North Dakota State University Gold Star Marching Band

Gold Star Marching Band
School	NDSU
Location	Fargo, ND
Conference	Missouri Valley Football Conference
Founded	1902
Director	Dr. Sigurd Johnson
Members	~220
Fight song	"On Bison Fight Song (We are the Pride)"
Uniform	Black and green hat with green plume, green jacket with gold buttons, gold sash, green and yellow shoulder cape, green and white breastplate with yellow star overlay, green and yellow gauntlets, black pants, and black shoes
Website

The Gold Star Marching Band or also known as "The Pride of North Dakota"^[1][2] is the marching band of North Dakota State University. It is a non-auditioned band (with the exception of the battery section), open to all majors. With approximately 220 members, the band is one of the largest organizations on campus.

About the GSMB

The GSMB does pregame and halftime performances for the NDSU Bison Football team in the Fargodome. The band usually plays seven shows a year including all home football games and usually one away game, marches the homecoming parade, and does a handful of other performances at NDSU and the Fargo-Moorhead area.

Rehearsal

The GSMB practices Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 4:00-5:45pm, and Saturday morning rehearsals on game days. The band practices indoors in the music building of the Reineke Fine Arts Center. Outdoors, the band practices either on the football practice field, or Dacotah Field, which in 2009 was updated with brand new field turf. Despite starting band camp with warm temperatures, the band sometimes ends up practicing with snow on the field at the end of the season. The GSMB usually does not regularly practice in the Fargodome, only on game day mornings and days when the dome does not have a prior event.

Game Day

Game Day for the band starts with morning rehearsal at the Fargodome. After morning rehearsal the band has a later call time to be in the band room of the music building. At call, all sections are accounted for and uniforms inspected. The band then goes outside to start the march over. The march over is a seven or so block parade-style march from the music building, through the NDSU campus, up to the Fargodome.

Once at the dome, the band performs pregame consisting of a field entrance, On Bison fanfare to different sides of the stadium, On Bison while marching down the field, a patriotic song (Grand Old Flag or Battle Hymn of the Republic), and an adaptation of the North Dakota state song while forming the shape of the star. The band plays the NDSU alma mater The Yellow and The Green and directly after the song the announcer proclaims "We ARE the Pride of North Dakota" the band then forms "NDSU" while playing Fight Song (We are the Pride)^[3] and forms "BISON" facing the student section side of the dome. The band marches towards the team entrance, forms a tunnel for the team to run out, and plays On Bison as the team runs out. When the lights come back on, the band plays the Star-Spangled Banner, and finally the exits the field.

The band sits in the south endzone directly next to the student section(s). The band then performs a show at halftime, and returns to the stands for the conclusion of the game.

Instrumentation

The Gold Star Marching Band (GSMB) currently includes:

• 3 Drum Majors
• Baton Twirlers
• Piccolos
• Clarinets
• Alto Saxophones
• Tenor Saxophones
• Mellophones
• Trumpets
• Trombones
• Baritones
• Sousaphones
• Cymbals
• Snare Drums
• Tenor Drums
• Bass Drums
• Front Ensemble (Pit)
• Color Guard

History

The Gold Star Band owes much of its existence to a personal tragedy. In spring 1903, Clarence Simeon Putnam, a local Fargo doctor, watched his downtown Fargo medical practice burn to the ground – five days after his insurance had lapsed. Essentially out of a job, Putnam landed a position teaching arithmetic at North Dakota Agricultural College. While the next set of events is not entirely clear, a need arose for leadership of NDAC’s ROTC band. Putnam, a cornetist, found himself in charge of 14 members known as the “Cadet Band” on April 14, 1903.

While the band regards the first full year of Doc Putnam’s association with the band (1904) as its “birthday,” student newspaper references indicate a band existed as early as 1901. In fall 1902, Claude Nugent, secretary of the college, and Harry M. Rudd, a local musician, purchased instruments from a local farmer with the intention of creating an NDAC band. Rudd directed the band in some capacity until April 1903 when C.S. Putnam took over.

Putnam’s leadership was quite dynamic and the band thrived under his direction. This peaked in 1923-24 when the band as an ROTC unit earned its third consecutive 100 percent inspecting rating, which entitled it to a presidential citation and a “Gold Star” rating. Putnam incorporated the moniker into the band’s name and the Gold Star Band was born. Following Putnam’s death in1944, the band’s numbers deteriorated until former Gold Star Band member William Euren became director in 1948. Euren restored the band’s pre-war numbers and worked toward expanding its persona beyond its military role.

