowl games, including the Rose Bowl. To find out more about the Penn State Blue Band, check out their official website.
In addition to the information that can be found on their site, the band made a documentary which will air in November on public television called, "Making the Blue Band." You can find the official website and trailer for the documentary here. The following is the first promo for the show:
Rainy New York Streets, men in tan trench coats, fuzzy pink cats - the AAMB is putting on their Detective halftime show. When I found out about this theme, I was sitting in my office (or dorm room, if you will) when there it appeared - Max had sent me a daily schedule for marching band practice. "City of Angels," "Live and Let Die," "Detective Medley" - musical selections all so...suspicious. I quickly read the note, knowing it would self-destruct in 15 seconds (or rather, I was late for class and deleted the e-mail in a hurry). Glancing behind me as I locked the door, I noticed no one followed (my roommate must have been at class or so I suspected). Quickly I hurried down the dark stairwell (the curtains were closed) to the secretive side door (or so I'd like to think) leading to the not-so-secretive parking lot. Trudging across the damp street (curse the Indiana rain!) to the black pavement which I like to call the practice field, I risked a fleeting look at the director atop the podium. "Band, we're learning the 'Detective Show' this week!"
The band started learning drill that day and hasn't stopped since. Although the band only has five days to put this show together, it proves to be just as good if not better than the Joe Tiller tribute. The band starts out with traditional drill for the first tune, featuring some complicated-looking drill, and halts for "Live and Let Die." The medley, starting with the theme from "Dragnet," is a bit more complicated consisting of a formation of the Pink Panther's head when the band performs none other than the "Pink Panther" theme with "snake drill" following and corresponding with a drum break. After the drum solos and insane trumpet fanfare, "Peter Gun" is played - watch the piccolos who have inserted a few surprising visuals. The band will end with a wave formation which transforms into a cruise ship for the final song, "Hawaii Five-O."
As 2008 comes to a close, I will not be posting as often (because marching band has ended and new 2009 tasks will consume my time). For those select few who have followed this blog (yes you, I know you're out there!), thank you for taking time to read this. Feel free to leave me a comment (don't worry, they can be from "Anonymous") about anything - whether you liked the site, media, etc. I'd love to hear from you. Now for a special treat before the year's over. Seeing as videos from the "Purdue All-American Archive" are now off-limits to non-students, I thought I'd search for my favorite show on YouTube. I was lucky enough to find it. Here is the show, "Dancing with the Band." The first video is the full show, while the second is just the swing number with a percussion focus.
