USC Trojan Band Rose Bowl 1980 Halftime Show

Bring Back The Bands

It is that time of year again:College Football Bowl Season.This should be a glorious time for College Football Fans.In this day and age,where big-time College Football is covered 24/7 by The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network among others,this should be a chance to truly celebrate the greatness of College Football,but something happened on the way to the party.
Last year a terrible thing happened.ESPN took over the entire bowl landscape.With them controlling all of the TV purse strings they now control College Football.Have you ever wondered why so few experts on ESPN call for there to be a playoff? How is it, that the most awesomely competitive sport, is the only one in ALL of college athletics that does not have a playoff? The very nature of sports,is to have a champion decided by teams actually playing each other.So who could possibly benefit from College Football not having a playoff? I constantly come up with only one answer:The NFL.That`s right!The Multi-Billion Dollar, Revenue Generating Behemoth,The NFL.
Now follow this through with me.The Bowls could be incorporated into a playoff system where the revenue would far exceed what they get now, especially the games that have an elimination factor toward determining     an eventual champion.Now this would only consist of the upper tier Bowls.So the lesser Bowls would be free to match attractive teams,that do not make the tournament,much like it is now.So it isn`t the current Bowls blocking the playoff.Besides,they don`t have that kind of clout.
Now a College Football Playoff would be the biggest thing EVER!For the life of me,the only group of people that I can imagine,that could possibly be opposed to a College Football Playoff,are the NFL owners.And that is the only group with the leverage to keep ESPN from promoting a playoff.
Even though College Football has always had this ridiculous "mythical" champion,based on(popularity) polls,you could always count on the color,pageantry,tradition and enormity of The Rose Bowl pitting two worthy opponents from The Big !0 and The PAC.Then last year the final outrage.The Rose Bowl for the first time in my lifetime,was not on a major network!My family bought our first color television in December,1965,so that my parents could watch my brother march in The Spartan Marching Band,on January 1,1966,"In Living Color",on NBC.
Now at the time,NBC rarely showed College Football,so they made quite an event out of their coverage of The Rose Bowl and The Tournament of Roses,epitomized by showing both bands almost in their entirety at halftime!This is what helped make The Rose Bowl the best!The bands at halftime are such an integral part of the great tradition of The Rose Bowl,that ABC continued to show the vast majority of halftime when they took over.Now with the relegation of The Rose Bowl off network television,the bands have been relegated to a mere ninety seconds of coverage!This is an outrage!One of the significant differences between Pro Football  and College Football is the marching bands.Gee,what possible motivation would ESPN have to make sure that College Football never outshines The NFL? Tweet,e-mail,comment on blogs and post on message boards:BRING BACK THE MARCHING BANDS1

A New Era

The University of Arizona has hired a big name football coach,Rich Rodriguez.It appears that The U of A plans on elevating their program to compete in The Pac-12 Conference.RichRod plans on competing for National Championships.This would be the perfect time to step up the band program. In 1978,when U of A and ASU joined The Pac-10,it was customary for The Arizona Schools to have the home band play halftime and the visitor to play pregame like high school bands do.That is when The Arizona Schools changed their ways to join the ranks of "real" College Football and have both bands play at pregame and halftime. With the arrival of a new coach and a new era of Wildcat Football,it is time to have a "real" College Marching Band.Even in the remote Pullman,Washington,their marching band plays a fresh show at every home game.It is a good thing too,because they just hired a new big time coach who would have been very disappointed after his stay at Texas Tech.RichRod`s last two coaching jobs had two of the best bands in the country,and he`s in for a major disappointment when he sees The Pride of Arizona.It is sad to think that Tucson can`t compete with Lubbock,Texas or Morgantown,West Virginia`s band programs.

