It is really interesting how much run the University of Arizona Marching Band has gotten this week, or the Wildcat Marching Band as it was called in 1967.It is great that current Pride of Arizona members are proud of that piece of their history.
The 1967 Wildcat Marching Band was invited to perform at halftime of the first Super Bowl. Jack Lee was the director,and they were a cutting edge band, very deserving of the honor of performing at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.He brought Big 10 High Step and innovative,moving picture, halftime shows to Arizona,and everyone knows the story of him writing,Bear Down, on the flight back to Ohio, after his interview for the job.
Now is the time to return the Pride of Arizona back to national prominence!The Athletics Department needs to take a lead role in hiring the next band director. This position is unique in its demands,and can only really be compared to the Head Football Coach or Director of Athletics, as far as the wide range of skills necessary.
The person in charge of the athletics band has to hire a staff with the technical skills to arrange and teach music, and design and teach drill. Just dealing with performance,two associate directors would not be too many. It would probably take several teaching assistants also.The band would also command an extremely large budget. Management, equipment, logistics,code of conduct are things that can be handled by student infrastructure, mostly part time paid positions especially college work study. The accounting system would have to be air tight because it would consist of several different revenue sources.Relations with band alumni, band parents, and high school band directors are also important.Development ,fund raising, is possibly the most important aspect of the modern marching band.
Now is the time! The university has upgraded the Athletics Department in unprecedented fashion, across the board.This final piece can energize the fan base, create more solid home field advantages, and sell more tickets. This university is in a unique position in this conference ,because of the size of this community, to galvanize support for its teams.Now is the time!
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Next Sunday The Academy Drum & Bugle Corps will hold an open house, to acquaint people with their audition requirements, in Tucson at Rincon/University High School .This is a great opportunity for anyone interested, or possibly interested, to get all your questions answered, as to what it would entail, to have one of the most amazing experiences this summer, or a future summer, that will last you a lifetime. For more details go to www.arizonaacademy.org
There is a disturbing trend happening at college sporting events,having an excess of piped in music, played over large sound systems,instead of utilizing the school bands.The plan is to make the college games more like professional games.This is a major mistake.The atmosphere at pro games can not compare to college games. I can listen to loud music at home, but not a 50 piece brass band.The University of Arizona has hired an actual DJ to work McKale Center.Even USC has a message board at football games that takes away time from The Trojan Marching Band.Administrators need to understand their fan bases, and why they go to games,and what makes their product unique and special.In the background right now, I have the Clemson at Georgia Tech game playing through my home theater system, and one of the two bands is just wailing every play, and it definitely sounds like College Football Saturday! Nothing else sounds like that.The marketing people and administrators at universities should not mess with the atmosphere.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Band Day this Saturday at the University of Arizona. If anyone knows a band student who is particularly dedicated, be sure to check out The Academy booth, and pick up information. Find out about the Drum and Bugle Corps activity. Discover one of the greatest youth opportunities. Anyone interested in the festival scores for high school bands should check out: https:// www.aboda.org. Anyone interested in audition materials for The Academy should go to:www.arizonaacademy.org.
Monday, June 2, 2014
New direction for The Pride of Arizona
With the departure of Jay Rees as director of The Pride of Arizona, there is a great opportunity to improve the game day experience. The person picked as his successor can have an immense impact. The Athletic Department needs to be involved with this selection process. The candidates need to be screened in a similar fashion to picking a coach. The next director needs to know how to support all athletics on campus. They need to have an understanding of fundraising, and a plan for recruitment.They need to have experience with a big time football program. A real marching band plays a new show for each home game as well as pregame and post game traditions.The band should be the focal point of most campus spirit activities, and be ambassadors of the entire university, to favorably promote the excellence of the university to the outside world.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
A Legendary Coach,A Legendary Band
When the Trojans upset No.4 Stanford at the Coliseum on November 16,2013,Trojan fans rushed the field and crushed around Coach Ed Orgeron near midfield.Struggling through the throng,he boomed an order to everyone within earshot,"Let`s go to the band.Everybody go to the band!"After he pushed his way to the east endzone,he celebrated the win by hoisting the drum major`s sword above his head for a loud rendition of "Conquest!"
