How was the band?
- Thread starter ClassOf02
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They don't look any better nor do they look bigger. They did have new uniforms that looked nice I guess. They did the Star Wars thing. Again. Only this time they had some students dress up as characters. Yeah there was one student dressed up as Darth Vader and they were fighting with fake light sabers. It was the nerdiest, corniest thing I've ever seen.
Not only that but their formations were pretty lame. Half of the time they weren't even that straight. What is this band director doing?
I wasn't impressed and neither were the fans around me.
Not only that but their formations were pretty lame. Half of the time they weren't even that straight. What is this band director doing?
I wasn't impressed and neither were the fans around me.
As a member of the band you have to understand one thing, we just entered the B1G and you can't put us on the same standard as other B1G bands who have been on this level for quite some time and have higher budgets/staff...Compared to last year the band has improved immensely, we have new uniforms which you have to admit look a lot better than the last uniforms. The drill for this show was written in two days due to our original drill writer writing a monstrosity of a show and was fired immediately. So understand now we have a drill writer who has talent who, if given more time can write some great shows... Our pregame R is the closest it's been to the Rutgers R and dynamically I think we sound pretty damn good but there's always room for improvement.
Fair enough. I didn't know all of that. You guys sound fine btw, that's not the problem.
It's good to hear some changes being made and I'm sure there will be improvements.
Great first post! From a former RU Drum Major, welcome aboard!
If you think that's HALF the size of previous bands, you can't count. Or see.
Here's all u need to know:
New uniforms: very nice
Size of band: still too small, about same as last 2 yrs
Musicianship: fine
Choice of show: OMG, I think we stopped at a pop up Halloween store and got a Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker costume and put it in there, not cool, kinda pathetic. OSU band would've actually made a formation of DV and LS fighting w light sabers. Also, the flag twirlers doing light saber duels, enough. Let the music speak for itself.
New uniforms: very nice
Size of band: still too small, about same as last 2 yrs
Musicianship: fine
Choice of show: OMG, I think we stopped at a pop up Halloween store and got a Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker costume and put it in there, not cool, kinda pathetic. OSU band would've actually made a formation of DV and LS fighting w light sabers. Also, the flag twirlers doing light saber duels, enough. Let the music speak for itself.
We're at approx 220 members, which is slightly bigger than last years band.
There definitely will changes and improvements as the season progresses! Btw a lot of the members weren't fans of the drill for the first show either but we just had to deal with it. Hope you come to enjoy the bands overall performance by the end of the season. It's just offensive to us since we put so much time and effort into these shows and here feedback like that.
It's like you're not reading the above, very rational post by @bjf102 . Other Big Ten bands have been doing this with Big Ten tradition and budget a lot longer. This show was written in two days due to extenuating circumstances.
And it's not like the flag twirlers play an instrument...isn't their job to provide a visual accompaniment?
I thought the band was fine & kids loved the Star Wars theme, formations, music & hokey Vader/Skywalker dual. We're bigger the last 2 yrs & looking & sounding better. We will never be tOSU but we will continue to get better. Some of you are batshit crazy over the top critical.
I don't want to pile on but the band didn't do themselves any favors with the halftime show. I felt bad for the members. Can't use budget or 2 years in BIG as an excuse. No movement no volume and they continue to park and play to one side of the field. Move March do something anything but another corny Star Wars theme. Play to all four corners show some love to the home and student section and I think you will find people more supportive.
Star wars theme. On the year of the new star wars film. Oh how corny. :chairshot:
I'd it was executed properly it wouldn't have been corny. Looked extremely low budget and Ill prepared. I guess we saw it differently. The 2 sections closest to me agreed. I wasn't the only one. It was embarrassing.
Star wars is fine. But they ALWAYS do star wars. If not star wars then they do michael jackson. And the costumes with the lightsabers? That's just too much. I never seen a college band do anything like that before. It was corny. The band sounded great. The formations were, eh, ok.
I know they can do better.
Maybe it's just because I I'm vaguely obsessed with star wars, but the guys dressed in the robes were my favorite part, and I'd have loved to be them.
