There’s just something about college football in the fall that makes it special. Maybe it’s the seemingly perfect temperature, the roaring of the crowd on third downs or sitting and chanting amongst fellow fans, feeling a strong sense of pride.
For Virginia football fans, the blaring of horns and beating of drums have become fixtures of the game day experience.
Founded in 2003, the Cavalier Marching Band has been firing up Scott Stadium for more than a decade with sounds of school spirit and tradition. Though the football teams have varied in success over this time, the marching band has been the program’s rock — always delivering a stellar performance when the team needs a lift.
With over 300 members acting as cogs in their machine, the band — directed since its inception by William Pease, associate professor of music and director of bands — has remained a mainstay at the University by recruiting new members with their strong presence at home games.
“I had only done a year of marching band in high school, and while I enjoyed it, I wasn’t too sure I wanted to continue doing it in college,” said third-year Engineering student Daryl Brown, a trumpet player. “Seeing the band perform at the first game of my first year completely changed that – I was awestruck and ready to be on the field again.”
Folks far beyond the Charlottesville area have noticed the band’s great talent. The marching band performed at the 2015 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, and played alongside star musician Lee Greenwood in 2017 to the tune of his hit song “God Bless the U.S.A.” at a home game against Indiana.
The band’s formula for success is typical to that of a sports team — hard and tiresome preparation. Before a home football game, the team typically has three two-hour practice windows each week and does a full run through of the halftime performance on game day before kickoff.
“Anyone who goes to Scott [Stadium] regularly knows that we do a different halftime show for every game,” said third-year College student Matthew Steelberg, a sousaphone player. “That means over the course of a week or two, we’ll get new music and new drill, [or] field positioning. The typical process involves learning the music and the drill separately, memorizing the music and then putting it all together.”
Learning a lot of information under a tight time frame can sometimes be overwhelming for members.
“Depending on the week, it can get very hectic, said second-year Nursing student Evan Teaster, a trumpet player. “For some games, we only get a week to learn and memorize our show drill and music.”
Long and complex practices in the hot and muggy September air every week undoubtedly have the potential to be brutal. A strong culture of cooperation and accountability helps keep morale up amongst the team through the dog days, Teaster said.
“Marching band has no all stars, first string or varsity,” Teaster said. “Roughly 320 people need to be ‘all in’ to perform our shows, and there’s no sitting on the sidelines. Everyone contributes to that massive sound you hear on game days. A team mentality is crucial.”
It may be easy to draw a comparison between a marching band and the team they play for, between the tedious preparation and mentality of playing as a single unit. As Steelberg puts it — however — the cohesion needed for a strong band performance transcends what should be expected of individuals on a sports team.
“What separates something like marching band is that in most groups — sports or otherwise — a team succeeds by letting individuals play to their strengths and sort of dodging their weaknesses,” Steelberg said. “You can’t do that as a marching band.”
While football players may be able to avoid it, a mistake by even one member during a performance can be felt by the audience.
“Fans can see every single marcher at all times, and if not everyone plays their instrument, the sound will underwhelm,” Steelberg said. “It’s our job to not only make sure we’re ready as individuals — but that everyone else around us is ready to go too.”
Many members have said that being a productive member of the band takes a great level of investment to ensure success for oneself, the members around them and the band as a whole.
Daunting? Maybe. But joining the band can provide an unmatched opportunity to grow as an individual.
“I’ve learned that what I produce is only as good as the effort that I put into it,” Brown said. “Whenever I’ve got a task in front of me, it’s ‘all in’ until it’s done, and done right.”
Teaster echoes these sentiments, while adding in the band’s great sense of community has enhanced his college experience.
“Marching at U.Va. in the CMB has given me so many opportunities to grow and meet people … Implementing that ‘full bore’ mindset into my studies and other areas has definitely helped me become who I am,” Teaster said.
That community mindset has manifested itself among marching band members over the years, as they have built a lasting culture of togetherness. Many band members live together and have events with each other regularly outside of practice.
Despite the long hours together during the week, they never seem to tire of each other’s company.
“The product of working incredibly hard with the same folks for up to 10 hours a week is that you get really close with them — and there are 300 of us, so we kind of make up our own little ecosystem within U.Va. culture,” Steelberg said.
Of course, the main fruits of their tireless work with each other comes together in their shows, which feature new innovations and themes every week. Each person interviewed was easily able to recount their most memorable moment on the field.
“Last year, my favorite show was our Bruno Mars performance … We were able to pull off a really good sound, learn some dance moves, and make a form that somewhat looked like Bruno’s face all in one week,” Teaster said. “The accomplishment felt after playing that show was second to none for the rest of the season.”
Being able to watch every home football and basketball game from start to finish grants marching band members with the chance to make memories that aren’t just around playing — some of which are truly special and unique.
“The Georgia Tech [football] game last year was the unforgettable one for me,” Brown said. “The game was almost over, the rain was coming down hard and almost no one was left in the stadium. After our last-minute victory, the last of the student section rushed the field, and we wailed in celebration of our bowl game eligibility.”
Through pouring rain and muggy Saturdays, the marching band supports Virginia sports with unrelenting enthusiasm and exciting performances. Though the success of the teams they play for may fluctuate, the band looks to figure as a consistent pulse of Cavalier pride for years to come.
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