Michigan Marching Band

This week's band is none other than the big blue "Transcontinental Marching Band" housed in Ann Arbor. I recently had a short chat with one of my friends who's a new student this year at the University of Michigan. Her large, unblinking eyes, the ones that could only belong to a freshman in a college town, were able to give me a fresh view of the band. The dialog read as follows:

MIFreshman (7:29:04 PM): the Michigan Marching Band is AMAAAAZING
MIFreshman (7:29:14 PM): they get the crowd so pumped, b/c when they run out, they're super intense
MIFreshman (7:29:18 PM): and they run in place
MIFreshman (7:29:30 PM): and they do really cool choreography from music videos
MIFreshman (7:29:42 PM): and the drum major is really animated and cool
MIFreshman (7:29:48 PM): like when he does the back bend
MIFreshman (7:29:51 PM): and his strut

From what I can understand, the band is so super awesome that one must use capital letters and pretend that one is taking in a breath after every message to demonstrate excitement. However, all of the hubbub is for good reason.
Now for the actual history of the band. This musical ensemble has been around since 1896. (Note: that's ten years after the "All-Amercian" Marching Band was conceived....) Despite the late start, Michigan holds onto the bragging rights of being to the first Big 10 Band to perform in the ever-coveted Rose Bowl in 1948. Possibly the greatest honor in the collegiate marching band kingdom was bestowed upon the band in 1983: the Louis Sudler National Intercollegiate Marching Band Trophy. The trophy is given to a band with "exceptional merit" each year. Not only did the band receive the trophy, it was also the first to do it due to its "AMAAAAZING" performances. The band continues the tradition of excellence by following the game day culture of marching to the stadium, performing the "M Fanfare" with the culminating point of the drum major touching his head to the ground in a backbend, and, of course, playing one of the best-known fight songs, "Hail to the Victors." For more information on the Michigan Marching Band, click here.
Note: Today is the Boilermaker Special's 50^th birthday.