Band Cheer

The following is a video depicting the unveiling of the "Band Cheer" in room 30 located in Elliot Hall of Music:



AUDIO:

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey band!"
"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey what?!"

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey band!"
"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey what?!"

"Have we got the best damn band in the land?!"

"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.

...: More words will continue to be added.

AWESOME: See explanation for "gung ho."

Hope you enjoyed the compilation of band history!

It's kind of the most wonderful time of the year...

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.

"All-American" Marching Band

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.

Purdue's Drumline Show:

For more information on the drumline, click here.

Purdue on Parade

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!

Senior Show

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.


Any Kansas fans out there?


Need inspiration from the '80s?

Band Travel Update

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!]

Purdue Preview

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!

Detective 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."

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Bonanza - just one of the many western themes going to be performed by the "All-American" Marching Band this Saturday. As stated in a previous post, Purdue will be paying tribute to Coach Joe Tiller by visiting the Old West in the show entitled, "Happy Trails to You, Joe Tiller." Buffalo Bill, Butch Cassidy, Black Bart. Cowboys, gunfights, saloons, alliterated names - what could be better?

In addition to the music, this week's drill focuses on the western theme. The band will start out with traditional drill (circular formations and diagonal lines) when playing the first selection, "How the West was Won." A set sure to be a crowd-pleaser is a quick ripple effect performed by the brass. In the second tune, "Western Drama," the dance teams are featured in the band's rendition of the "Can-Can" while the band marches into a stage formation. Throughout all of the show, "Happy Trails" will be used to transition from song to song. Finally, "Western Medley" features Joe Tiller. The band will form a sheriff star with the coach's initials and eventually spell out his name in the finale. Right before the final song is performed, the band comes to a climax by reenacting an Old West showdown. Two humongous stick figure cowboys will be created on the field by the band - ten-gallon hats, sheriff badges, guns, and all the trimmings any respectable cowboy would have. The storyline behind this drill is Sheriff Joe Tiller vs. our archenemy from Indiana University. The figures will face off on the field to the melodies of "Night on Bald Mountain" and the "William Tell Overture." Will Sheriff Tiller win the fight? Watch the halftime show to find out. To keep you tied over until then, check out this trailer from 1960 advertising "The Magnificent Seven" and enjoy the theme music.

Wild, Wild West

ANNOUNCEMENT: The "All-American" Marching Band will be performing a tribute to non other than the head football coach, Joe Tiller, at the Homecoming halftime show on October 24, 2008. The show will commemorate the coach by featuring his favorite type of music - classics from the Old West. Featured selections will be "Bonanza," "The Magnificent Seven," "How the West Was Won," and "Rawhide" to name a few. There will be more details concerning this show next week.

"Dancing with the Band"

Na nadada nananana Macarena
Da danana danadadadana dada
Hum deedeedum dumdeedada Macarena
Hey- Macarena!

It's that song we all love (or despise) and can dance to in our sleep. But what do the lyrics truly mean? Here's an even better question- what are the lyrics?!
Here's the translation of the above version:

Dale a tu cuerpo alegria Macarena
Que tu cuerpo es pa' darle alegria y cosa buena
Dale a tu cuerpo alegria, Macarena
Heeeeey Macarena
AAAhAA!

[Los Del Rio]

Another translation into English tells us that Macarena is a girl who makes her body happy by dancing. It's no wonder why the AAMB chose to include this song its show "Dancing with the Band" which will premier this Saturday when Purdue plays Penn State. This show only consists of three songs because not only will the football team be traveling to Ross Aide, the band will be too. Sharing the field with Penn State requires that the band only march a seven minute halftime show. The first selection of music is Al Jarreau's "Boogie Down." Like many of the band's songs, it's an upbeat selection meant to get the crowd in a light-hearted mood. At the end of the song, the drill sets up the band into four major blocks. The next song the band performs is a medley of four popular line dances; hence the four band blocks. Bands will be dancing "Shout," the "Y.M.C.A.," the "Macarena," and the "Chicken Dance." Finally, everyone on the field joins together to dance the "Time Warp" from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Following this segment, the drum line breaks into a krupa beat, and the band continues the dancing theme with "Swing, Swing, Swing" from the Motion Picture 1941. This show is full of drum line features, including bringing out five drum sets onto the field while the entire color guard takes up cymbals. There are many more surprises in this short show, but you'll have to wait for halftime to experience it all.


