• As most of you know already, Marching Band in college is a LOT different than in high school. However, very few people know what exactly what goes on behind the scenes, so I'm sharing some select days of my first year marching with the Big Sky Winds of the University of Montana with everyone. Hope you enjoy and learn something!

SEASON OPENER, 9/11/99
8:00 AM:  My first thoughts as I get out of bed: ADJUSTMENT. For starters, this is my first time playing a halftime show for a football game, since my alma mater, Rising Sun High School, didn't have a team. This is also my first time actually marching in marching band, having been in the pit at Rising Sun for 5 years. Unsure what to expect, besides that this was not going to be a "normal" marching band day, I stumble around my dorm room getting dressed. Arriving at the music building, I change into my marching uniform and crack jokes with the rest of the drumline, and some friends in the guard. Our drumline is pretty standard for a college band our size (70 total, 2 DMs, 35 horns, 12 percussion (no pit), 11 guard, although later in the season one guard member defected to the drumline), but what makes us different is that a lot of our drummers aren't actually drummers. Our snare and tenor lines are pretty normal. However, our bass line is made up of one veteran, one former pit player (myself), a flautist, and 2 cellists; our lone cymbal player has never marched a step in his life, and still hasn't learned the need to be self-disciplined in marching band. Our guard is also very different from most guards, for the fact that only 4 of the girls have ever done any flag work before in their lives. The rest are vocal or string primaries, which are in the guard to fulfill the marching band requirement in their degrees (at UM music majors have to have one year of marching band, except for music education majors, who need two years).

9:30 AM:   We review the drill for our show. The opener for our Santana show, "Everybody's Everything," goes pretty smoothly, as does our standstill piece with the Dance Team, "Oye Ye Como Va," except for a few of the drumline and tuba sections, who are too busy watching the dance team to play. Our closer "Para Los Rumberlos," is still a bit sloppy, having only learned it the night before. After the usual "do it again ten billion times" that is one of the few traits that all marching bands share, we run through the show twice and adjourn for lunch.

11:00 AM:   I spend most of lunch with my friend Nate, who has made his name for himself at UM as the "Dancing Tuba" in pep band. We spend most of lunchtime bumming food off tailgaters in RV's, most of which have been there before practice the night before. More often than not, the tailgaters are willing to offer food to wandering BSW marchers, and are especially enthused when Griz football is discussed.

12:00 PM:   The band reassembles in front of the music building and runs through stand tunes. Pretty uneventful stuff.

12:30 PM:   SHOWTIME! We assemble in double file, and march down to the field to a drumline cadence. Along the way, tailgaters and local fans greet us with cheers, with some of the "happier" ones dancing with the cadence.

12:50 PM:   The drumline marches onto the field, and then breaks into a cadence that starts our pre-game show ("Firebird Suite," "Mr. Touchdown USA," and the school Fight Song). We then walk off the field, going up and down stairs until we finally reach our seats behind the south end zone.

2:00 PM:   The Grizzlies are whooping up on opponent Cal State Sacramento, a sight rare to my eyes, having grown up with the Cincinnati Bengals as my "local" football team.

3:00 PM:   We now walk up and down stairs again to the football field. The clock runs down to zero, and we line up on the sideline. Our drum majors call us to attention, and we march onto the field in performance.

3:20 PM:   Apples and pop are handed out amongst the band back in the stands. The show went better than expected, minor lapses and all.

5:00 PM:   Washington-Grizzly stadium is anxious as the Griz and Sacramento head into overtime. The band is especially antsy, either because the Griz blew a 21 point lead or simply because the game is not over.

5:35 PM:   The game is finally over, as the Griz finally pull out a 41-38 win. The band waits for the players to finish singing the fight song (which sounds rather like dogs barking), and then plays a couple of stand tunes, then puts their equipment back in the music building.

6:00 PM:   I return tiredly to my dorm, check the marching band scores on IndianaMarching.com's chat, then hang out with my tuba friend Phil and my Tenor bud Ed. We watch a movie and hang out until the wee hours of the morning.