It was the pinnacle of a special relationship between the Trojan Marching Band and "Coach O" that began long before his ascension to interim head coach during the tumultuous 2013 season.In fact,Coach O`s respect for The Spirit of Troy and love for USC began 15 years before when he was mentored by one of the greatest Trojans of all time: Marv Goux.As he said in a November press conference:
"When I first came here,Marv Goux- the great Trojan assistant-told me,"Son,the band is part of the football team.They`re our heartbeat,and you treat them as such,`and Art Bartner is just like an assistant coach here on the team.And I love that.We love the band,we love the cheerleaders,we love the crowd,we love everybody...they`re part of our family."
Born and bred in Louisiana,Ed Orgeron had never coached west of the Mississippi when he was hired by head coach Paul Hackett in 1998.He coached the Trojans defensive line for two years and was one of a select few coaches retained when Pete Carroll took over in 2000.Carroll soon promoted Coach O to recruiting coordinator then assistant head coach.Carroll reinvigorated the relationship between the football team and the band especially at the Friday night "Jock Rallies" before home games.A fiery speech by Coach O was always a highlight with his inspirational exhortations made nearly indecipherable by his thick Cajun accent.He embraced the band as equals with the football team and the band loved him back.Band members added a drawn-out "Coach O" vocal to the Offspring song"Neocon" that the band played in the stands.It became his theme song.In return,Coach O gave leadership lessons to the band`s upperclassmen at band camp.
Coach O left USC for a time to be head coach of Mississippi but when he returned to campus for a visit,he made a point of visiting the band on Cromwell Field.For cymbal player Elizabeth So,it was a poignant moment."He came back and specifically visited the Trojan Marching Band during our practice to say he loved us and missed us.It`s my favorite Coach O memory."
Fast-forward to 2013 and the mid-season firing of Lane Kiffin.The "Coach O" chant was quickly resurrected and the band learned to play the hip hop hit"Halftime(Stand Up & Get Crunk)" he used to fire up the team before games.The Jock Rallies became full of energy and fun again and the Trojans` fortunes on the field followed.
The burst of Trojan spirit was not a coincidence.Coach O and Dr. Bartner were both mentored by Marv Goux.It fostered a special connection between the two.Before the Notre Dame game,Coach O took a moment with Dr. Bartner on the field to reflect on their friend."Marv really loved this game{with the Irish),"he said."He`d be proud of us."
After the big road win over Oregon State,Coach O was lifted up onto the shoulders of the football team at the 50-yard line but he really wanted the team and the band to celebrate together.Coach O ran over to the visitor`s section of Reser Stadium and Dr.Bartner gave him the sword to lead"Conquest!"
A couple of weeks later,leading up to the Stanford game,he sent each band member an individually addressed envelope with a card inside.It read:"The Trojan Marching Band is the heartbeat of the Trojan Family.Thank you for your support and hard work.Let`s rock the Coliseum Saturday!"It was an unprecedented act by a unique coach and members were genuinely touched.When Coach Orgeron left the university in December,it was a heartbreaking moment for band members who responded with a signed thank you note of their own. Like his mentor Marv Goux,Coach O shaped a new generation of Trojans.As one band member put it:"You taught me what it means to be a Trojan.Fight On Forever! Story by Bret Padelford
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Definitive evidence of a program in decay
There are many ways to measure whether a band program is on the rise or decline.The easiest and most obvious measure is the number of members enrolled,and decidedly membership in The Pride of Arizona has steadily declined over the last five years.
Another measure is Alumni support.This is displayed in various ways.The most apparent from the outside looking in,is the size of the Alumni Band at Homecoming.Now there has not been a lot of longevity with the band director position which has a negative affect,but then again as the current regime continues it would stand to reason that those numbers would show healthy increases.
One of the most important components of a big time band program is a strong group of band alumni.They are the ones who start the ball rolling whenever there is any band oriented initiative.
In the last couple of years,the Athletic Department has recruited two of the best coaches in the country.Those coaches came to the university because they knew they could sell what the U of A and Tucson have.The atmosphere that exists on a regular basis at The McKale Center,that home court advantage that gives the Wildcats a boost as well as a daunting hurdle for the opposition,should be even more formidable at the football stadium.Creating that atmosphere is the beautiful thing about being in a College Marching Band.