U of A Band Day 2011

University of Arizona Band Day 2011

On Saturday,November 12,2011 thirty-five High School Bands competed at The University of Arizona`s annual Band Day,at Arizona Stadium.This event is also The Pride of Arizona`s top showcase event of the year.The POA performed their entire 2011 show after the morning session as well as after the afternoon session.These two performances were the highlight of the day,and truly The POA`s finest moment.Ten weeks into the College Football Season,The POA performs all three,four minute segments of their 2011 show,in its entirety.The twelve minute Jethro Tull Show was spectacular. In this era of High School Bands perfecting one corps-style show each year and performing at several competitions throughout the marching season,The POA is a spectacular example of how this is done.Unfortunately,this is not acceptable for a major college marching band.Unlike the High School Bands who are competing for judges` scores,The POA`s job is to entertain the audience in Tucson`s largest venue,support the team and create an overall spirited collegiate atmosphere that turns a game into an event.To play one twelve minute show each year is shameful! Two Tucson bands won The Nunamaker Award of Distinction:Rincon/University High School and Catalina Foothills High School.These two bands were truly outstanding.RU`s Show "War" featured:Post War Dream by Pink Floyd,War Pigs by Black Sabbath and 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky.Musically,this was my favorite show of the contest.Visually,CFHS was spectacular.Their show was, "Synesthesia-The Color of Sound," consisting of:Slavonic Dance #2,Armenian Dances and Polovtsian Dances.Congratulations to both of these bands.

Flowing Wells Invitational 2011

Congratulations to these bands: Rincon/University, Catalina Foothills, Sandra Day O`Connor. These bands received "Superior" ratings in Division 1 at The Flowing Wells Invitational. Rio Rico also received a "Superior" in Division 3.

Madison Scouts 2011 - New York Morning (Semifinals)

Announcements

Saturday,October 22nd,starting at Noon,is The Flowing Wells Invitational Marching Band Competition at Flowing Wells High School. The Academy Drum & Bugle Corps of Tempe is starting auditions for their 2012 season.Anyone interested should go to their website:arizonaacademy.org. Any students(and your parents)wanting to know about becoming a part of Drum Corps International`s 2012 Season(next summer)should go to:DCI.org/auditions or DCI.org/parents Any parents with 16-21 year olds who enjoy performing in marching band,should definitely check out the world`s greatest youth activity.

USC Trojan Marching Band | Homecoming 2010 | TUSK x 800

USC Trojan Marching Band | 1973 USC vs. Notre Dame Halftime ft. "Franken...

Time for a New Band Director

With the firing of Mike Stoops,the time is right to change the direction of The University of Arizona Marching Band.A band director who can take the band into big time college football.This means forging a relationship with the new coach,creating a traditional pregame routine that encourages fans to be in their seats before kickoff,including the playing of The Star Spangled Banner.The band needs to provide every competitive edge possible during the game,and playing a different halftime show at every home game.Then the band needs to play a post game show. The band needs to be the focal point of all the spirit on campus.If the funds are not available for the band to go on road trips,then the band has to raise the funds to at least send a pep band. If The University of Arizona is serious about being competitive in The Pacific-12 Conference,they need to step up to the big stage and provide the proper atmosphere,in order to attract a topflight coach and recruits.

USC Trojan Marching Band | Club Medley ft. Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO

The Road Trip of a Lifetime

I had the phenomenal opportunity to be a volunteer driver for The Academy Drum & Bugle Corps,for the entire length of their national tour.The corps provided the vehicle,food,housing and passes to every show they participated in.All I had to do was drive one of their four auxiliary vehicles.The trip was approximately 7000 miles,and included shows in:Odessa,San Antonio and Dallas,Texas,Oklahoma City,Little Rock,Arkansas,Gadsden,Alabama,Atlanta,Georgia,Sevierville,Tennessee,Charleston,West Virginia,Rome,New York,Allentown and Erie,Pennsylvania and Indianapolis,Indiana.We also went through nineteen different states. If you are not familiar with The Drum & Bugle Corps Activity,it is a summer youth activity for 16-21 year olds.World Class Corps have a maximum of 150 members consisting of horns,percussion and color guard.Drum Corps International is the governing body,and they stage something like 90 contests throughout the country,during the two and a half months of summer,culminating in a three day finals.The performance level of the top groups is astonishing! The amount of teamwork necessary to successfully put a corps on tour is mind boggling,but therein lies the beauty of the activity.The main thing that every participant takes from the corps experience is that there is no limit to what people can accomplish when they all pull together.What a great life lesson. The Academy did not exactly achieve its goal of finishing in the top twelve,but they performed at a level beyond what the staff and students thought they were capable of. The foundation is in place and the corps has established a distinctive brand,that is putting Arizona on The Drum & Bugle Corps Map. This is a Tucson marching music blog,so like it or not,the pinnacle of marching music in this community is The University of Arizona Marching Band,but if you want to march in a group committed to excellence,The Academy Drum & Bugle Corps from Tempe is the ticket.So if you want the experience of a lifetime next summer check into The Academy's website,and watch for audition information,it will open up an incredible world for you,and give you a chance to travel with 200 of the coolest people,and an opportunity to push yourself to a performance level you never imagined possible.

