This special chapter of the Game Day Revisited series is devoted primarily to school marching bands but also to few dance teams I photographed at games during the original Game Day tour project.
Many schools did not (and in some cases, still do not) have marching bands or dance teams, and so to fairly represent school instrumental ensembles available at all schools that I visited, I will present such information that I learned through the 2024 updating portion of Game Day Revitied.
Schools listed below are in the order I visited them.
FRANKLIN COLLEGE
Franklin College does not have a marching band, but it did have (and might still have) an athletics band that performs at all home football games and several home basketball games. In addition, it debuted a marching drum line in 2016. Students can also participate in string and/or wind ensembles at the school.
The two pictures below were from the pep band that I noticed at the 2012 game between Franklin and Earlham colleges.
HANOVER COLLEGE
Hanover College did not have a marching band when I visited the school for a football game in October 2011. But it did have a modest pep band that performed at the men's basketball game (vs. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology) that I photographed in February 2011. Below are the pictures I took of the pep band from that visit.
In addition, the college music department avails students to the following instrumental ensembles: Hanover Concert Band, Hanover College-Community Orchestra, saxophone ensemble and drum line.
WABASH COLLEGE
Wabash College does not have a marching band, but its Department of Music offers students a choice of four instrumental ensembles in which they can participate — orchestra, brass, jazz and Wamidan World Music.
The modest-sized pep band shown in the first two pictures below were present for the Little Giants game against Wittenberg University in November 2011.
Below the pep band photos are images of an interesting lineup of members of Wabash’s Sphinx Club. They aren’t dancers, but they do perform various athletic formations and exercises at halftime of home games.
DEPAUW UNIVERSITY
I cannot say that I remember seeing the DePauw University band get on the playing field to perform a full program at either of the two Monon Bell Classic games I attended (2011 and 2012). That doesn't mean it didn't, but after scouring my photo archives from those two shoots, I could not find a single image in which the DePauw band did any marching.
More than likely, the instrumentalists were members of the University Band, and it executed a short program along the sidelines before the 2011 game, and it did make itself known by performing throughout the games in areas of the grandstands, as the photos in this section of the chapter can attest.
In addition to the University Band, DePauw's Music Department offers the following other instrumental ensembles for students to join: University Orchestra, Symphonic Band, jazz and contemporary.
At halftime of the 2011 game, which DePauw hosted in Greencastle, Ind., the school’s dance team, the DePauw Poms, did perform on the field at halftime. Some pictures of their performance follow the first set of band images from the 2011 game. (Note: I could not find any indication that such a dance team still exists at DePauw. The most recent reference to it I could find in a search on the Internet was from 2015. That doesn’t mean it no longer exists, just that I was not able to confirms it still exists.)
The few pictures I took of a smaller version of the university band at the 2012 game at Wabash in Crawfordsville, Ind., follow the Poms below and close out the DePauw section of the chapter.
MARIAN UNIVERSITY
For several days after I visited Marian University in Indianapolis in November 2011, I kept thinking to myself how much I enjoyed the experience.
No doubt the enjoyment was enhanced by the fact that I was able to take in the show only a short distance away, on the performance venue, St. Vincent Field, which was only two years old at the time of my visit.
The university put on a wonderful, well-rounded show — the football competition on the gridiron, and the pregame and halftime (especially) entertainment featuring the Marian Marching Knights and Drumline and Color Guard. No other small-school I visited that autumn came close to touching Marian in doing all that for its spectators.
The marching band is one of four band and instrument performance options that students can join at Marian. There are also pep, concert and jazz bands as well as a string ensemble.
To see a full gallery of images of the Marian University Marching Knights, Drumline and Color Guard, follow the link in this sentence.
TAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Taylor University does not have a marching band, but students can participate in the following instrumental ensembles: symphony orchestra, wind, jazz, jazz combo and Exploration of Global Music.
The school did have a modest pep band in the grandstands playing during the game I photographed, versus Saint Xavier University in October 2012, as shown in the photos in this section.
UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS
There was no marching band at the University of Indianapolis game I photographed in November 2012, but members of the UIndy Dance Team entertained the crowd at halftime. The Dance Team is a club sport at the university. The team performs at football games and men’s and women’s basketball teams. Scholarships are available for members;
more information for these is available at UIndy’s website.
UIndy does offer students opportunities to participate in five instrumental ensembles: symphony orchestra, symphonic wind, chamber orchestra, jazz, and pep band. It also offers multiple instrumental chamber instrumental ensembles: African drum, baroque, brass quintet, collaborative piano, flute choir, handbell, jazz, percussion and piano.