Tucson is the perfect size to make Wildcat Football an amazing community event,and the marching band is in a position to be at the forefront of a truly awesome heritage.There is only one event in this town that brings such a large segment of the community together,and it should be a Tucsonan`s birthright to go to Arizona Stadium and take part in watching highly touted teams` dreams die.
When spectators are elevated to being participants,that is when people are truly entertained,and it is those moments that elevates and galvanizes a community.It is that kind of excitement that is far too big for television.The experience should be so significant in nature that there is no question that it is worth every dollar!
Another measure is Alumni support.This is displayed in various ways.The most apparent from the outside looking in,is the size of the Alumni Band at Homecoming.Now there has not been a lot of longevity with the band director position which has a negative affect,but then again as the current regime continues it would stand to reason that those numbers would show healthy increases.
One of the most important components of a big time band program is a strong group of band alumni.They are the ones who start the ball rolling whenever there is any band oriented initiative.
In the last couple of years,the Athletic Department has recruited two of the best coaches in the country.Those coaches came to the university because they knew they could sell what the U of A and Tucson have.The atmosphere that exists on a regular basis at The McKale Center,that home court advantage that gives the Wildcats a boost as well as a daunting hurdle for the opposition,should be even more formidable at the football stadium.Creating that atmosphere is the beautiful thing about being in a College Marching Band.
Tucson is the perfect size to make Wildcat Football an amazing community event,and the marching band is in a position to be at the forefront of a truly awesome heritage.There is only one event in this town that brings such a large segment of the community together,and it should be a Tucsonan`s birthright to go to Arizona Stadium and take part in watching highly touted teams` dreams die.
When spectators are elevated to being participants,that is when people are truly entertained,and it is those moments that elevates and galvanizes a community.It is that kind of excitement that is far too big for television.The experience should be so significant in nature that there is no question that it is worth every dollar!
Friday, August 24, 2012
This summer I had the honor of being a volunteer driver for The Academy Drum & Bugle Corps.45 days,27 states,12,000 miles, a ton of drum corps!I lead a charmed life,to be able to spend a summer like that!The drum & bugle corps activity never ceases to amaze me.The dedication of the corps members is an inspiration,and the quality of people all around the activity is phenomenal.Even after watching 70 corps shows in three days it does not get old for me.
The finished product of these corps speaks for itself.How many opportunities in life,do most people get to be part of something that is world class?Everyone in this activity learns the same lesson,and that lesson can be described many different ways,but basically:never underestimate what can be achieved by a group of people with common goals and a focus,to achieve something far greater than the sum of their parts.Is there a better life lesson than that?These are the people that are going to create a better future.
The finished product of these corps speaks for itself.How many opportunities in life,do most people get to be part of something that is world class?Everyone in this activity learns the same lesson,and that lesson can be described many different ways,but basically:never underestimate what can be achieved by a group of people with common goals and a focus,to achieve something far greater than the sum of their parts.Is there a better life lesson than that?These are the people that are going to create a better future.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Greatest Youth Activity
On June 28,I embarked on a six week national tour as a volunteer driver for The Academy Drum & Bugle Corps.
Our first three stops were in Southern California,at Oceanside,Walnut and Riverside.The Pacific Crest from Diamond Bar,California was the host corps.
The Phantom Regiment was once again rewarding West Coast audiences,but their show,Turandot could not take down The Blue Devils.
The BD are once again blowing minds with a show that raises the art form,reminicent of their" chair"show and their "mirror"show.
The Santa Clara Vanguard have really improved,with a much less esoteric show than their 2011 "Devil`s Staircase."
The Academy is intent on making finals this year.Although currently ranked seventeenth,watch for them to start making their move next week when they become more active between Denver and Minneapolis.
Our first three stops were in Southern California,at Oceanside,Walnut and Riverside.The Pacific Crest from Diamond Bar,California was the host corps.
The Phantom Regiment was once again rewarding West Coast audiences,but their show,Turandot could not take down The Blue Devils.
The BD are once again blowing minds with a show that raises the art form,reminicent of their" chair"show and their "mirror"show.
The Santa Clara Vanguard have really improved,with a much less esoteric show than their 2011 "Devil`s Staircase."
