Michigan Marching Band

The Michigan Marching Band (or MMB) is University of Michigan's Marching Band.

History

The Michigan Marching Band History can be found here.

Instrumentation

The Michigan Marching Band performance block instrumentation:

Performance Block

The Performance Block is the subset of the MMB that performs the pre-game routine. This group of members changes from week to week. The rank and section leaders along with the MMB staff will decide which members are to be challenged for their position in block. This method lessens tension in the band as you do not need to challenge an individual member of the performance block for their position. Friday after rehearsal, challenges are held, which consist of a halftime marching audition while playing a musical excerpt from the weekly show, followed by performing the difficult part of the pregame marching. Results are posted the following Monday. Students who do not make the performance block, called reserves, spend the week rehearsing fundamentals to prepare for the next week's challenge on an adjacent practice field while the performance block learns the show. The reserves are no less a part of the MMB, as they still wear the uniform and play in the stands during football games.

Band Week

Every summer during the two weeks before the first home game the MMB holds their "Band Week." Prospective members, rank leaders, and flags arrive first to rehearse marching styles and traditional music. The returning members will return and the music audition will be held to determine the players' chairs. After the returning members have been through a couple days of marching rehearsal "First Look" is held. During first look the entire band performs glide and pre-game selections which are observed and voted on my the rest of the band. These perfomances are given in groups of approximately 12. The votes of the entire band determine which members will make up the first performance block. The remainder of Band Week is devoted to the first performance of the MMB for pre-game and halftime. The reserves spend the remainder of Band Week practicing for the next challenge.

Expectations

The MMB rehearses daily from 4:45pm to 6:15pm. Rehearsals are held outside on Elbel Field. Members are also expected to attend weekly one hour section rehearsals for additional work on music. Members are also expected to enroll in the two credit hour course ENS 348.

Organization

Director

Prof. Jamie L. Nix is the director of the Michigan Marching Band after spending time as the assistant director of the Texas Longhorn Band under former MMB director Dr. Kevin Sedatole. Before Prof. Nix was assistant director of the Texas Longhorn Band he was a Graduate Assistant to the MMB.

Assistant Director

G. Scott Bersaglia is the assistant director of the Michigan Marching Band. Mr. Bersaglia was formerly a Graduate Assistant to the Texas Longhorn Band.

Instructors and Graduate Assistants

Working directly under Prof. Nix are graduate assistants and instructors. Graduate students in the music school OR former members that are grad students are hired to help direct the MMB and also to oversee student staff positions. The MMB also has a color guard instructor and a percussion instructor.

Drum Major

The Michigan Marching Band has one drum major for the entire 350+ member ensemble Auditions are held in a two phase process. The first phase is held in front of the MMB staff. The second phase is held on the last day of classes for the winter term and the final vote is decided by the current members of the MMB.

Section Leaders

Section leaders are the head of their section and are responsible for the music performance. They hold weekly music rehearsals for their section. Section leaders are determined by the staff and generally announced at the 'Spring Meeting,' traditionally held on the last day of Winter semester.

Rank Leaders

Rank Leaders are in charge of marching position and style of 10 members on the field. They are given full drill charts to ensure that their rank members are in formation. To save paper regular members are given coordinate sheets to give their position on the field by numbers rather than graphically. Rank Leaders are voted on at the end band week by staff.

Traditions

Saturday Morning Rehearsal

The MMB practices on Elbel field before every home game. Generally this practice begins at 8:00am for a noon kick-off. The MMB will begin the rehearsal with music warm-ups and then a review of the halftime music. The band will then rehearse the transition elements of the pre-game performance. Following the pre-game rehearsal then the band will review the drill for their halftime performance. Music is either sung or played at "half volume" during this portion of the rehearsal.

Step Show

The Drum Line will perform on the steps of Revelli Hall about an hour and a half before kick off. They run through a couple warm ups, a couple of pieces arranged for the MMB Drum Line, the parade cadence series and close with Temptation and Hawaiian War Chant.

March to the Stadium

Following the step show the MMB lines up on the steps of Revelli Hall for inspection by the drum major before stepping off to the stadium. Once this is complete the band will then begin parading to the stadium by moving out onto Hoover Street. The band parades down Hoover Street, turning left onto Greene Street and then into the Michigan Stadium parking lot. The band stops at a point where a tree used to be planted and will perform a specialized version of The Victors. This specialized version is shortened for timing reasons. The band then progresses to the mouth of the tunnel of Michigan Stadium. They then make a right face and play Let's Go Blue and the trio of The Victors.

