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Homecoming
Matt Flickner / KANSAN
The Marching Jayhawks perform at halftime during the Texas Christian University game. Kansas won the Thursday evening game, which was televised on ESPN, 38-20.
Marching band will lead halftime entertainment at Saturday's game
STUDENTS WALKING TO CLASS THESE PAST weeks might have heard in the distance the beating of the drums, the blowing of the tuba and the piercing sound of the trumpet by the KU marching band practicing for the football game.
The marching band is practicing for the homecoming game against Iowa State University. The Marching Jayhawks will open the halftime show with "Blues in the Night," which will feature a jazz soloist.
"The music tells you when to start and stop," said Jarrod Cruz, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., freshman, when performing
Robert Foster , director of the marching band, said the piece of music was recommended by another staff member. The band performs songs that are fun, fun to listen to, entertaining and well-written.
The homecoming performance includes the KU marching and alumni band, the Crimson Girls, and the color guard. There are 226 members in the band. Everyone in the marching band performs, and they all work together.
"The uniqueness of the marching band is 226 people have to understand and perform for the sake of the team. The band is 226 musketeers instead of three musketeers," said Mark Johnson, a graduate student who designs the show.
It might be difficult to coordinate so many people, but cues are given on the field for the band members to follow.
The band holds regular rehearsals from 3:30-5:20 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The marching band does not hold extra practices for homecoming. It is already busy preparing for each game performance. All performances are as equally important, and it wants to show its tradition of excellence.
There are 10 sections of instruments in the marching band, not including the flags, which have an additional half-hour extra practice time during the week. The percussion section spends about two hours extra each week.
On an afternoon game day, the band meets at 8:30 a.m. and rehearses until 10:30 a.m. At noon the band walks down Campanile Hill in parade formation playing "I am a Jayhawk."
"It's really a colorful tradition of this University. It's the pageantry associated with college football," said Foster.
A main attraction during halftime is the alumni band, which also will be performing. The marching band sets the stage to let the alumni show what they can do. At the end of halftime, the marching band leads the crowd on the traditional song, "I am a Jayhawk."
"The halftime performance is relaxed, but it's a high quality performance," said Mike White, Overland Park senior.
for halftime.
The new band members this year learn a different style of marching in comparison to what they might have learned in high school band. Still, it might be a time of nervousness and feeling of butterflies in their stomach.
"It's frightening being new, you're conscious of trying not to make a mistake," said Kim Alexander, Leavenworth freshman. "But I know they're (the audience) not judging but watching and remembering what they (as former band members) did in the marching band," she said.
Band members say homecoming is a memorable experience.
"Homecoming is important to me because of an alumna who are 80 and return every year to play in the alumni band," Jonathan Glauner, Lawrence senior said. "It makes me happy knowing they care."
It is this kind of camaraderie that veteran band members remember.
"It's nice to see the alumni have the opportunity to get on the field again," said Kaytee Dietrich, Overland Park senior.
"We dedicate halftime to the alumni. Having them on campus and performing with us brings home the traditions of KU," Johnson said.
24 Homecoming
—BY GINA SAKACH
Hill • October 11, 1995