Summer is coming to its usual shockingly early end, and the end is so near that freshmen will be reporting to Revelli Hall only one week from today. Only seven days till Band Week! With that in mind, Jeremy has helped me come up with some suggestions for those about to embark on their first year with the MMB.
Training
If you've just been sitting around eating Cheetos this summer, you're about to pay for it. The days when you have three marching rehearsals are going to be deeply unkind to you, and there's not a lot you can do to alter your fate at this point. However, anything you do will help at least a little. Running is a good idea, cycling helps too. Any aerobic activity will help you out. Just make sure you arrive well-rested on Tuesday.
We're Talking About Practice
Learn the audition music now, not the night before you have to perform. The airless closets in the dorm basements misleadingly described as "practice rooms" will not work miracles for you. As a very beneficial side effect, the multiple music rehearsals each day won't wear you out as easily.
Equipment
Your most valuable piece of equipment isn't going to be the Yamaha issued to you by the band, but a pair of broken-in tennis shoes with good support. The asphalt out on Elbel Field is going to be your home, and it doesn't have a lot of give to it. Even worse is the reserve field with its wicked lumpiness, just looking to roll your ankle. Even apart from that, you'll be walking to and from the dorm to Revelli Hall, up to the Union or wherever for lunch, and around campus whenever you have a free moment. Only slightly behind shoes on the list goes sunscreen. You can end up with a really wicked sunburn out there if you aren't careful, especially if you're fair-skinned.
Food, Water, Etc.
Obviously you're going to want to stay hydrated, and the MMB does a good job about giving enough water breaks when the weather is hot. Many people bring their own water, and that usually was fine for me for the first couple of hours, but then the water in the bottles went from "tepid" to "soup", and I turned to what is called The Trough. The Trough isn't actually a trough, per se, but a metal pipe with holes in it which is set on a stand and hooked to a hose. It may taste a little rusty, but it's exactly what you're looking for when it's 92 degrees and you've just gone through traditional step by the numbers for the 16th time. Always drink more water than you think you need.
Also, don't go crazy at lunch or dinner. Remember that you're going to have to march again soon enough, so you need some more fuel, but not so much as to weigh you down. I never really had too much trouble, but I know some friends who deeply regretted overindulging at Blimpy Burger. And drinking more water at lunch is generally a good idea.
Punctuality
This maxim from William Revelli will be drilled into your head soon enough: "To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, to be late is to be forgotten." Get everywhere at least ten minutes early and you should be just fine. You'll need the extra time to get your music out, your gloves on, and to warm up. And if you have to get your instrument before heading to Elbel Field, make it more like 25.
Other stuff to keep in mind:
- Make friends with your rank leaders. They usually know a lot of people in the band, and sometimes they have cars. It's hard for a director to know everyone, especially someone brand new to the band, so Boerma will likely depend heavily on the grad staff, the section leaders, and the rank leaders when it comes time for auditions.
- Don't stress over First Look. Yes, it's the first marching/playing audition to determine who makes performance block for the game, but don't sweat it too badly. You've been in the band for such a short time when it happens that it often comes down to luck and the wisdom of crowds. There are plenty of people who are put in the reserves after First Look but end up making block for the rest of the year.
- Learn the traditional songs and memorize them immediately. The top 8, in order of importance: "The Victors", "Let's Go Blue", "Cheer #1", "Temptation", "Varsity", "The Star-Spangled Banner", "Hawaiian War Chant", "Respect", "The Yellow and Blue". Figure out the different arrangements of "The Victors" (Parking Lot, Trio, Pre-Game, etc.) and learn the part of "Temptation" played before 4th down first.
- Get your computer set up as soon as possible. So much intra-band communication depends on email that you're going to miss something if you're not at least catching up in the computer lab.
- Partying during Band Week is a very, very bad idea. The alcohol will already have you dehydrated before practice drains you further, landing you in a special kind of hell with your hangover as you pound your legs down during high step. No one will be sympathetic. Some may point and laugh.
- The medical staff is there for a reason. Make use of them if you get injured, and get yourself taped before practice rather than trying to tough it out. Stretching every night before you go to bed will also make your mornings that much easier.
- Make sure you meet the people on your hall in the dorm. It's easy to ignore them with all the things going on with the band, but you're going to live with these people for 8 months and you might want someone to eat lunch with when February rolls around.
- This isn't really a Band Week suggestion, but bring a winter coat. That first 40-degree day in October will come much sooner than you expect, and you're going to be out there for an hour and a half.
Running down can be exciting, but there is a pole in the center that's at just the right height to cause serious damage to instruments and tender body parts.
The enormous GO BLUE painting greets friend and foe alike.
The tunnel is dimly lit in yellow lights, and the brief glimpses of players standing by its bright exit provide dramatically framed moments of excitement.
Occasionally, celebrated alumni will head down the ramp. Here, Braylon Edwards stops by the 2005 Notre Dame game with his famous pink shirt, B E chain, and, uh, MCard.
It's been a while and I may have the order of these next things mixed up. Eventually, both teams will return to their locker rooms via the tunnel. When the opponents enter, the band stands tightly lined up, in complete silence, staring straight ahead. This is usually ignored but occasionally players (primarily from the MAC schools) will taunt the band. That's fine -- if you're focusing on the band, you're not focusing on your game. When the Michigan team comes up, the drumline strikes up a beat.
When it's finally time to go, the assistant director receives a cue over his radio and points up to the press box, where Carl Grapentine is watching intently, poised to make his famous announcement.
