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from the issue of December 9, 2004
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Marching Band marks 125 years rich in history
BY LINDSEY KRUEP, SPECIAL TO THE SCARLET
It's game day at the University of Nebraska. As football fans stream in, you wait in uniform outside Memorial Stadium. As you take the field the crowd goes wild. Your adrenaline rushes as you fall into position. You've just stepped into the shoes of a Cornhusker Marching Band member on a typical game day.
Founded in 1879, the Cornhusker marching band celebrates its 125th birthday this year. Lt. Isaac T. Webster originally created the band in NU's military department for drills. A group of 12 students would play music while soldiers practiced marching. Lt. John Pershing played a part in the band's modern existence when he had the band perform at their first football game in 1893.
The marching band has expanded to 290 people, and the band program consists of eight ensembles and 500 members.
"Those people are my favorite 290 people on campus," said third-year director Anthony Falcone, UNL associate director of bands. "I am privileged to be able to work with them."
After the football team began to gain popularity, the marching band began to tour the world. From England and Ireland to the Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl, the band appeared all over the map starting with the 1901 game against the University of Minnesota. It then moved out from under the military department and bought new uniforms, which in 1983 helped UNL to win the title of "Best Dressed College Marching Band."
The band still travels with the football team to bowl games, and those trips are one of clarinet player Michelle Bennett's favorite band memories.
"The Rose Bowl parade is the longest parade in the world," said Bennett, a senior. "Few get the opportunity to march in it."
Trips may be a fun part of being in the band, but the members also work hard. The band practices every day Monday through Friday and another two hours before games.
"The band gives students a stronger college experience," Falcone said. "Members must learn teamwork and work ethic early in the program. We have a product that 78,000 people see, and we are striving to be one of the finest if not the finest."
Although the workload between school, practices and trips may be hard, Bennett says it's worth it.
"I've gained a lot of friendships through the band," she said. "The band is like a family. It involves people from every walk of life, but when we're all in our uniforms, we're one. I couldn't imagine coming back to UNL and not being in marching band," said Bennett, who will graduate in May.
The marching band has surpassed 125 years, and there are still many more ahead.
"The band is not only a source of entertainment for the fans," Falcone said. "It also provides an opportunity for students that will last a lifetime.
"It is a privilege to be a part of the marching band," he said. "I feel a great sense of responsibility to such a long-standing tradition."
Lindsey Kruep is a senior advertising major with a public relations emphasis originally from Belleville, Ill. She will graduate this month.
Band concert is Dec. 11
The Cornhusker Marching Band will give its annual Highlights Concert at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts. The program features the halftime music from the 2004 football season and the team's fight songs.
Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for students, seniors and youth, and are available at the Lied Center Box Office.
More about the School of Music band ensembles can be found at www.unl.edu/band/.
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Marching Band marks 125 years rich in history
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