They call them themselves the Pride of All Nebraska. Some say they are the most popular band in the state. I know for a fact they are the largest band in the state, standing strong with 330 members. No, I'm not talking about a local rock band, I'm talking about the Cornhusker Marching Band of course! Today on Loving Local Lincoln, I decided to take a look at what our local students are doing to provide so much to our community.
You can hear them ringing around the entire city during football season. The Cornhusker Marching Band plays at gigs, events, fundraisers, bars, and of course football games, throughout the fall semester. Each one being at a non-scheduled time for these kids. Their dedication and work effort definitely goes unnoticed by many, but today, I am here to shine light on the future of our community and what they are doing behind the scenes to provide us with pride, cheer, and entertainment.
The band in compromised of 330 members, including staff and color guard. They are undergraduate (and some graduate) students of all majors and backgrounds. There are kids from as far away as eastern Pennsylvania in the band majoring in everything from ag. econ, to studio art. As a four year member of the band, I was immersed in the hard work and dedication it takes to be a part of something so amazing and large.
Marching band is set up like any other class that someone might take at the University. We have a scheduled meeting time every single day, and we get a grade at the end of the year. What people don't realize is all the extra time and effort that goes into it. When you put it on paper, meeting from 7am until 8:20am Monday through Friday doesn't seem so bad. In reality, though, these kids are usually on campus by 6:15am every day meeting with their sections practicing. They then have to take countless hours throughout the week to practice their music, and make sure it's memorized for Saturday's game. Not to mention all of the other events, gigs, or sporting events they are asked to make a presence at throughout the week. Check out some of the events that the band plays at here: http://www.unl.edu/band/welcome . All of this really adds up along with the other fifteen credit hours a lot of these kids are enrolled in.
Pushing all of this hard work aside, I can first hand say that every moment of this is worth it. Marching Band provided me with the opportunity to perform in front of 91,000 of the country's craziest sports fanatics. It provided me with hundreds of people I can honestly call some of my best friends. And most importantly, it provided me with a sense of belonging and pride to this University and this state.
As I stated before, the kids in the marching band are the ones that are soon to be out in our work field. They are the ones that are going to be creating the next revolutionary product or app for your phone. The hard work and dedication it takes to be a part of this group makes for an amazing future, and I am so thankful that I got an opportunity to be a part of it. Just another reason why diving into Local Lincoln is so important.
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