Michigan State University Spartan Marching Band
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| Spartan Marching Band | |
|---|---|
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| School | Michigan State University |
| Location | East Lansing, MI |
| Conference | Big Ten |
| Founded | 1870 |
| Director | John T. Madden |
| Members | 300+ |
| Uniform | White jackets with green trim, green pants with white pinstripes, white hats with green & white plumes |
The Spartan Marching Band (or SMB) is Michigan State University's Marching Band. Founded in 1870 as a 10-member student group, the 300 member SMB has since grown into one of the premier college bands in the nation. The band has played for five U.S. Presidents, performed at four Rose Bowls, two World's Fairs, and one World Series.
The Spartan Band has toured the United States extensively, appearing in concert and on football fields in San Francisco, New York City, Dallas, Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Orlando, St. Louis, Denver, New Orleans, Pasadena, Salt Lake City, El Paso, Tokyo, Tucson, San Diego, and Washington, D.C.[1]
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[edit] Instrumentation
The Spartan Marching Band instrumentation of "all silver brass and sax" is unique to college bands in the United States. There are no flutes or clarinets in the SMB. Instead, E-flat cornets play the high "woodwind-like" parts. The extra brass and elimination of flutes and clarinets allows the full ensemble sound to fill large Big Ten stadiums. In addition to the percussion and color guard, each year the pregame block contains:
- 1 or 2 Drum Major
- 1 or 2 Featured Twirlers
- 32 member color guard
- 32 Alto Saxophones
- 16 Tenor Saxophones
- 48 B Flat Trumpets
- 8 E flat Cornets
- 24 Mellophones
- 32 Trombones
- 16 Baritones
- 16 Sousaphones
- 11 Big Ten Flags
Audio: Brick House
Audio: Pinball Wizard
Audio: The Legend of Zelda
[edit] Auditions
Gaining membership in the SMB is highly competitive. Typically, many more incoming students audition than are eventually accepted. However, once accepted, students do not have to reaudition every year (with the exception of the percussion section). Auditions are arranged through the MSU School of Music[1] and occur in June, with results made known at the beginning of July. Music majors may join the band on any wind instrument (brass or saxophone) without this initial audition. For non-music majors, the audition consists of:
- A prepared piece of music typically 1-2 minutes with contrasting styles
- Scales prepared up to four sharps and flats
- Sight-reading
Once accepted into the Spartan Marching Band, members must complete an additional audition on the first Monday of pre-season rehearsal to determine chair and block placement. For example, if there are 62 trumpet players in the section and only 56 members charted in the pregame block, the 56 best trumpets from the Monday audition become members of the pregame block. The 6 extra members will not be included in the block and are known as "alternates." Alternates still have full band privileges and responsibilities and must still memorize the music and drill in case they are needed. Every week, all alternates audition in front of a graduate assistant. The winning alternate gets an opportunity to challenge the last place member in the block (known as the "hotseat"); if the block member loses the challenge, they are displaced from their position and join the alternate pool.
Each member of the marching band is also allowed one "challenge" per year for the position immediately above them in the block. Students well above the "hotseat" position rarely challenge each other, but challenges in lower chairs are very common to avoid being the "hotseat." Thus, it is possible for an alternate to win the alternate pool audition, beat the "hotseat" member, and win a intrablock challenge to be safely included in the pregame block for the rest of the year.
[edit] Rehearsal
Membership in the Spartan Marching Band requires a tremendous amount of time commitment. Some weeks require over 20 hours of rehearsal and performances. Homecoming week is especially demanding as bandsmen may have multiple parades, performances, and small "gigs" around campus. There are four types of rehearsals:
- During fall semester the band has general rehearsal every Monday through Friday from 4:30 to 6:00pm on Demonstration Field, located between Sparty and Demonstration Hall on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI. Practice is open to the public and grandstand seating is available. Typically, the drumline will practice an additional hour on Monday, Wednesday and Friday before full band rehearsal.
