A little history

[kubandalum]

First a little confession: I only spent my freshman and sophomore years in the marching band. The amount of time it took interfered with my studies after that.

My two years in the marching band were the last two years that the marching band was 100% male. The band was small by Big 8 standards. We only had about 150 members. Women became part of it my junior year, and the band grew in size then, too.

My biggest fear then was tripping running down the steps in the horseshoe end of the stadium in the pregame. Small steps. My sophomore year I was the first one down the steps on one side. Scary!

We weren’t the best looking band on the field in the Big 8, but we could outplay any of them. In another thread, I mentioned that Mizzou fan thugs threw oranges at us in Memorial Stadium my freshman year. The next year we went to Mizzou, and both bands sat next to each other in the end zone bleachers. They would play, and then we would play. At the end of the game, a Mizzou student came up to me, and said, “You guys sound great!” I’ll always remember that.

Decades later, my niece was in both the marching band and basketball band in the magical 2007-2008 season (I envy that). A grad student was arranging music for us, and she told me that as a member of the staff, he was still arranging music for them, too. I think his name was Barnes. Among his arrangements for us were “25 or 6 to 4,” “Vehicle,” and “Also Sprach Zarathustra.” Good times.

She told me the band no longer would travel to Mizzou, because Mizzou fans had thrown bottles at them.

[Deleted User 89]

fucking slavers...good riddance

thanks for sharing

[DrPepper]

I was in the KU marching band in 1992 (just one year; checked that off my bucket list). The football team was good that year (Aloha Bowl winners; Glen Mason-coach). The crowds were good that year (31-48k at Memorial Stadium). I had attended KU Band Days during high school, so I enjoyed the football games as a chance to see the Marching Jayhawks march down the hill, hog call under the stands, storm onto the field for the pregame, sing the alma mater, do something new each halftime, and stay for the concert at the end until the most beautiful of arrangement of Home on the Range was played.
Playing Home on the Range (so stinking beautiful- tons of brass) in the stands is a great memory for me. It was also an honor to play for Robert E Foster (director of bands).

Too bad that college band days no longer exist. The ability of TV stations to dictate and change college game start times at the last minute prohibits high schools from doing the necessary logistics.

Anyway, Mizzou was the game we traveled to in 1992. It was an ordeal. I remember the batteries and coins being thrown and being really happy to be leaving Columbia. I can't imagine what it would have been like if KU had won that game. Exiting the stadium and riding out of town on a bus are the only memories I have of that game.

[DCHawk1]

I was in the KU marching band in 1992 (just one year; checked that off my bucket list). The football team was good that year (Aloha Bowl winners; Glen Mason-coach). The crowds were good that year (31-48k at Memorial Stadium). I had attended KU Band Days during high school, so I enjoyed the football games as a chance to see the Marching Jayhawks march down the hill, hog call under the stands, storm onto the field for the pregame, sing the alma mater, do something new each halftime, and stay for the concert at the end until the most beautiful of arrangement of Home on the Range was played.
Playing Home on the Range (so stinking beautiful- tons of brass) in the stands is a great memory for me. It was also an honor to play for Robert E Foster (director of bands).

Too bad that college band days no longer exist. The ability of TV stations to dictate and change college game start times at the last minute prohibits high schools from doing the necessary logistics.

Anyway, Mizzou was the game we traveled to in 1992. It was an ordeal. I remember the batteries and coins being thrown and being really happy to be leaving Columbia. I can't imagine what it would have been like if KU had won that game. Exiting the stadium and riding out of town on a bus are the only memories I have of that game.

Is your name Bruce?

[pdub]

This is the kind of stuff I love reading. Please keep sharing stuff like this.

[DrPepper]

I wasn’t nearly good enough to be in the basketball band. But all marching band members could get into the bball games for free. This was the day of paper tickets. We just had to enter via the southwest entrance and get our name checked off of a list.
To this day, when seeing college bands on tv, I always check to see if they are using music. Back in my day, it had to be memorized if you played for KU. We were just that cool.
No, my name is not Bruce.

[kubandalum]

But all marching band members could get into the bball games for free. This was the day of paper tickets. We just had to enter via the southwest entrance and get our name checked off of a list.