Pregame

The band will arrange themselves in the tunnel to Michigan Stadium for the start of the pregame performance. These are called Entry Lines. The drum major will then proceed to the lower mouth of the tunnel signaling to the stadium announcer that the band is ready. The Michigan Stadium and MMB announcer, Carl Grapentine, will then begin the pregame performance with "Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting the 235 member, Michigan Marching band. Band take the field."

Entries

The band will then enter the field to the Entry Cadence at 200+bpm. The band "pours out" of the tunnel in entry lines and then these lines fold out into the "solid block M."

M Fanfare

From the "sold block M" formation the MMB plays the M Fanfare. The M Fanfare is composed of portions of The Victors and Varsity.

Back bend

At the climax of the M Fanfare the drum major performs their signature move. They move from the middle of the band to the 20 yard line. They then turn to face the south end zone and bend over backwards to touch the plume (feather) in their hat to the ground. Due to greater flexibility and lack of control it has become the top of the hat. Recently the drum majors have started the tradition of removing their hat and touching their head to the ground instead. This started after a drum major fell during their first pre-game performance. They returned the following week, removed their hat and touched their head to the ground.

The Victors

During the pre-game performance, the MMB plays a specialized version of The Victors. This version is shortened and has an added drum transition for the band to change formations from "sweep lines" to the "hollow block M." The band marches in "sweep lines" from the middle of the field to the North end zone, transitions into the "hollow block M" and marches to the south end zone.

The Goal Post Toss

During the Victors the drum major struts down to the north end zone goal posts and tosses his/her mace over the cross bar. Superstition says that if the mace is dropped, the football team will lose the game.

The High step

During The Victor's break strain the MMB performs their high step. This is done for 16 counts at half tempo. The "post leg" is to remain perpendicular to the ground while the free leg is to make a right angle with the shin being perpendicular to the ground and an extreme downward toe point.

Visitors Fight Song

Immediately following The Victors the MMB will play the visitor's fight song to the south end zone. This is a strong tradition between all Big Ten marching bands.

Varsity

Following the visitor's fight song the band will transition into the school's second fight song entitled "Varsity". The band forms "sweep lines" and marches it back to the middle of the field to form another "solid block M."

Blues Brothers

One game a year, generally a game without a visiting band, the MMB performs a crowd favorite "You Can't Turn Me Loose." The band forms concentric circles on the field and during a vamp collapses the circles into what is commonly referred to as "the cake." The entire 235 member band fits in between the 45 yard lines. Once this is complete the band will scramble back to their "solid bock M" positions.

Let's Go Blue & Team Entrance

Once Varsity is finished the band will split the M to allow room for the "Go Blue" banner to be raised for the team's entrance. Time permitting the band will play Let's Go Blue to the West, South, East, and North sides of Michigan Stadium. It has been argued that either Michigan or Wisconsin Hockey Bands penned this famous tune, but the version played by the MMB is unique. Once Let's Go Blue is finished the team will run onto the field as the band plays the trio to The Victors.

The Star Spangled Banner

Since September 22nd, 2001 the team has been on the field for the playing of the Star Spangled Banner. The band will then collapse the split M back to the "solid block M." Following the playing of the Star Spangled Banner the marching band will to the North end zone while playing the trio to The Victors and once finished will march the Entry Cadence off the field.

Post Game

After every home game the band will return to the field and perform The Victors as written, or in its entirety. They will also play selections of the half time performance. The performance will close with Temptation, The Hawaiian War Chant, The Yellow and Blue, The Victors (trio), and the Entry Cadence.

Temptation & The Hawaiian War Chant

Temptation and The Hawaiian War Chant are percussion features that have been played by the MMB for years. The cymbol line is highly featured with their acrobatic routine.

Bowl Trips

A favorite tradition in the band is traveling somewhere warm during the bowl season. The band holds another audition ("Final Look") to decide which of the current members will make the bowl trip.

Fun Facts

The MMB first formed a script Ohio in 1932 similar to the Script Ohio which The Ohio State Marching Band has now made famous.
The MMB was the first receipent of the Sudler Trophy.

External Links

Michigan Marching Band official website