- In addition to general rehearsal, members of the brass and saxophone sections are required to attend an indoor music rehearsal every Monday night from 7-9pm in the University Auditorium. This rehearsal is not open to the public. Other sections (drumline, Color Guard and Big Ten Flags) use this time for their own rehearsals in separate locations.
- The band has Saturday morning rehearsal before every home game on Ralph Young Field, located directly west of Spartan Stadium. Although times vary, practice usually begins 4-5 hours before kickoff and lasts for around an hour. This rehearsal is open to the public and seating is readily available.
- Finally, members are expected to attend sectional rehearsal ("sectionals") at least once per week. Times and days vary by section and typically occur on Tuesday or Wednesday before general rehearsal. This practice is not open to the public.
[edit] Class
Members of the Spartan Marching Band are not paid or given any scholarship money by the university for being a member of the band. Marching Band is a 1 credit "pass/fail" class (MUS 114) that students must pay to enroll in. However, music majors participating in both the marching band and another School of Music ensemble are not required to formally enroll in the SMB. Attendance at every rehearsal is mandatory.
[edit] Organization
[edit] Director
Since 1989, the director of the Spartan Marching Band has been John T. Madden, a graduate of Michigan State University and an SMB alumnus. Madden is also the director of the Spartan Brass, the athletic band for men's and women's basketball and hockey. As Associate Director of Bands, he also directs the MSU Symphony Band (the middle of MSU's three auditioned concert bands), and teaches private conducting lessons for several Wind Conducting graduate students. Furthermore, he teaches a "Marching Band Methods" class each Spring for music education undergrads who might teach high school marching bands in the future.
[edit] Instructors and Graduate Assistants
Working directly under Mr. Madden are graduate assistants and instructors. Instructors are typically paid positions and their duties include looking after the colorguard and percussion sections. In addition, the Spartan Marching Band has a visual and field coordinator - Glen Brough, alumnus and former drum major of the SMB. Graduate assistants are unpaid graduate students from the MSU School of Music who help arrange music for halftime shows, conduct challenges, and assist with auditions.
[edit] Drum Major(s)
Typically, the Spartan Marching Band has one drum major for the ensemble. However, in years when the drum major is a graduating senior there will be two, allowing the new drum major to have one season of apprenticeship. Auditioning for drum major requires attending instructional sessions by the current drum major, culminating in a one-day event with the director making the final selection. The Drum Major is the highest ranking student in the organization, leading the pregame show and performing a backbend, a hallmark of the Spartan Marching band. Video: Watch the pregame fanfare and backbend
[edit] Section Leaders
Section leader(s) are heads of the individual sections in the band. Larger sections, such as the trumpets, will typically have two. Section leaders for the upcoming year are voted on at the end of each football season. Soon after becoming director, John T. Madden in 1991 instituted a leadership training program for the band's student leaders. Section leaders, squad leaders, and drum majors meet in April to learn leadership strategies and the expectations of their respective roles.
[edit] Squad Leaders
Squad leaders are in charge of three other members. This four person block allows great flexibility and complexity during the pregame show. Squad leaders for the upcoming year are also voted on at the end of each season. Starting in the 2005 season, each alternate has been assigned to a specific squad. This makes it easier for the alternate, who can focus on being able to fill in for four people, versus for the entire section.
[edit] Gameday Traditions
[edit] Concert on Adams Field
Before all home games the band performs a free concert on Walter Adams Field (formerly Landon Field) next to the music building. The concert usually begins 1.5-2 hours before kickoff.