Euren retired in 1968, and Roger Sorenson became director of bands for two years before leaving in 1970. During his brief tenure, Sorenson engendered a level of lasting loyalty among alumni who performed under his direction. Orville Eidem arrived in 1970 and was director of bands for the next 23 years. Besides the perpetuation of the marching band tradition, Eidem also had a great love of jazz and expanded the scope of NDSU’s program. The band also played a role in lobbying efforts for a new facility. Reineke Fine Arts Center replaced Putnam Hall and the old Festival Hall in 1981.

Several other names have been associated with the band. While C.S. Putnam was away from the band in 1914-17, Harold Bachman and B.A. Orr were directors. Edward D. Schroepfer directed the band following Putnam’s death. Roy Johnson also played a significant role in the band’s musical leadership during the Sorenson years.

Orville Eidem retired in 1993, at which time Wayne F. Dorothy became the new director. Dorothy was previously Assistant Director of Bands under Eidem. Then in 1999, Dorothy retired and was replaced by Warren Olfert as director of bands.

2007 was a year for changes when Dr. Sigurd Johnson was hired as the newly created Athletics Band director leading the marching band and pep band. For the 2008 season, the band received new uniforms, recovered gold drums, and the addition of a front ensemble (pit). The GSMB is currently growing and is evident in the growth of the band from 83 in 2007, to 163 in 2008, to 185 in 2009, and to 220 in 2010.^[4]

Traditions

March Over

The march over is a parade-like march through the NDSU campus. It starts from the music building, up Albrecht Boulevard through campus, and around the front entrance to the Fargodome. Once at the dome, the band splits into three bands and performs for tailgators in the west dome lot, for the president's reception, and for fans in front of the Fargodome. The band joins together and enters the Fargodome from the north ramp of the dome. The march over is known for its various hijinks including chants, random line follow the leader, section swapping of instruments, dances, and stop-sign slapping. In the past there used to be a night march over every year in which the band would wear glow sticks and lights in the twilight of a fall game night.

In Heaven

After a Bison victory in a football, basketball, or volleyball game; the band performs the traditional playing and singing of all 5 verses of "In Heaven there is no Beer".

The Yellow and the Green

Every time the Gold Star Marching Band has a group meal together, the president of the band will ask the band to stand and sing the NDSU alma mater, the Yellow and the Green. Rookies are required to learn the SATB parts quickly, or they will have to sing it by themselves at the ending band banquet.

Band Banquet and Concert

The Band always holds a band banquet towards the end of the year for the graduating/exiting members. Different awards are given out like, Section of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and section awards like the green trumpet (member to member), pink lightning (the formerly pink trombone for the rookie trombone player), and the black trombone (member to member).

The band also performs the Sounds of the Gridiron concert at the end of the season. All of the halftime shows, the pregame, and some of the stands music are all performed.

Pictures

• 

  2010 GSMB performing with the Panther Marching Band at UNI

• 

  2010 GSMB performing at halftime

• 

  2010 Color Guard on Homecoming

• 

  2010 GSMB Drumline on Homecoming

• 

  2009 GSMB performing in the Fargodome

• 

  Drum Major Dan Hinman with the crowd in 2008

• 

  Sousaphones marching in the 2008 Homecoming Parade

• 

  2008 Snares marching in the Homecoming Parade

• 

  2008 GSMB performing in the stands at the Fargodome

• 

  NDSU at 2006 Minnesota football game

• 

  NDSU at UNO football game in the 90s

• 

  GSMB on Dacotah Field with the Fargodome in the Background

References

• http://www.ndsu.edu/finearts/music/ensembles/index.shtml
• http://www.gobison.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=2400&KEY=&SPID=714&SPSID=26023

External links

• Official website of the Gold Star Marching Band

North Dakota State University Fargo, North Dakota Campus Bison Sports Arena Dacotah Field Fargodome Reineke Fine Arts Center Media Thunder Radio The Spectrum Bison Illustrated Bison Radio Network School songs On Bison The Yellow and The Green We are the Pride Gold Star Marching Band Athletics The Bison Baseball Basketball (Men's/Women's) Football Soccer Softball Volleyball Wrestling

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North Dakota State Bison football Venues Dacotah Field (1910–1992) Fargodome (1993–present) Bowls & rivalries Dakota Marker (South Dakota State) Nickel Trophy (North Dakota) Culture & lore Thundar "On Bison" Gold Star Marching Band People Head coaches NFL draftees Seasons 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 National championship seasons in bold

Marching bands of the Missouri Valley Football Conference Big Red Marching Machine (Illinois State) Marching Sycamores (Indiana State) Pride Marching Band (Missouri State) Gold Star Marching Band (North Dakota State) Panther Marching Band (Northern Iowa) The Pride of the Dakotas (South Dakota State) Marching Salukis (Southern Illinois) Marching Leathernecks (Western Illinois) Marching Pride (Youngstown State)