Band battle / LJWorld.com

Archive for Tuesday, October 17, 2006

The Marching Jayhawks looked snappy, but many would say they lost the battle of the bands at Memorial Stadium Saturday.

J-W Editorials

October 17, 2006

Spectators in Memorial Stadium saw Kansas University get shown up twice Saturday: once by the Oklahoma State football team and once by the Oklahoma State marching band.

The Marching Jayhawks, which number about 165 this year, were dwarfed by the Cowboy band that brought 270 students to Memorial Stadium. The OSU band easily drowned out the KU band and made an impressive appearance on the field at halftime with a band that featured seven xylophones and about 25 flag twirlers.

The KU band members performed well and looked snazzy in their two-year-old uniforms, but they couldn't help but look a little puny by comparison to their counterpart from the south. The "Feather the Flock" campaign allowed KU to order 300 new uniforms for the band two years ago, but only about half of those uniforms are in use. Although band directors have said they want to increase the band's size, the group is about 15 members smaller than last year.

What does OSU know that KU is missing?

Bradley Snow, director of the OSU marching band, told the Journal-World Monday that his band's membership has grown in the last five or 10 years, along with the success of the OSU football team. Although some music majors in the band have scholarships, the majority of the band members participate without stipends, the same as at KU.

Travel is a key perk, he said, a perk that is increasing with the support of the OSU athletic department. Although a smaller pep band goes to most OSU away games, he said, Saturday was the only scheduled trip this season for the full band. However, that changed after the OSU athletic director saw the band having what he judged to be a decisive positive impact on the outcome of Saturday's game, Snow said. The full band now is scheduled to accompany the team to Lubbock, Texas, for the Nov. 18 game against Texas A&M. All of the band's travel expenses are paid by the OSU athletic department, with whom, Snow noted, the band has a great relationship.

It seems there may be a lesson in that for KU. With all of the emphasis the KU athletic department has placed on fundraising, isn't there enough money to provide increased support for the Marching Jayhawks? A stronger KU football team probably is part of the equation for attracting additional band members, but maybe the OSU athletic department is on to something when it recognizes a relationship between a strong band and a strong team.

Putting the university's best foot forward by filling the field with a top-notch marching band shows pride in KU as well as its football program. That seems like something the KU athletic department should be willing to invest in.

Discussion

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17 October 2006
at 3:50 p.m.

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GuardChica (Anonymous) says…

Enrollment dropped because of the uncertainty of having a completely new director. All things considered, it was a small drop.

Secondly, why do people seemed convinced we can change this midseason? Building a band is a process (OSU took 5-10 years) and it's only been three and a half since KU hit rock bottom. Give Mr. Clemmer a few years and it will grow. That's why we have 300 uniforms.
19 October 2006
at 7:20 p.m.

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britt408 (Anonymous) says…

As a 3-year member and drum major for the Marching Jayhawks, I have spent a ridiculous amount of money and put hundreds of hours into this band…we all have, and for very little, if any compensation. I won't lie, it sucks to hear our band called “puny”, saying we got “shown up” and “drowned out”, especially with all of the hard work and time we put in. It almost makes us sound like we're lazy and don't care about how we sound and look, which isn't true. Not to mention that constantly being compared to other bands is getting kind of annoying. Who cares if OSU has 270 members? Not me.

On the other hand, this editorial is right. A strong band definitely helps form a strong team and vice versa. And I agree the athletic department could do much more for the band, considering the band's effect on the team and fans. We definitely have the potential to be a larger, much stronger band in time.

The past few years, and this year in particular, have been a time of transition for us with new directors. Just give us time and support and we'll be back to where we were years ago.