Life on tour with a drum corps

On July 20th I embarked on a major adventure driving for The Academy on their national tour.Tomorrow they play in prelims,in Indianapolis.The goal is to crack into the top twelve,and make finals.This month I have observed up close what it takes for a corps to strive toward this goal.It has only enhanced my appreciation for the awesome nature of this activity.The Drum & Bugle Corps activity is the most spectacular youth activity available.The quality of people involved and the life lessons are phenomenal.I fully encourage any parents with kids in high school band programs to check into the activity.A good place to start is dci.org

2011 - The Academy - Opener (Rehearsal)

Drum Corps International :: Marching Music's Major League™

Drum Corps International :: Marching Music's Major League™

Arizona Drum Corps

This was a great week for Arizona marching music fans.In cinemas nationwide on Monday,Drum Corps International presented a contest consisting of the top eight finishers from last year`s World Championships,taped the night before,at Round Rock,Texas.El Con and Park Place malls were two of the locations showing the event.This is the first time DCI has brought this many elite corps together to kick off the season.Usually the corps start with a thirty day regional tour climaxing with a major event where they finally see several other elite groups.This year these top corps are going to meet five times in addition to the usual premiere regional events.They are calling these shows the Tour of Champions. After Round Rock four of the top eight went west to Albuquerque and then on to Phoenix(Mesa).Wednesday,June 22,The Cadets from Allentown,PA.,The Blue Devils from Concord,CA.,The Phantom Regiment from Rockford Il. and The Santa Clara Vanguard from Santa Clara,CA.,were joined by The Revolution from San Antonio,TX.and The Blue Knights from Denver,CO. at a sold out Dobson High School in Mesa,Arizona,to compete in a show hosted by The Academy from Tempe,AZ. The only time there has been a show of this magnitude in Arizona,was when the World Championship was held in Pasadena,CA.,and the final tuneup was at Sun Devil Stadium featuring half of the top corps.Although,even that year,The Cadets,The Blue Devils and The Vanguard were at the Stanford tuneup.The Vanguard visit the Phoenix area almost on a yearly basis and have developed quite a fan base.The Blue Devils rarely come to Phoenix.In the last ten years,Phantom Regiment and The Cadets have been to Arizona the same number of times as The BD. The first corps to perform was The Revolution,competing in the Open Class Division(for smaller corps).They are still in the embryonic stage similar to The Academy six or seven years ago. It didn`t take The Blue Knights long to provide the thunder of a World Class Corps.Their show featuring English Folk Music was like a day at a Renaissance Festival.A powerful low brass and crisp show design should take this corps to one of its most successful seasons. Phantom Regiment provided the first goose bumps of the evening.Dressed in all-white uniforms,they lined the perimeter of the field.Their show entitled,"Juliet" featured a rich,powerful,symphonic sound that is a Phantom trademark.The hornline delivers a crecsendo during the classic love theme that is spine-tingling! The Santa Clara Vanguard closed the first half of the show.It is hard to explain this corps to someone who has never seen them.This group has never taken the easy way,they are like a fine cognac,an acquired taste.Their show entitled,"The Devil`s Staircase," in typical Vanguard fashion,they appear to be in over their heads. Their drill and brass program is so demanding that their hornline lacks the power of the elite corps.They will be in the rearview mirror of the top corps most of the summer,but they will creep up on those corps,and chances are that they will be a factor on August 13th,when the World Championship is awarded.This summer The Vanguard are playing music by three composers that have never been performed by anyone in the activity.This organization is not loved by everyone,but they are respected by everyone. After intermission The Drum Corps Heavyweights went back to back,The Cadets and Blue Devils have more titles than Prince William.The Cadets took the field after the break with their show,"Angels and Demons." This was the corps version of civil war.The Demons wore maroon and The Angels of course were in white.It was an exercise in contrasts,chaos versus order,a lot of attack and response.As usual this group provided a lot of eye-candy accented by a hornline that really brings it. The BD have dominated the activity the last two years,going undefeated in both 2009 and 2010.They have done it with unprecedented,cutting-edge,innovation,combined with their usual commitment to excellence.Of course they applied their trademark high brass sizzle to the music of Burt Bacharach.It is amazing how these top corps reinvent themselves every year.An accessible,pop-rock show by The BD is the ultimate antithesis of the avant-garde shows of the last two years. At this point in the evening the crowd had already witnessed an historically great show by Phoenix standards.The Academy now had the daunting task of following the two greatest corps in the history of the activity.They took the field in their very impressive,new,all-black uniforms and a brass section that let the crowd know immediately that it wasn`t just a fashion statement. They turned the event into a true ten-year birthday celebration.This year The Academy has by far their best hornline and are a serious threat to break into the top twelve. Ten years ago four people around a kitchen table had a dream,now they are about to battle the big boys at the World Championships.Every person who has passed through their ranks should be very proud.They are a testimonial to what can be accomplished by a group of dedicated young people when they pull together.Congratulations to The Academy,you are truly a monument of civic pride. Now,why not Tucson?