[edit] The Series
"The Series" is the name of the percussion cadence ("street beat") used by the SMB for parade marching. It is comprised of seven different cadences strung together (in series) in march tempo. Each cadence has a unique set of maneuvers specific to each section - the tubas, for example, will have horn flashes during one cadence, while the trumpets will perform different horn flashes during another. The Series is extremely intricate and requires hours of practice (in addition to regular pre-season rehearsals) by new members to memorize their section's moves. This is the cadence used as the band marches to Spartan Stadium each game day. Thousands of fans line the Kalamazoo Street bridge to cheer on the band as they march to the stadium. Video: The Series during the "March to the Stadium" before the University of Michigan game on Nov 3, 2001
[edit] The Kickstep
The Kickstep is a very fast field entrance which has become a trademark of the SMB. It was established in 1954, the first year MSU attended the Rose Bowl. Performed at 220 beats per minute, the kickstep is a run-on routine choreographed in eight-count segments with horn, knee, and hand accents on counts two and four. The kickstep is a strenuous physical routine which requires practice and conditioning. Video: "Kick Step" field entry before the University of Michigan game on Nov 3, 2001
[edit] The 7-up
As the Spartan Marching Band plays the fight song during parade marching and the pregame routine, all of the instrumentalists and auxiliary performers execute an eight-count horn swing with an accented upward movement on the 8th count. New members learn this maneuver as a "7-up", counted as such: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - UP!
[edit] Visitor's Fight Song
During every pregame show the SMB performs the opposing team's fight song upfield towards the visitor's section. In Spartan Stadium and wherever the band travels, from Hawaii to arch-rival Michigan, the SMB considers it a point of pride and respect to play the opposition's fight song with the utmost musicality.
[edit] Third Quarter Cheer
Between the third and fourth quarters of home football games, the percussion section performs their "third quarter cheer" in the southeast endzone. The show varies by year and is a favorite among the student section. Video: Third Quarter Cheer
[edit] Drum Off
After a home football game, percussion members of the visiting band are invited to a drum off on Adams Field. This is not really meant as a competition, but rather a showcase of both drumlines' talents.
Video: "Reich" during a drum off
Video: "Martian Mambo" during a drum off
[edit] Other traditions
[edit] Pre-Season Rehearsal
Pre-season rehearsal ("band camp") begins 10 days before the beginning of classes. During this week, members can spend over 60 hours practicing. Percussionists arrive on the Friday 10 days before the start of classes, followed by section leaders, squad leaders, and the drum major(s) on Saturday. New members arrive on Saturday, and "non-leader" veteran members ("vets") arrive last, on Monday. Typically, music and field rehearsal begins at 8:30 A.M. and lasts, with breaks, until 8 P.M. After this whole-band rehearsal, freshman are required to attend Series practice indoors at IM West from 9 P.M. to 11 P.M. Pre-Season rehearsal ends with a light schedule on the Sunday one day before classes start: uniform inspection and full-band and section pictures at noon, followed (after an opportunity to change out of uniform) by a few hours of drill practice, and finally a practice "march to the stadium." In-uniform pictures are scheduled no earlier than this Sunday, because incoming freshmen earn the right to wear the uniform the evening prior, by demonstrating everything they learned during the week in a rite of passage known as "Freshman Dress Rehearsal."
[edit] Memorized Music
The Spartan Marching Band learns a new halftime show for every home game of the season. All members are expected to have their music memorized by Wednesday of the week of the game. Any member, despite rank in the block, may be pulled out of a show for that week for not having music or the marching drill memorized. Full-sized flip-folders are never used. All freshmen and veterans assigned to a new part must play all the MSU bleacher cheers and pregame music for their section leaders from memory by the end of Freshmen Dress Rehearsal, or forfeit their place in the block, becoming an alternate.
[edit] Sparty Watch
Sparty Watch is a band-sponsored event beginning Monday night before the University of Michigan game and ending the evening after the game. Sparty Watch is a 24 hour guard of the Spartan statue to prevent vandalism. The football coach has been known to show up with food for the hungry band members camped out in the cold.
[edit] Huddle
Huddle is a formal dance occurring in February after the season is complete. This is a celebration complete with video presentations and an opportunity to be with graduating friends for, perhaps, the last time.