We didn’t get tickets, but we did get stipend at the end of the season; about $50, I think.

[Leawood]

It is disappointing to read about KU band members being abused in Columbia. Where I went to undergrad (I wasn't allowed to go to KU), I went to approximately 10 games in Columbia. Missouri had a good marching band (not as good as the counter-marching KU band). The golden girls were and are amazing.

KU needs to bring back the Crimson Girls.

[chiknbut]

I was in the band from 1980-83. We were good. Traveled to road games at Oklahoma State, Tulsa, Iowa State and K-State. The band was given the game ball after a big win at Iowa State.

Mr. Barnes was a very talented arranger - and he hated my guts. We battled for three years and I'm sure I was just a gigantic pain in his ass. Couldn't do it my senior year as I had to spend most of my time at the Kansan newsroom. Received a nice call from Barnes and Dr. Foster, asking me to reconsider. Seniors at that time received a stipend - something like $150 - if they stuck around for their last year.

It was a great time. And practices in that Kansas heat had me in great shape. I think I was 165 pounds for most of my time at KU. My God those uniforms were hot. Closing off the stairs prior to the pre-game run down the aisles was always interesting. Old farts from Nebraska and Oklahoma, probably drinking bloodies since day break, used to fight their way through us, swinging elbows and fists.

Ours was the first class that was not allowed to go to Mizzou for a game. Two years earlier there was a near riot on the field at Clodumpia when the band performed - students rushing the field.

I think it was my sophomore year, the team was doing really well - I want to say we started off 6-0. Fans started throwing oranges on the field after games - the winner of the Big 8 got the automatic bid to the Orange Bowl. Eventually the team came back down to earth and got destroyed by Nebraska and Oklahoma. We even lost a Saturday night game at K-State. I was standing with the other trombones at midfield getting ready for our halftime performance when an orange came whipping out of the stands and crashed against the bell of my horn. A huge roar went up from the crowd. It was fucking scary. The football team went on to play in the Hall of Fame Bowl in Birmingham and the band went along. That was pretty great.

It was three really fun years. Met some great friends who I still stay in touch with to this day. My favorite was always playing what seemed like our entire catalogue of music to the people who stuck around as the stands emptied. Ending with "Home on the Range," which was a great Barnes arrangement, still makes me smile.

But Barnes was responsible for a ton of really good half time shows. At the Hall of Fame Bowl we did "The Wizard of Oz," which was fantastic. "The Sound of Music" show was excellent. We recorded all of our halftime shows at Hoch at the end of each season. I'd love to hear those again.

[Deleted User 104]

Jim was the best teacher I ever had. Not afraid to tell it like it is. I wouldn't be as successful as I am now without him as a teacher. He would be considered too harsh these days. Students would demand he be fired.

[japhy]

My name is Bruce. My daughter played in the marching band for 4 years. Mostly in the sousaphone section for 3 years and last year as a drum major. She had decided she wanted to be a drum major on the KU marching band when she was in junior high school I think she told me. It took her 8 years but she did it. She also played for 2 years on the men's basketball pep band. Traveling to the Final Four and meeting Charles Barkley were a couple of the high points of her career. My favorite memory of her in the band was at the Champions Classic game against UK in Chicago. I was watching on TV and she would text me during games. I got a text from her in the first half and it was a photo of a guy in a KU cap nearby. I didn't recognize him but she always finds celebrities in a crowd. I asked her who it was. The reply was "Chad Smith, he is playing with us at halftime". I asked what? Then I see her on TV at halftime. I asked later how that happened, was it planned? How did he become a KU fan? She tells me she caught his eye at some point while staring at him during the game and gives him the "I see you, double finger point." He laughs and nods, and then she holds up her hands like she had drum sticks and starts miming that she is playing. Then she points at him and points at the drummer in front of her. He shakes his head no. She does it again and shakes her head yes. He signals 5 and goes back to watching the game. In a couple of minutes he shows up in front of the band as halftime is about to start. He sits down and the rest is history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ5CQvAQbgs

[Shirley]

Damn Bruce! Your daughter must have been stoked!

#iplayedsousaphonetoo

[seahawk]

Soooo cool!