Marching Band

[bludev03]

What about Florida A&M?

The Marching 100 (FAMU) is overrated and not the best. The Legion (Norfolk State), The Human Jukebox (Southern), and Grambling are all better than the Marching 100. The Marching Machine (A&T) was one of the best, but the new chancellor and downgraded them a bit, but they are on the rise again.
The Force (Hampton), Bison Express (Howard), The Sound Machine (NCCU), and the Trojan Explosion (Virginia State) are good, but they dont have the numbers and aren't as big as the top, elite bands...

[bludev03]

Black schools have different style of bands that doesn't fit/is not suitable for DUMB, but I'm sure you fully understand this and you're just trolling.

Sounds great, go watch the game there.

I. Yes, they are all about show and entertainment. The running joke is that at black schools, the bands work and practice harder than the football teams...
Part of the excitement is their ability to work the crowds, get everybody hyped, play the newest, hottest music, the dancing, plus the trash talking and competition between the bands...

II. Well, the basketball isn't that great, but it's a social event at the basketball games. You may see a fashion show at halftime. ...You have the frats and sororities party walking around the gym...The cheerleaders going back and forth at each other...The trash talking between the fans...The DJ at the game...The fashion people are rockin...
It's a fun/party atmosphere. If you haven't experienced it, you gotta do it! It's very entertaining and exciting...

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Thanks D in BD - I was in DUMB in the late 60s and I thought we were actually quite decent. We were creative and could actually march and play at the same time. One of my favorites was a game at Annapolis where we formed a sailing ship and played "Anchors aweigh". The middies all stood and cheered - at which point the ship went nose down and sank to become a wavy sea.

That is interesting because in the late 60s we had very traditional marching band uniforms - right down to plumed Shakos. In those days, the basketball pep band wore striped seersucker blazers and skimmers. We also always came running on court right through the vistors' warm-up drills.

That is also interesting because in the 1960s we had a storeroom in Card (I was equipment manager during my senior year and spent a fair amount of time in that room). I don't know why or how you were exiled.
Jim

Some of the changes no doubt followed being moved from the music department to the athletic department where there was no one to champion their cause. I've learned in recent years that the most common organization pattern for many college and universities likely does place the marching band in the athletic department.

I loved the marching bands old uniforms and the clever halftime shows. I'd say the Duke band of that era was more clever than either the UVA band or the SMU band, both known for their clever irreverent routines and antics.

This football season if you want to sit near the band (and the rest of the students for that matter), ask for seats in Section 24. The students and band will be in sections 20-23. I think it's time to show some support and encouragement to a group of students whose efforts tend to be unappreciated. Jeff Au is working to increase the numbers of members who stick with the program. At some point, they're going to need new uniforms, not an inexpensive line item in the budget. I hope there are other fans of the band who will step up at that time and contribute to the purchase of new uniforms.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

I would hope that the senior management of a world-class research university would have more important matters to deal with than the quality of the school's marching band.

I agree with what you've said but would expand on it.

Management in an organization has a number of key responsibilities. One is oversight of programs and general operations. A truly great organization espouses excellence across the board in its endeavors. When the stewardship of resources falls below minimum or generally accepted standards,for example storing band instruments in a tunnel, then management is not providing appropriate oversight.

I also see management having an important role in facilitating the healthy functioning of whatever programs are conducted by the organization. Not allowing the band director to gave access to students to recruit those who might be interested in the band makes no sense in any context. Not allowing band camp to prepare for their performances, when this is a common practice for bands at high schools and colleges, is also shortsighted.

Lastly, as important as research is to any outstanding university, the university itself exists primarily because of the students. As disappointing and embarrassing as people have described the band program, I look beyond that to what the experience does to or for the students. Students who are willing to participate in an activity such as band deserve a better experience than some of the band members have described in this thread.

[barjwr]

In reading the posts so far, I haven't seen reference to another issue that severely compromised the quality of DUMB when I was there (1994-97): there were essentially NO music majors that participated. We barely had any music majors in the Wind Symphony, let alone DUMB. Therefore, the musicianship suffered. And as has been mentioned before, Neil was serving several masters, including DUMB, the middle school, his graduate degree, and his wife's failing health.

I would also admit that we were much more self-serving then as well (a pour on the grave of the Gross Bus and "In the Halls"); the ideas for the shows (except for the annual HS band day when we all played military marches) came from us, and we were basically trying to amuse ourselves more than anything (e.g. the Pulp Fiction show, the Michael Jackson HIStory show).

Granted, there was incentive to entertain ourselves, as there wasn't much happening on the field (save the 1994-95 miracle season) to keep our attention. I think our scatter-drill FG kicking percentage was better than that of the team (Heather Sue included), with one notable block by juiced-up trombone players (not one of them passed the urine test).

[Highlander]

I think our scatter-drill FG kicking percentage was better than that of the team (Heather Sue included), with one notable block by juiced-up trombone players (not one of them passed the urine test).

As one of the trombones involved in that play, I can confirm that we would've passed the urine test. The trumpets were (and are) just sore that we sniffed out their pitiful fake kick attempt and left cheesehead with grass stains on his uniform for the rest of pregame.

Thanks for bringing a smile to my face...

[DU82]

This football season if you want to sit near the band (and the rest of the students for that matter), ask for seats in Section 24. The students and band will be in sections 20-23. I think it's time to show some support and encouragement to a group of students whose efforts tend to be unappreciated. Jeff Au is working to increase the numbers of members who stick with the program. At some point, they're going to need new uniforms, not an inexpensive line item in the budget. I hope there are other fans of the band who will step up at that time and contribute to the purchase of new uniforms.

Who can we thank for moving the band and students back to the HOME side of the stadium, where they belong?

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Who can we thank for moving the band and students back to the HOME side of the stadium, where they belong?

Coach Cutcliffe asked that the students and band be moved back to the home side.