It was just goofy fun. And I like goofy fun.
I guess if the Rutgers band wants to be known for being goofy then by all means continue with the costumes. You don't think of "goofy" when you see the OSU band. You think "wow", "awesome", "cool", "smart", "clever". I just think that is what they should be aiming for.
If Tim Smith was a competent band director then he wouldn't need a drill writer - he would be writing the damn drill himself. That is absolutely no excuse. He is the problem why the band is not improving - every year here is another excuse. That's why there are so many band alumni that refuse to have to do aching with the band until he is gone.
I'm sorry I have to step in. Please tell me the last time the Rutgers band did a star wars show. Because I would honestly like to know. Same for Michael Jackson. I just finished 4 years in the Band and I can list all of my shows. The only thing that was definitely a repeat from within 5 years was the Spanish Fantasy show from 2 years ago that was played 4 years prior to that.
I didn't like posting on this board about the band when I was a member and it kills me to see the last 2 weeks 3 or 4 threads that have the band mentioned are filled with negative comments, though there are some very positive comments. For all the complaining about the size of the band, I know recruiting for the band very well I tried to get 3 incoming students to join this past year and put them in contact with the 3 person recruiting team. Not a single one of them joined. The band attends every New Student Orientation, tables at Involvement Fairs, Plays at APA days and gets names though that. There is no magic pool where new members come from. If every person who signed up for the interest in the band it could be massive but people look out for their education and don't want to invest the time.
I apologize for the rant but it really does disappoint me to see some of the more disparaging comments. Thanks.
I didn't like posting on this board about the band when I was a member and it kills me to see the last 2 weeks 3 or 4 threads that have the band mentioned are filled with negative comments, though there are some very positive comments. For all the complaining about the size of the band, I know recruiting for the band very well I tried to get 3 incoming students to join this past year and put them in contact with the 3 person recruiting team. Not a single one of them joined. The band attends every New Student Orientation, tables at Involvement Fairs, Plays at APA days and gets names though that. There is no magic pool where new members come from. If every person who signed up for the interest in the band it could be massive but people look out for their education and don't want to invest the time.
I apologize for the rant but it really does disappoint me to see some of the more disparaging comments. Thanks.
So you focus on one point in my response "Star Wars" and corny because you like goofy fun. I got it now. You don't make sense.
I only focused on that one part because that's the part I had an original response to. I hope I'm responding correctly to this post, because in all honesty, your writing in it is all jumbled and I don't know what you're saying.
The inability of the band to capitalize on playing with U2 for Jimmy Fallon and the Victoria's Secret show is flabbergasting. How are they having recruitment issues when they're the darlings of the university?
So they were larping during halftime? Man I wish I could suit up for Soup Bowl this year.
So they were larping during halftime? Man I wish I could suit up for Soup Bowl this year.
I personally paid for (sponsored) a couple of "new" uniforms this years. When I committed...I thought new meant different..not new purchases of the same old unis. My bad.
The Flag-less routine by the "color guard" was a joke. Same old stuff. Year after year.
I appreciate the students who participate in the band. Imagination, leadership, execution, inspiration, and big time approach is so lacking here....I feel bad for the students involved because they should be challenged more and they would have 200%+ more personal reward for their commitment.
THAT was so Group 1 High School...
The Flag-less routine by the "color guard" was a joke. Same old stuff. Year after year.
I appreciate the students who participate in the band. Imagination, leadership, execution, inspiration, and big time approach is so lacking here....I feel bad for the students involved because they should be challenged more and they would have 200%+ more personal reward for their commitment.
THAT was so Group 1 High School...
Gotcha. Typing on a cellphone not always the easiest. Not picking a fight. Just laughing at your response.
I think you may need new glasses if you think those are the same uniform as previous years.
I totally agree with you. I am not mocking the band or their effort but they always look ill prepared and are never put into a position where they have the opportunity to succeed
what exactly was SO different? my son pulled up a side by side on his phone....the plume?
I totally understand the "typing on a cell phone" thing.