HOMECOMING, 9/25/99
6:45 AM:   My saxaphone bud Angie wakes me the next morning. As a token of gratitude for letting me crash on her living room floor the night before, I start cooking breakfast. One reason why you have more friends from marching in college: because everyone else leaves after class on Friday, so the only people left to hang out with are us poor saps who have to wake up early on Saturday morning.

7:45 AM:   Angie and I head to the music building for rehearsal. I'm not enjoying the rainfall for once, since it is predicted to continue all day.

8:00 AM:   Rehearsal time. We only march for one song, an absolutely terrible cheesy samba version of Bob Dylan's "Blowing In The Wind." The other two songs performed, The Byrds' "Turn Turn Turn" and the school song, are going to be performed with the Alumni Band, therefore we do not march. "Blowing In The Wind" is not coming together, even though we rehearsed the drill all week.

9:45 AM:   We board school busses and head to downtown Missoula for the Homecoming Parade. Ditching my bass drum in a seat in the back, I pass the ride by talking to my cymbal bud Maja, recently defected from the guard. No one seems enthused about marching the parade, especially since the rain starts into a downpour.

10:00 AM:   On the move! We play 2 songs from the previous week's show, "Everybody's Everything" and "Oye Ye Como Va," as well as Royal Crown Revue's (?) "Hey Pachuco."

11:00 AM:   We disband for lunch. Angie and I wait for her mom to come with warm food, but alas, she never shows up. Disgruntled and cold, we walk to my dorm, heat up food on my heater (since I don't have a microwave), and walk back to the music building.

12:00 PM:   Rehearsal of stand tunes again. March to the stands again.

2:30 PM:   Show time. The only person on the field showing any kind of enthusiasm was Maja, and that's most likely due to the fact she is happier in the drumline. The Alumni Band comes out and plays with us, and then we go back to the stands.

5:00 PM:   The Griz gets done beating up on Weber State, 81-22. We put everything away except for our uniforms, which are hung out to dry. Beyond tired, we head to our respective houses/dorm rooms and shower, and Maja, Phil, Angie, and I end up walking around town most of the night.

THE CAT-GRIZ GAME, 11/20/99
4:00 AM(?!?!?!?!?!):   My buds Ellyn, Leslie, Paul and I stagger over to the music building after having decided to stay up the whole night, and having taken Ellyn to the Emergency room at St. Patrick's Hospital (where they know most of the band on a first name basis) for a nagging wrist problem. We load everything on the bus and leave, as the entire band falls asleep.

8:00 AM:   We arrive in Bozeman and run through our Duke Ellington show: a medley of "Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" and "Take the A-Train," "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" (which has been renamed a number of creative titles), and the classic "Caravan." We run through the show a few times and then break for lunch.

10:00 AM:   We sit down in Montana State's band room and eat pizza with their band. To my surprise, there is actually very little talking between bands. Despite the separateness, I soon find myself in conversation with a MSU clarinetist, all the while with Angie giving me the evil eye. Before too long, however, the bands separate and get ready to perform.

11:00 PM:   We march to the stadium, and then find out (not to much surprise) that our athletic department has sold our tickets. We eventually squeezed into the bleachers and watched the game.

2:00 PM:   Show time! For the first time since the start of the season, we attack the show with intensity and enthusiasm we've lacked since then (probably to not be shown up by our sister band). Afterwards, high-fives and hugs are the order, either because the show rocked or the season was over.

4:00 PM:   We retreat to our busses after the Griz pound MSU 49-3. En route, a few Bozeman tailgaters taunt us (I know, you're thinking "Look at the score!!"). Everyone in the band looks at me, thinking I'm going to say something to get us into a fight (visiting marching bands at Cat-Griz games have been known to be forced into fights). I just respond with the phrase "14 years" (how long it's been since MSU has beaten the Griz), and the tailgaters fall silent. We then load the busses and head to Fairmont Hot Springs for the Season-End banquet and a nice stay in the resort.

9:00 AM Sunday:   We wake up, board the busses, and head back to Missoula. After we arrive, we put everything away for the final time, stagger home, and sleep the rest of the day away.