[edit] High School Band Day
High School Band Day was a long-running tradition in Spartan Stadium where high school bands from across the state were invited to perform during a home game halftime. The first Band Day was held on November 6, 1954. In its heyday, the event gathered more than 3,000 musicians. After nearly forty years, the tradition ended in 2001. Photo: Band Day, 1987
[edit] Band Jacket
Every freshman band member must purchase a band jacket at the beginning of their first pre-season. The privilege of wearing the band jacket must be earned and thus only members, alumni of the band, or honorary recipients are permitted to wear them. Freshman are not allowed to wear their band jackets until after they have marched their first football game. Jackets may only be dry cleaned after a victory over the University of Michigan football team.
[edit] Patches
Patches are given to the band to mark important events that the band has performed at and to designate to which section they belong. These include bowl game patches, special event patches (like for the "Cold War" hockey game played at Spartan Stadium), and large Rose Bowl patches. All bowl game patches must be placed 1 inch apart on the left sleeve. Only two patches are permitted on the sleeve at any given time. The section patch is placed on the right sleeve — all sections but the Trombones have a section patch. Only one section patch is permitted, even if a member switches sections. Rose Bowl patches replace the Spartan Marching Band logo on the front of the band jacket.
[edit] Travel
[edit] Away Games
The full Spartan Marching Band will travel to one or two away games per year. Travel to Notre Dame (odd numbered years) and the University of Michigan (even numbered years) occur regularly. If the full band is not able to attend more than 2 games then a pep band may be sent. Pep bands do not parade march, perform pregame, halftime, or postgame shows. Overnight travel may be included in which case members are put up with "host families" or in hotels at no cost to members.
[edit] Bowl Games
The Spartan Marching Band enjoys a long standing tradition of traveling to bowl games. There is no further audition required for band members, all members are required to participate in the travel (which is not the case in other Big Ten bands). There is no cost to students. Bowl appearances for the Spartan Band include: 1954, 1956, 1966, 1988 Rose Bowl, 2003 Alamo Bowl, 2001 Silicon Valley Football Classic, 2000 Citrus Bowl (Orlando, FL), 1997 Aloha Bowl (Honolulu, HI), 1996 Sun Bowl (El Paso, TX), 1995 Independence Bowl (Schreveport, LA), 1993 St. Jude Liberty Bowl (Memphis, TN), 1990 John Hancock Bowl (El Paso, TX), 1989 Mazda Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, FL), 1985 All-American Bowl (Birmingham, AL), and 1984 Cherry Bowl (Pontiac, MI).
[edit] Facts & Figures
- The 300 member Spartan Band is one of the oldest and most recognized university marching bands in the country.
- The Spartan Band was founded in 1870 as a 10-member student group. All of the original members were civil war veterans.
- The Spartan Band was a military unit connected with the college ROTC for most of its existence. Until 1952, the band members wore military khaki uniforms. When MSU began playing Big 10 Conference football in 1952, the band received its first green and white uniforms. Most of the strict military uniform codes are still adhered to today with squad leaders holding routine inspections before every performance.
- Five U.S. Presidents have been entertained by the Spartan Band: Theodore Roosevelt (1907), Herbert Hoover (1930), Franklin D. Roosevelt (1936), Lyndon Johnson (1965), and Bill Clinton (1996 & 2000).
- The Spartan Band has performed at the 1964 New York World's Fair, the 1984 New Orleans World's Fair, and in Tokyo, Japan for the 1993 Coca-Cola Bowl.
- The Spartan Band performed at the 1984 World Series to cheer the Detroit Tigers to victory.
- The Spartan Band was the 1988 recipient of the Louis Sudler Trophy for collegiate marching bands, administered by the John Philip Sousa Foundation.
- The Spartan Band has toured the United States. The band has appeared in concert and on football fields in such far-flung cities as San Francisco, New York, Dallas, Chicago, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, St. Louis, Denver, New Orleans, Salt Lake City, Tokyo, Tucson, San Diego and Washington, D.C.
- The Spartan Marching Band was selected by ABC Sports to record the 1995 "ABC College Football Theme Music" in June of 1995.
[edit] References
- ^ Official website of the Spartan Marching Band Accessed 7/12/06.
