High School Drama

Sequined dresses, flashing horns, amazing music, guard members that looked like dinosaurs - what could be better? Last Saturday I had the opportunity to travel down to Illinois State University for the "43rd Annual State of Illinois Invitational High School Marching Band Competition" (what a mouthful). This is one of the bigger contests that competing high school marching bands go to from late August to the beginning of November. This event in particular hosts over forty bands in Hancock Stadium, ranging from Class 1A to Class 6A. These categories may correspond to either the number of total students enrolled at the high school or the number of bodies on the marching field.

Once the band assembles on the field, it has about 10 minutes to perform the show the kids have been working on since summer began. There are 10 judges in total who grade the band in the following categories:

1. Musical Performance (individual and ensemble) - This judge walks about the field listening to how certain sections and how the band as a whole play blend together. Judges will listen for things like intonation, tone, rhythm, musicality, etc.
2. Visual Performance (individual and ensemble) - Judges will see if everyone is in step and will also view the show from the press box to see how clean the drill is.
3. Musical General Effect - Judges look to see if the music is played with dynamics and with emotion so that the crowd enjoys the show.
4. Visual General Effect - The drill should coordinate with the music to evoke excitement.

The scores of all judges are averaged to form a final score out of 100 points. Smaller classes (1A) will usually receive lower scores based on the fact that the bands simply don't have enough bodies to create as much sound or emotion based on drill as the bigger bands (6A) have. When I was in high school we deemed anything above a 60 as decent but above a 70 a job well done. The bands that really wow the crowds and their peers usually receive scores above 80 (i.e. Marion Catholic, Lincoln Way East). As to my knowledge there has never been a band to score a perfect 100. A show as mindblowing as that would be humanly impossible.

A winning show usually, but not always uses sounds besides instruments and props. For example, one band built a mini stage on which a choir of 15 stood and sang for 2/3 of the show. Bands have used giant posters, tarps, towers - basically anything to catch the attention of the crowd and to make the show memorable. The champion of the Illinois State competition featured a color guard member who ran onto a field in a giant, inflatable hampster ball - quite the crowd pleaser. However, I find that the bands who perform a solid show with no props are the most enjoyable to watch. There's nothing better than a traditional marching band. No props or singers to distract from the woodwinds that can't play certain licks in the piece.

The Practice Field

Question of the ages:

"Why do you do it? Your life would be easier without all those early morning rehearsals. The late night uniform repair. Frozen valves. Broken reeds. Marching rehearsals that just don't end. Rookies that just don't get it."

Occasionally, my logical, purely scientific brother asks me what's so great about band. He constantly criticizes the music the band plays, the forms it makes, and even the uniform style. He can do this because he's never been a part of band or any musical organization for that matter. Band, especially marching band, is one of those activities that you cannot truly understand fully until you've been a part of it. Nevertheless, for those interested in becoming more educated on college bands, I've just come across this site entitled, "The Practice Field." It's a website dedicated to Big 10 bands learning about their fellow bands. The information is provided by members of the band and any information you feel needs to be added can be reviewed using the "submit" form. This is a good site to get a broad overview. However, some bands have not been updated for quite some time (i.e. Purdue's last update was in 2003). In addition to the information on bands, there is also a forum where band members can talk with other band members. I'm sure the administrators would not be opposed to fans joining in on the conversation as "anything is allowed." This website is a great place for cross-country friendships to be formed between band members and even between those left-brained engineering types. In any case, why should anyone put up with marching band?

Here's your answer:

"Why put up with it all? You wouldn't be the same without those Inside jokes. The not intentionally dirty, but actually quite dirty director comments. Friendships that thrive even after you've seen each other every day for a month straight. Free t-shirts. Free football games. And if your lucky, the free bowl trips don't hurt.

You love band, don't you... Don't try and hide it."
[The Practice Field]

It's the truth.

Golden Gophers

This band, known as "The Pride of Minnesota," was formed in 1892 with 29 members, all of which were male. It was only during the WWII years when women from the concert band started "filling in" for the men. From that point on, women have been an important part of the band, even forming their own division until 1972 when they were officially incorporated into the band. Women continue to make progress in this organization. As recently as 2006, the first female drum major in the history of this band was chosen.

