This is part two in my love of marching band series. Last week I talked about my early years of involvement in the activity. This post will pick up with my college experience.
JMU
I mentioned in the previous post that I did not have good grades. I also said that my trumpet playing was subpar. Thankfully I had a good private instructor. He moved me from trumpet to baritone and helped me make an audition tape for James Madison University (JMU). I was accepted by the skin of my teeth. But I didn’t care. I was going to be able to take my dreams to other kids!
JMU marching band was culture shock for me. Pretty much everyone was marching for fun! I wanted attention to the slightest detail and perfection. The majority of the band wanted to know when we were having the next party.
Things came to a head in my third year. I was passed over as a section leader and it ticked me off. I was a music education major from a national championship band. Sam (not his name) was neither of those things. The director, Dr. Rooney, told me that he had chosen Sam because he believed he would connect better with the section.
I was a quiet guy who didn’t party. Sam was the life of the party. So Dr. Rooney was probably correct.
Who’s the best?
I decided that this would be my last year marching. I’d keep my head down and be the best at moving and playing. Arrogant sounding, but I was very intense. Especially in my beloved marching arts.
Dr. Rooney announced that there would be a series of drill-downs. This series would culminate in a final drill-down which would establish who was the best marcher. At this point I need to digress and explain drill-downs.
Brief history
Marching band has its roots in the military. Concert band literature is rooted in the military tradition as well. Our hero, John Philip Sousa, was the director of the Marine Corps Band.
Think of a block of young men and women in basic training. Their drill sergeant is calling out commands. “Atten-hut”. “Left face”. “About face” etc.
Marching bands used to do the same thing. We called this part of our training ‘basics block’. Directors and leaders of bands needed to know how to call commands in order to move the band around correctly and students needed to know how to respond to every command.
A marching band drill down is a combination of military commands and simon says. If you do what the leader says, you stay in. If you don’t, then you’re out.
Back to the competition
I decided that there would be no better way to show Dr. Rooney that he made a mistake. I would win the drill down.
JMU had and has a massive marching band. Drill downs are ridiculous. You’re surrounded by a few hundred people who are frequently going the wrong direction. You can get distracted.
And… as the group whittles down to the last twenty or so people, it gets loud. Those that are ‘out’ begin yelling and cheering for those that remain ‘in’ on the field.
There was a building at the top of the hill in front of the practice field. This building had a light over it’s back door. It was a few hundred yards away. I focused on that light bulb every time I faced that direction. I’d watch the light, breathe, and hear the sound of the commands. I was in the zone.
I ended up winning several rounds as well as the overall drill down award. Dr. Rooney called me to the front of the group, presented me with a staff shirt and said he was going to, “bronze my feet”.
Finishing college
I finished my last year of marching with a few years of college remaining. Music majors were required to be in a major music ensemble. The director of the marching band was also the director of the other major ensemble that I wanted to participate in. He didn’t understand why I wasn’t doing marching band and I wasn’t good at conflict. (Still not good.)
Things came to a head early on. I returned in the fall and had an audition for Dr. Rooney’s ensemble.
During the audition, he asked, “How come you’re not doing marching band this year?” I lied and said, “I’m just not into it any more.” He flew off the handle and said, “This is your profession, man!…. I thought you were going to be another LJ Hancock, but I guess I was wrong!”
That was a gut punch. LJ was my high school director and I admired him. Truth be told, I wanted to be like him and I think Dr. Rooney knew that. That’s probably why he took that swing. I had lied when I said I wasn’t into marching band. I was desperate to get my own band!
Things were a little rocky between us for a while, but we eventually found our footing. I put my last few years in and then looked toward being a band director.
Final notes
College marching band is not like high school marching band. The emphasis is on fun and entertainment. And, it should be! There aren’t any college marching band competitions. (I’m not talking about battle of the bands type of competitions.). College bands change their shows up every few weeks and things can’t be perfected.
It’s important to mention that I made great friends through my college marching experience. And, I had a lot of fun. The experience opened my eyes to different ways of doing marching band and loosened me up a bit.
In retrospect, the college experience also helped me to see how great my high school band was. Our director, staff and students were incredibly focused. We were a rare group. Almost impossible to reproduce. I was blessed to be in the Norwin Band program.
Moving on
I have several posts about my initial experience as a band director. This post about my first two years of directing is a good place to go next. Spoiler alert, I didn’t have immediate success.