I would think red pants would be easier than white to keep clean and stay with our colors.
My first football game as a freshman had my high school best friend in the band as a trombone player. After the August game, she took her uniform off in favor of the shorts and t-shirt underneath as we waited for the bus. I freaked out as I didn’t think it was a great idea to take clothes off as we stood in front of a frat house, lol.
I’ve noticed with the change in directors that the sound hasn’t dropped off, but the marching has significantly dropped off. And we play the same songs over and over. I’m pretty sure the routine was the same as last season. And I’m pretty sure I saw it at the end of the season before that.
My high school marching band competed in nationals and did really well. We had several kids join the marching band at Miami because they felt it was the second best band in Ohio behind OSU. I’m not sure I’d agree we’re top 5 anymore with the new director. It’s all the little things that just aren’t there. It’s vanilla. The quirks don’t add to the show like the quirks other programs pull off.
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@JiveHawk The pre-game performance is always the same. It’s been tweaked over the past 20 years to eliminate the “Scalp Song” and I think “Beautiful Ohio” but once it’s put in place for the season it stays the same every game.
Back in the day, the band used to introduce a new halftime show essentially every week. In recent years, the band has produced a single themed show that it uses at each halftime all season. In earlier days, the band used to repeat the halftime show music, play the fight song and perhaps the alma mater post game on the field. I haven’t been to Yager since 2017 so I don’t know if they still fo that.
I was in the band during Nick Poccia’s last couple of years. The director who came right after him radically upgraded the band and did in fact create what many thought to be one of the top three bands in the state - along with OSU and Ohio’s 110. I think that iteration of the band was sustained for about 25 years. At some point there was a bit of a transition to more of a drum and bugle corps style, with the flag corps and rolling percussion sections…
The last time I saw the full band was at OSU. I saw them at the Lending Tree Bowl, too, but I don’t think it was the full compliment.
Glad there is still interest!
I was referring to the halftime show, not the pregame routine. It’s been the same halftime show for nearly two full seasons at this point. Honestly, it’s been lazy and the performances have been uninspiring at best. Musically solid, but from a marching band perspective, mediocre.
I agree. The band did very well.
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According to the band’s Facebook page the 2021 halftime show was themed “RetroActive.” It says the 2022 show is themed “Revolution.” Maybe Chuck can clarify. He has a daughter in the Shakerettes.
@JiveHawk @Redsea
My daughter was in it - she graduated in May. I think they played at least some of the same songs during halftime. I also think they have about 5 songs they play from the sideline. I will ask her next time we talk
I honestly dont have a great reference point to compare to other school bands in the MAC. At the Akron game I would be lying if I said I paid attention
I will say they do cheer hard for the team which is nice
If THE OSU band can do Script Ohio, the Miami band ought to do Script MIAMI…with, of course, 2 I’s to dot.
We kinda do already, see the 2 minute mark. The show has basically remained the same since 2011 (when we had to retire the Scalp Song), it used to come right after the fight song and they’d play it for awhile while in the Miami formation. With a new director coming there might be some changes coming, though probably not this season as most don’t make huge changes overnight in a new job.
Thanks…but I really prefer the way THE OSU does theirs by marching into the script one letter at a time, instead of shifting from one formation into the word MIAMI.
Just my idiotic preference…
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Every band’s pregame performance is basically the same every week. Most pregames are laden with tradition…script Ohio and Carmen Ohio in Columbus, Indiana Our Indiana and Back Home Again at IU, My Old Kentucky Home at UK. Minnesota always plays a long rendition of Battle Hymn of the Republic.
Anyone who has spend any time around marching bands knows it’s the Halftime Shows that show variation. In the old days, Miami and other bands used to do a new halftime show every week - maybe repeating their best once. For the past few years Miami and a few other bands are producing a standard halftime show for the entire season.
There must be at least one band out there that only plays ridiculous music, ie: the complete playlist of Shaggy. Or some ween for good measure. I would support this band wholeheartedly if they exist.
Go down to Stanford and watch the Leland Stanford Junior University Contraband - where they make a mockery of all normal marching band traditions, to the point of changing the school’s fight song to Free’s All Night Now.
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Thanks for the tip! I’m gonna do that!
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Kick that damned Dancing Tree 
for me while you’re in Palo Alto!
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I read something interesting regarding the band there. They seem to be continually at odds with the administration, but there isn’t enough motivation for the latter to axe the former. Now, fast forward to them getting a possible B1G invitation, either on their own merits or as some shotgun marriage with Notre Dame. The point the writer made was that there’s no chance in hell that the B1G gives Stanford a cut of their billions and allows that band to make fun of their schools and alumni on a weekly basis. End point being, does a B1G invite spell the impending death of the Stanford band?
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Yes, though in the long run there can be changes made. The band used to come out of the west end zone, played the Scalp Song before it was axed, and has made other changes over time. The same structure will probably stay similar, but things can update on that end.
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I can appreciate the musicians on this forum and their respect for doing things the right way, but you gotta respect the moxie of that band as it sounds like they have some real stones. They get attention it seemsz
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That would be an interesting clause in a contract to join the conference. I would hope they’d enforce it if the ever let Stanford move with Notre Dame.
You’re right about the years long contentious relationship between the band and the Stanford administration. The band has embarrassed the university multiple times. The Governor of Oregon once banned them from appearing at Oregon or Oregon State games.
If you’re referring to Stanford, I wouldn’t call it moxie.it’s more of an annual plot to embarrass their own university. I am absolutely appalled a university of that caliber allows a unit it controls to publicly humiliate Stanford and its rivals. Columbia has a sarcastic socio/political scatter band, too. But its antics pale in contrast to those of Stanford’s band.
Among other reprehensible actions, the band dropped it pants in unison during a televised performance, pissed on the field in a game against Washington and has been banned from appearing at UCLA, Notre Dame, the Oregons and even Disneyland. Why in Hell a prestigious university like Stanford - and one with a classic socio/economic conservative bent - allows that to continue is an eternal mystery.
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