Drum Corps Event

Drum Corps At The Movies;2011 DCI Tour Premiere will be shown on Monday, June 20th at 6:30pm at Park Place and El Con Mall Cinemas.It will feature the top eight corps from last summer`s championship finals.It will be recorded on 6/19/2011,from Round Rock,Texas,and shown nationwide the following night. The eight corps involved are:Blue Stars,Santa Clara Vanguard,Phantom Regiment,The Cadets,Carolina Crown,Bluecoats,The Cavaliers and Blue Devils. This is the first time DCI has used this type of format for one of their cinema events.It sounds like a winner if you are a corps freak.If you want to recruit new fans I highly recommend a live event,such as 6/22/2011 at Dobson High School,in Mesa.The full details on that event can be found by clicking,"Older Post."

Another Believer

A common theme to this blog is the essential nature of marching band to college football.When my sister read me this passage out of her Michigan Alumnus/Spring,2011 edition,I had to reprint it here to show that I`m not the only one.

A Band Fan

When Brady Hoke runs out of the tunnel onto the field of Michigan Stadium this fall as head coach,he will break a personal tradition he established during his previous tenure at U-M."It will literally be the first time because I`ve never run out of that tunnel.I always came out early because I wanted to see the band come out of the tunnel.I was down on the field."He admits he`s going to miss that tradition."I`m serious.There`s nothing like it;there`s nothing like it.And then when that team comes out,and the crowd,how it goes from a buzz to a roar-unbelievable."

That`s the part of college football that ESPN doesn`t show the home audience.

College Football 2011: Ohio State and the 25 Best Damn Bands in the Land | Bleacher Report

College Football 2011: Ohio State and the 25 Best Damn Bands in the Land | Bleacher Report

Killer Drum Corps Event

On Wednesday,June 22nd,at 7:00pm,at Dobson High School,1501 W.Guadalupe Rd.in Mesa,there is going to be an awesome drum corps show.The Defending World Champion Blue Devils will make a rare Arizona appearance.The Cadets from Allentown,Pa.,The Phantom Regiment from Rockford,Il.,and The Santa Clara Vanguard are the other three corps with multiple DCI Championships to their credit,that will perform.Actually,these four corps account for more than 80% of all DCI Titles.These corps will be joined by The Blue Knights from Denver,Co.,The Revolution from San Antonio,Tx.,and Arizona`s only big time corps,The Academy from Tempe. This promises to be an outstanding show.There is no substitute for being there in person,where you can actually feel the sound!

