Band Booklet Article

To spectators, the Marching Band is not a collection of instrumentalists. To them, "The Band" is a single loud, powerful entity that breathes life in to the college sporting atmosphere. "The Band" moves around the field, creating shapes, words, and school logos at every game, without fail. "The Band" is the spiritual center of the student section, dictating when to cheer, when to chant, and when to sing. "The Band" mysteriously shows up, does its thing, and goes home with no indication to the process behind it. But, from the inside, "The Band" is much more than all of this.

Band is People. Members of the Minnesota Marching Band are drawn together like no other group. Not just because of the time spent together; many other teams and organizations spend just as much time practicing and performing as the band. The band is not only the sum of individual efforts; it is also collaboration on the part of every single one of its members. Every member of the band has a very specific individual task that, done on its own, has no particular meaning or impact to any person: moving to a set of places while playing a sequence of notes. However, when all of the band members perform their small tasks together, they become more than the sum of their parts, and collectively have the ability to invoke joy, tears, reverence, or any number of the most powerful of emotions. No single person’s performance can greatly improve the band’s performance; greatness must instead happen together. It is this collective responsibility to each other and the organization that forges the camaraderie and community that is the lifeblood of the Minnesota Marching Band. In my time here, I have had the privilege of making friendships with some fantastic people that I will never forget:

Trombones: Thank you for this year and all the years before it. Your hard work and tireless energy made it all worth it. Here's to the best section in the band!
Boof, Bill, Austin, and KatieJones: I can't think of anyone I would rather have gone through these four years with. Not only on the field, but outside of band as well; you were my first friends in college, and were always there, no matter what happened. Thank You for everything.
Mandi, Andrew, Adam, Rachel, Sam, Craig, Trevor, Ranger, Aubree, and Kenny: You are the best class of third-years I have ever seen. You all love what you do, and it definitely shows. Keep it up!
Amanda, Megan, Cathie, Codey, Steve, Boone, and Doug: My first rookie class! It has been a ton of fun watching you guys learn and grow over the last two years. As the band goes through the changes of the next few years, you are the ones that will guide it through.
John, Julia, Jennifer, Ross, Andy, Robert, Donald, Matt, Mark, Mitch, and Quentin: Thank you for your incredible effort this year. This year was tough to be a rookie, but next year is when you start making your mark. Make it a good one.
Old Bones - Stepnick, Beyer, Kim, Alex, and Smude: Thank you for teaching me what it truly means to be a Trombone; that identity will stay with me forever.
Bone Leaders: Thank you for making this year the best one yet, even though I wasn't there half the time.
Becky: Pregame Buddies forever! People around us came and went, but there we were, game after game, doing our thing. The fist bump in the tunnel was one of my favorite traditions. P.S. we finally got rotation to work!
Pregame Flutes: Long live the diag! Who knew that a Trombone player would end up leading the flutes? Thanks for being my adopted section for all this time.
ScottyT: If someone had told me at the beginning that my best friend in band would be a Trumpet, I would not have believed them. Your hard work and dedication have truly been an inspiration to me.
Angela and Brett: It has been 8 wonderful and memorable years since we first stepped on to the practice field outside of Olson, and we are the only ones that made it all the way. I am honored to have shared that time with such fantastic musicians and people as yourselves.
Meg: It still baffles me how someone like you could end up with a nerd like me. For all your support and confidence, putting up with me, and always being there, thank you!
Dr. Neal: You are a terrific addition to this band. It was a lot of fun to see you step up to the plate swinging. After one year, I truly believe you "get" this group.
Skeeter: Your knowledge and skill of everything band continues to amaze me. Thank you for being an excellent role model.
Dr. Diem: Thank You. Thank you for the opportunities you gave me; thank you for all your hard work; thank you for your wonderful attitude towards band and life. You claim that the band is what the students make it, but you are really the one that makes this band what it is.

Band is Tradition. Tradition links members of the band across years, decades, and generations. It becomes a common ground that represents the legacy of the band to hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Because of this, unremarkable (and sometimes just plain silly) actions take on an entirely new and higher meaning. Tradition is anything from saying "beef" when someone drops their mouthpiece, to singing "Hail! Minnesota" in the lobby of Northrop. Regardless of what it is, what it means is more important by far. Possessing the knowledge of exactly what these rituals mean creates unparalleled unity on scales from small groups of people, to sections, to, the band, and beyond. It is the catalyst that builds a community, but remains well after they are gone to start the process over again. Pulling on the uniform every Saturday, as countless band members before you have, pays homage to what is, what has been, and what will become.

And, finally:
Band is Forever. It is absolutely fascinating to me to think what the Minnesota Marching Band has been and will become. In 117 years, its members have literally been witness to history: through the world’s ups and downs, the band was there. At the turn of the century, when the State of Minnesota was only 50 years old and the University only covered a few blocks of the City of Minneapolis, the band was there. In the 1940’s, when many joined the armed forces instead of going to college, the band was there. And now, while our society continues to change and evolve before our very eyes, the band continues to exist, the same as it always has. I look forward to the times 10 years, 20 years, or 50 years from now when I will be able to return, and the band will still be here.

Thank you for four incredible years!