Now for your entertainment, here's a short video involving the "Macarena." The only background information you need to know is that the policemen are not real.

Field Study: Bandus Geekus

[Note: Names have been altered to protect the integrity of the identities of those involved.]

Ramming into me yet again, he lets out an unearthly sound. It's a mix between a soprano opera singer from The Barber of Seville and a dying cow (one that's been tortured). He's old and decrepit. Like the crisp remains of yesterday's toast, he has an unbelievably dark tan. We continue to march drill set #2, then take it back to set #1 to add in the music. This time he rams himself into Danielle. "Move faster!" he orders with his freakishly strange voice, as he barbarically smacks her in the arm with his drill charts and snaps a shot with the camera in his other hand. He's the dinosaur in his seventh year of college. Yes, you guessed it, it's Frank.

[Note: By a stroke of luck I was able to uncover traces of Clipper (see "subject E" below) communicating with Frank through a visual message.]

Frank (subject A) is a prime example of the just one of the many people you come to know and love in marching band. Diversity is widespread, even exclusively looking at my own section. Observe subjects B and C, or Danielle and Genine, who put on their spiffy, marching band uniforms and poof! They magically (and proudly) transform into men (Dan and Gerald). For those new to marching band, most uniforms unify the band by making all members look like men. I, myself, turn into Melvin.

[Fun Fact: Half of the piccolos in the following picture are female.]


We now move onto subjects D and E, two actual males, Buttons and Clipper. Have no fear, their parents didn't place a bet on whose child would get made fun of more in grade school; those names are surnames. Clipper has been in the piccolo section for three years and is a role model of the ages. His music is always memorized and his low and high chair styles are impeccable. Buttons, on the other hand, is marching piccolo for the first time after marching sousaphone all past years. Clipper is an outstanding player and marcher, while Buttons tends to slack a bit but comes through the very last second. Then again, what can you expect from a tuba?

[Note: In my extensive field study, I stumbled across this intriguing find. Perhaps Buttons should take a shot at marching one of these: a pocket piccolo tuba.]


There are many more fascinating subjects in the piccolo section, but we must press onto the final subjects: the section leaders. In their natural habitat of the drill field, we study the behavior of Emmeline and Jerry: two of the most lovable people I know. As heads of the piccolo hierarchy, they have taught marching and music style, scolded those who failed to perform said style, and protected the section from any predators. Commonly seen dancing wildly to the show music, they seem to keep us all in line somehow (yes, even Frank). And the beautiful thing about this all is that the section can trust them 100%. There's a multitude of phyla in the band (and then there's Frank), but one sure conclusion that I've reached is that you'll never be bored when you're part of a marching band.

"Band Day"

As mentioned earlier, I'm a member of Purdue's "All-American" Marching Band and spend my time rehearsing two hours per day in order to get the coming halftime show up to snuff. In order to understand what we practice, most people need a little background or refresher on their marching knowledge. Purdue's regiment kicks off rehearsal with sectionals. This means that sections of instruments gather and warm-up by breathing, playing, and stretching. (In the case of the piccolos, this time is also used for much needed music memorization cramming, but more on that later....) Full band convenes after 20 minutes into a music or marching rehearsal. This week, we've cleaned up pregame and spent most of our time learning drill for halftime.

This week's theme is "Band Day," a very self-explainable title really. Twenty-eight surrounding high school bands will join us on the field for this event. Since twenty-eight bands equals an insanely large amount of people, Purdue is only marching drill for the first song, "Get On Your Feet." To get the crowd into a dancing mood, the band will play a selection from Hairspray entitled, "You Can't Stop the Beat." Seeing as it's "Band Day," all of the high schools will then join Purdue in a giant block for the performances of "Aztec Fire," "Greased Lightnin'," and "You're a Grand Old Flag/America the Beautiful." Naturally, the show ends with a march off the field to the ever-popular "Hail Purdue." The band is looking forward to rehearsing and performing with all of the high school students and directors!

Note: There will be no "Purdue Preview" next week (away game at Notre Dame). Click here to view last week's "Americana" halftime show.