What It Is All About

Last night Arizona dismantled the mighty Duke Blue Devils to advance to The Elite Eight of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.The spring version of marching band,the basketball pep band,was right there with the team in Anaheim.Bear Down has rarely sounded so fine!Every member of that band has just experienced one of those moments that will stay with them the rest of their lives!Of course,we don`t know how much further the team will take them.Three games down and three to go,but rest assured that even if it all ends on Saturday,today`s feeling is priceless! The journey for the band started with a long weekend at The Staples Center in Los Angeles,for The Pac-10 Tournament,where the team fell one point and one second short. Then off to Tulsa,Oklahoma for two dramatic last second victories.Then to Anaheim for The Western Regionals,and if they complete the dream,they get to go to Houston for The Final Four.So, four expense paid trips like that, most people would call, a good year,but that is one hell of a great month! So,when you are considering what university to attend,try to put yourself into that kind of situation,because it is something you will carry with you your entire life!

Picking A College

If you are a high school Junior or Senior and are planning to go to college,and are not going to major in music,the marching band maybe the second most important reason for choosing a particular school.The field of study,that you choose to pursue is obviously the most important factor.But the undergraduate experience can be a real blast if you choose a marching band that kicks butt! These are lucky times,because you have things like YouTube available to really research your choices.I whole heartedly recommend utilizing this resource to thoroughly investigate the marching bands.Check out the marching style,the crowd response and the type of music.Keep in mind that to a certain extent,the band can only go as far as the football team will go.For instance,if you want to perform at a major bowl game you should consider whether that school`s football team has a likelihood of going. College marching band can be an extremely exciting experience that you can cherish the rest of your life.The exhiliration of performing in front of one hundred thousand people is impossible to describe!

Picking A College

POA Postgame ! 2 (trimmed-5).mp4

Bring back the marching bands!!!

       The college football experience in this country is one of the best sources of entertainment available.Some forms of entertainment are way too big to be captured by a small box in your living room.The energy and excitement generated at a typical college stadium is really fun.
       Fun.That is really what it is all about.College football is a participation sport.When the fans see their impact on the field,they get lifted from being a spectator and transformed into a participant.Anyone who has ever performed on stage knows that it is more fun than being in the audience of a great show.So when the gulf between spectator and performer can be bridged, that`s when fun is being maximized.
        We live in a society greatly influenced by television,yet we know that the best forms of entertainment are rarely provided by television.No matter how much you watch The Food Network,it will never be as good as actually tasting a Bobby Flay meal.So, television executives need to start showing the marching bands at halftime!Nothing epitomizes the greatness of college football more than the marching bands.There is no other medium where so many man hours are put in without  monetary reward,to simply entertain us.
          Television,like our society, is ruled by the almighty dollar.Television executives try their best to keep us watching to see the next advertisement.They are missing the boat, when they fail to utilize the thousands of man hours that the bands put in,to keep us watching.There are a huge amount of consumers watching college football, who would be more likely to keep watching, if the bands were on at halftime rather than highly paid talking heads!
           Imagine the advertising impact if a company provided the marching bands commercial free!
"Ladies and gentlemen,The Ford Motor Company takes great pride in presenting,The University of Wisconsin Badger Marching Band,uninterrupted for your enjoyment,remember,Ford builds the cars you drive!"
          Consumers ultimately should be deciding what`s on television and how it is presented.Let it be known that we would prefer to watch the bands at halftime, rather than an analyst explaining to us what we just watched in the first half. All of those kids who march have family and friends.If I got to see a nephew or friend on TV,because of Geico Insurance,that would definitely stick in my mind,the next time I`m considering car insurance!
           It is dangerous now that ESPN has so much power over college football.We need to tell them to bring back the marching bands at halftime!