UNIVERSITY OF ST. FRANCIS (FORT WAYNE)
The University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne, Ind., apparently did have a marching band at one time, but does not have one now, according to Julie Caldwell, director of career development for USF.
The school did have a modest pep band on hand for the November 2012 first-round NAIA postseason tournament game I photographed at the school, as shown in the photos below.
Caldwell explained that the school’s music program is a niche one in that it concentrates on electronic music. In fact, it offers a major in music technology. It has a music technology center in downtown Fort Wayne and has a student-run record label, Marble Lounge Records, which released its first album, Legend or Myth, by Rosalind & the Way in June 2018.
USF does offer students interested in instrumental music to participate in jazz, guitar and electronic music ensembles.
ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE
St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer had a pretty smart marching band, and by “smart,” I mean that it’s accomplished — and fun. It was apparent that the student performers enjoyed what they were doing as they plied their very good skills.
I felt the band pump considerable atmosphere into the stadium environment during the game I photographed there Sept. 7, 2013.
The drummers, particularly, kept the beat going on for extended periods during the game, which is why is why I led this chapter with a closeup of the drummers’ sticks preparing to strike another beat.
Sadly, school officials halted traditional four-year schooling at St. Joseph’s when they suspended academic operations in 2017 because of financial troubles.
Above and next eight below: The rhythm section of the marching band, which anchored the north end zone of Alumni Football Field. I’m not sure why the one percussionist put the bandana or neck scarf up around his face; it was very hot and humid. It didn’t last there very long.
Above: I don’t know for sure, but I believe this youngster is related to Robb Thiel, who was director of college bands at St. Joseph’s at the time of my visit.
ROSE-HULMAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology does not have a marching band, but it does have a sizable pep band, which was evident at the Sept. 21, 2013, game that I photographed on homecoming weekend. (See photos below).
In addition to the pep band, students can participate in the following instrumental ensembles: symphony orchestra, concert band, drum tao and jazz band.
Above and below: Homecoming halftim was packed with activities and entertainment, starting with the cheerleaders, who went through some exercises at midfield.
Above and next four below: Also at halftime, three teams of high school students from Carmel, Indianapolis and West Lafayette who participate in the annual FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) international youth robotics competition gave a demonstration of their creations that flung flying discs onto the field, where a young man did his best to catch and corral them.
MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY
The Spartan Pride Marching Band made its debut in 2020, six years after my visit to the campus for a game in 2014. Unfortunately, there was no music at the game I attended.
In addition to the marching band, there are several other instrumental ensembles available to students on campus, including the Manchester Symphony Orchestra, which consists of talented musicians from the university student body, faculty and alumni as well as members of the North Manchester area community.
Students also are welcome to audition for the school's symphonic band, jazz band, Oak Leaf Brass, percussion ensemble and string ensemble.
TRINE UNIVERSITY
Trine University's Sound of Thunder marching band provided entertainment before and at halftime of the 2015 homecoming game against Oliver (Mich.) College. The halftime show featured a program that included a bit of dancing and xylophone music as well as traditional marching formations.
After the Sound of Thunder's performance, the school's High Voltage Dance Team came onto the field to put an exclamation mark on the mid-point entertainment.
I open this section of the chapter with a photo composed around one of the band conductor’s hats, sitting on the artificial turf during the halftime show. I needed a few seconds to set this up. As I did, I prayed the band wouldn’t change formation before I was able to press the shutter button ... and fortunately, I lucked out.
Trine University offers student musicians an opportunity to earn ensemble scholarships to participate in any of its musical ensembles, including the university choir. In addition to the Sound of Thunder, other instrumental ensembles are wind ensemble, university jazz bands (which includes university big band and jazz combo), and chamber orchestra. More information about the scholarships is available at Trine’s
music department website.
To view
a full gallery of images from the Trine game halftime entertainment, follow the link in this sentence.
EARLHAM COLLEGE
Earlham College does not have a marching band, but students interested in instrumental performance can participate in the following: Earlham Symphony Orchestra, Javanese Gamelan Ensemble, jazz ensemble and Latin Jazz, hand drum ensemble, Rhythm Project, Afro-Cuban Drumming, string quartet, flute choir and brass ensemble.
ANDERSON UNIVERSITY
Anderson University did not have a marching band at the time I visited the university for a game in 2016. However, a pep band and drumline program debuted at the school in fall 2022. The school has several other instrumental ensembles, including the wind symphony, which the university considers its premier ensemble. It consists of 70 to 90 musicians. There also is a symphony orchestra and jazz ensemble.
End of series
Previously in Game Day Revisited:
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