And hey, I'm a star wars geek. Get to run around in robes with a lightsaber in front of 40k people, with around 200 people playing background music? Hell yeah I'd do it. Call me a dork, I don't care. That sounds like fun!
So.........first let me say to anyone in the band: you're awesome! Thanks for participating and making game day better.
But.....our first game of the year, we had to scrap a drill and do a new one in just two days? That doesn't sound like good preparation by band leadership. I know the students aren't working all summer, but surely we can expect those who lead the band to have a plan and not have to scramble two days before the season begins.
But.....our first game of the year, we had to scrap a drill and do a new one in just two days? That doesn't sound like good preparation by band leadership. I know the students aren't working all summer, but surely we can expect those who lead the band to have a plan and not have to scramble two days before the season begins.
You don't see any difference here? Aka the entire top, gloves, the sword?
Old
New(on the right):
Please show me the real front and back of the actual uniforms worn today. Not the mock ups. Perhaps since I only saw everyone's back from the home side I missed some of the changes. What you have above is what I saw when I made my donation. Would like to be wrong here on the uniforms.Old
New(on the right):
It's actually almost exactly like that. Hold on a second, I'm on my phone. (Edit: Photos below!)
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ok, you got me. I guess my expectations of new uniforms was going to be top to bottom. hats, shirts, and pants. I didn't realize it was just the shirts and gloves. Does Rutgers tell you guys to buy your own black pants and shoes? (god I hope not)
maybe I was hoping for a stripe and spats...sorry..from the back they look no different...but that is not any of the band's fault.
As the president of my HS band MANY years ago...(drummer-triplets)..I completely get what the sacrifice is.. YOU ALL are being held back.
maybe I was hoping for a stripe and spats...sorry..from the back they look no different...but that is not any of the band's fault.
As the president of my HS band MANY years ago...(drummer-triplets)..I completely get what the sacrifice is.. YOU ALL are being held back.
Can't answer that for you, as I'm not part if the band. @bjf102 ?
But the black pants may just be a longtime tradition. This picture is from 1958 or so.
Credit: Lawrence Gettleman, RU '62
The band will continue to improve. It will. I was never in band, but I enjoy them. And I appreciate that different schools have different styles (some emphasize the drill, others the musicianship, some include woodwinds, others are mostly brass, etc). I don't know what RU's style is or who our band-peers are.
I understand what rutgerssax is saying about recruiting, but I wonder how schools like JMU, which has nearly 500 in is marching band, recruit so many members. I think they host high school tournaments and travel around to high school events around Virginia. Not sure if RU does that kind of stuff or not. Kids in HS bands come up wanting to be in JMU's band. What do they have or do that Rutgers doesn't?
I think another problem we have is our fans. No matter where I am in the stadium, the halftime show seems to be most fans' time to walk around, converse with people five rows away, etc. As I said, I enjoy college marching bands, but try as I might, it's really hard to listen to the performance because of all of the noise in the stands. Coming from JMU, where the band is more loved than the football team most years, the noise/distraction was a disappointing surprise when I came to Rutgers.
I understand what rutgerssax is saying about recruiting, but I wonder how schools like JMU, which has nearly 500 in is marching band, recruit so many members. I think they host high school tournaments and travel around to high school events around Virginia. Not sure if RU does that kind of stuff or not. Kids in HS bands come up wanting to be in JMU's band. What do they have or do that Rutgers doesn't?
I think another problem we have is our fans. No matter where I am in the stadium, the halftime show seems to be most fans' time to walk around, converse with people five rows away, etc. As I said, I enjoy college marching bands, but try as I might, it's really hard to listen to the performance because of all of the noise in the stands. Coming from JMU, where the band is more loved than the football team most years, the noise/distraction was a disappointing surprise when I came to Rutgers.
yup..but perhaps that has everything to do with the show and the fact that the band plays pretty much standing still to the (old home) visitor's side of the stadium?
Great picture. I was born in 1958 so that could have been on my original birthday :)
Whan I was "on the banks"...the Marching 100 would actually spell our RUTGERS pre-game led by the Drum Major just like Ohio State does sans dotting the i.
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