Currently, there are no required auditions in order to become a member except for the 30-piece drumline. All other instruments tryout for spots for pregame, where only 250 positions are available, the Monday before a game. However, no one is a bench warmer as everyone gets to march the halftime show. The University puts on an impressive pregame show with the impressive rotation of the Block "M." The following video features this and other pregame traditions:

For more information on the gopher band, check out their official website for more information. For an insider's view of the band, check out the ever-interesting trombone site where you can learn about bone traditions like the “Tmabone Musical Institute” Cake, the "Ski-U-Mah" plume cheer, and "Bone Jit-Su."

[the original University Cadet Band]

Banned Badgers

This past weekend the University of Wisconsin marching band was thrust into the spotlight, not for their amazing performance at the first Big 10 football game against none other than Ohio State, but for serious accusations of hazing within the band. On October 3, 2008, the band was suspended indefinitely by the director, Mike Leckrone. However, this is not the first time allegations similar to this one have been reported. In 2006, inappropriate behavior was recounted by students on a trip to Michigan. Since then, the director has taken many steps to improve band conduct by holding seminars on alcohol and sexual abuse. Yet it still seems that this culture is a custom and tradition for some sections. Leckrone says he will not give up and is determined to see the band culture change. For more information, check out this "BadgerBeat" article or this article from NBC.


Last year at about this time, this author was actually trying to decide between attending the University of Wisconsin versus coming to Purdue. It now seems I made the right decision. Right now, I'm part of one of the greatest bands in Purdue history. I could have just as easily been suspended at this point if I had decided on Wisconsin. It's times like these when you take enormous amounts of pride in your own university and what you do there (or rather, what you don't do).

Cleaning Tips

For those of us currently in marching band, keeping our uniforms clean can be a hassle. While the bulk of the uniform (pants and coats) may be dry-cleaned, the extra accessories are usually taken care of by the individual student. Here are some tips I've learned over the years when it come to taking care of a uniform.

First, the shoes. Depending on what type of finish the shoe has, you can either use all-purpose cleaner and may want to invest in some shoe polish. For example, in high school, we marched in MTXs which had a matted finish. For these shoes I preferred using "Kiwi Leather Cuir," not because I like endorsing the brand but because I could buy it on a trip to Wal-Mart. In college, we march in Dinkles. Currently I have no special way to get these super clean other than using some "409" and wiping them down with a paper towel.

Going along with the footwear theme, we come to the spats. Again, "409" works well on a majority of the surface of the spat. However, there is fabric trim on the tops and bottoms. To get these clean you can purchase a handy "Tide-to-Go" pen or any product of that cleaning family. If you're feeling ambitious, you can also hand wash spats in cold water and hang them to dry.

After taking care of your feet, you can move onto the hands. In high school, my band marched with black gloves, and there was no motivation to do any sort of cleaning. At Purdue, white glove are used. To take care of these, throwing them in any load of laundry will work. If you don't want any amount of shrinkage, hand washing them in cold water with a little bit of detergent works just as well.


Still moving up the body, we come to the hat and plume. The hat, like many other parts of the uniform can be cleaned with an all-purpose cleaner and wiped down with a paper towel if the material is water resistant. So far I haven't come across any fabric hats, but for those of you out there who may own one, I recommend the "Tide-to-Go" pen for any small stains. The plumes, on the other hand, can be a bit finicky. The best method I've seen so far is to mix cold water and something like "Woolite" in a small container or bucket and soak the plume. It's best to hang the plume up to dry, but if you're short on time, a blow dryer works just as well. Hopefully these tips help you look your best on the field.

University of Illinois

How many times have you asked yourself, "What the heck is a mellophone?" The answer to that is probably never or if ever, you may have been in an intoxicated state. Well today's the day when the question can be fully answered with a little help from our friends, the Fighting Illini. Check out the mellophone section's site to discover the difference between a mellophone, a Frumpet, and a marching french horn.

As anyone can see, these Illini are serious when it comes to marching band. The band performed their first halftime show in 1907 and have come a long way since then receiving the Sudler trophy in 1983. Like many Big 10 bands, the Marching Illini have traditions for every gameday such as pregame. After run-on, the band performs "Revised Entrance #3" to the school song, "Illinois Loyalty," and the fight song, "Oskee Wow Wow." "Illinois Loyalty" is one of the oldest school songs in existence with the exception of the University of Michigan's "Victors." In 1911, "Oskee Wow Wow" was composed by two students because the original school song didn't raise any school spirit whatsoever. [Interesting tidbit: The first recording of the fight song was made in 1925 on a Victrola record. Click here to listen.] The band also marches its U of I logos across the field before playing a number of patriotic songs according to the Marching Illini Official Site. Below is a video of part of Illini pregame:

"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.