The Academy is intent on making finals this year.Although currently ranked seventeenth,watch for them to start making their move next week when they become more active between Denver and Minneapolis.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Drum Corps Season Begins
Today starts an excellent week if you are a marching music fan in Tucson.Tonight,Monday,June 18th,the Drum Corps Season starts with a show recorded two days ago in Akron,presented at Park Place Mall Cinemas,at 6:30pm,featuring six of last year`s top twelve corps.Fathom.com will provide you with a complete listing of theaters,
On Wednesday,at Mesa,Dobson High School at 7:00pm,Southwest Corps Connection will present Arizona`s only big time corps show..Featuring:The Academy,Santa Clara Vanguard,Phantom Regiment and The Blue Knights.At this time there may still be some decent seats left.Ticket information can be found at:Drum Corps International website.
On Wednesday,at Mesa,Dobson High School at 7:00pm,Southwest Corps Connection will present Arizona`s only big time corps show..Featuring:The Academy,Santa Clara Vanguard,Phantom Regiment and The Blue Knights.At this time there may still be some decent seats left.Ticket information can be found at:Drum Corps International website.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Post Football Season Reflections
Football and marching music are the perfect marriage for our modern times,much to the chagrin of Corps purists as well as football purists.Despite what The National Football League wants you to believe,College Football is this nation`s most popular spectator sport,and not by a little.At most,the NFL showcases 16 games in a week,played in much smaller stadiums than college heavyweights.Of course the NFL is gold when it comes to television ratings,but that is because the best seat in the house,is actually in your house.Now on the other hand,there is no way that College Football on television can compare to actually attending.
Last summer I was lucky enough to go to a Drum Corps Event featuring six of the top twelve Corps,and relegated to watching the quarterfinals at a movie theater,knowing that it was not going to be nearly as good as the live event.Then out of the blue,an opportunity to drive for The Academy fell into my lap and I actually attended finals!There was no way the cinema could duplicate the feeling of 70 Madison Scouts horn players bringing home Empire State of Mind,or convey the emotion of Juliet slitting her neck,on final`s night,on top of the Drum Major`s podium.
Emotion is the key ingredient.The fervor of College Football combined with the fuel of huge marching bands is an amazing combination.200 million fans may watch The Superbowl on television,and slightly more watching Madonna at halftime,but those fans are not having anywhere near as much fun as the 95,000 at The Rose Bowl,who got to see The Badger Band at halftime.I know this to be true,because no one in 500 theaters across America watching quarterfinals,had as much fun as I did.
The NFL produces television shows,and they are masterful at it.That is why they made the decision to go to huge pop stars for halftime instead of marching music.The Irony of having professional football`s feature event in the same venue that Drum Corps International had theirs is comical because I managed to have the best seat in the house for both!So if you want to experience a great event go to a College Football Game or check out a Corps Show because it is a lot more fun than watching television.
Last summer I was lucky enough to go to a Drum Corps Event featuring six of the top twelve Corps,and relegated to watching the quarterfinals at a movie theater,knowing that it was not going to be nearly as good as the live event.Then out of the blue,an opportunity to drive for The Academy fell into my lap and I actually attended finals!There was no way the cinema could duplicate the feeling of 70 Madison Scouts horn players bringing home Empire State of Mind,or convey the emotion of Juliet slitting her neck,on final`s night,on top of the Drum Major`s podium.
Emotion is the key ingredient.The fervor of College Football combined with the fuel of huge marching bands is an amazing combination.200 million fans may watch The Superbowl on television,and slightly more watching Madonna at halftime,but those fans are not having anywhere near as much fun as the 95,000 at The Rose Bowl,who got to see The Badger Band at halftime.I know this to be true,because no one in 500 theaters across America watching quarterfinals,had as much fun as I did.
The NFL produces television shows,and they are masterful at it.That is why they made the decision to go to huge pop stars for halftime instead of marching music.The Irony of having professional football`s feature event in the same venue that Drum Corps International had theirs is comical because I managed to have the best seat in the house for both!So if you want to experience a great event go to a College Football Game or check out a Corps Show because it is a lot more fun than watching television.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Monday, December 5, 2011
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
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
Saturday, December 3, 2011
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.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
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