At attention, staring forward without movement, the last seconds expire on the game clock. You receive the command to march into position to begin the performance you’ve been waiting for. You take a deep breath in as the drums begin their rhythms, leading the band onto the field. Your horn reaches your mouth, all nervousness seizes to exist, you perform the song practiced so many times before.
For many Jesuit and Ursuline students attending a Friday night football game, halftime means going to the concession stands or talking to friends, but for about 85 students that make up the Jesuit Ursuline Ranger Band this year, halftime means having the opportunity to put all of their heart into a performance.
The discipline and technique was instilled into every member in early August at Band Camp. Drum Major Chris Lanyon ’14, a flute player since 6th grade, described what band camp is and the procedure used to instill this discipline, “Band camp is for two weeks, Monday through Friday and lasts from 7 in the morning until around 4 in the afternoon. We start the morning off by going outside and practice marching, and as time went on, we would use this time to begin learning our show. We would do this until about noon, when we would go inside for lunch. After lunch, the band would break off and each section would work individually with a teacher to begin learning the show music. We do this until about 3 or so when the band meets up again, but this time to practice the show music as a group as well as work on songs that will be played in the stands. It can get pretty hot during the morning, but we always cool down [with] delicious Flavor-Ice, which is essentially flavored frozen water.”
Jake Radcliff ’15, a saxophone player since his freshman year, explained what the band does in the stands on Friday nights, “we play what are appropriately called ‘stand tunes’. These are songs that are usually recognizable by most listeners and are meant to provide a positive vibe to the game.” About halfway through the second quarter, the band heads down to do a quick warmup, run through the marching show, and line up to march onto the field. For Drum Major Chris Wolff ’14, trumpet player since 5th grade, the band seems to go unnoticed most of the time on Fridays, saying “I think a lot of people don’t notice the amount of songs we actually play on Friday nights. People realize that the band is there and actually playing, but we’re not as big of a band as a lot of the other bands, so we can be overshadowed by the amount of talking that the parents do or just from the game itself. We try our best to be as loud as we can and be there to support the team. The amount that we’re actually doing and playing is going unnoticed.”
The Jesuit-Ursuline Ranger Band is directed by Donovan Putnam and Zane Crownover from Jesuit, and Jane Chambers from Ursuline. I asked Crownover what marching band means to him as a director, “I wouldn’t be doing this job if I didn’t love marching band. Marching band is one of my favorite things in the whole world. It’s a remarkable thing. If you were to tell me ‘you’re going to get 100 teenagers to all do the same thing in sync with each other and it’s going to be great.’ You could ask almost any stranger that and they’d be like, ‘you’re crazy’. It’s amazing that you can [see] individuals that are in a marching band… they’re just a part of the equation. Everyone rises to the challenge and we create this great piece of art that couldn’t exist without all the hard work and dedication from all of it’s members. It’s really remarkable.”
Nevertheless, the music doesn’t stop in the band hall, located in the Terry Center, after football season ends. Wolff explains: “We have two seasons: concert season and marching season. When the football games end, we switch over to concert season which is our concert style of music that we play. We play Christmas music and perform Spring and Christmas concerts. It’s quite a change because we don’t have drum majors for concert season. It’s just the directors. Everyone is playing their instrument for concert season so it’s different.”
Lanyon spoke about concert season briefly in our interview, “Concert season shifts the focus of the band from being outside working on the marching show to focusing on different, usually more complicated music inside. We are able to play much more challenging music because all of our focus is on the music and we don’t have to worry about a marching show to practice.”
Radcliff also elaborated on concert season, “During concert season, we play more difficult music because we don’t have an entire marching show to memorize as well. We have played songs like “The Polar Express”, “Undertoe”, “Pixar Movie Magic”, and “Shenandoah”.
“Band is more than just a one credit course” says nine-year band director Mr. Crownover. “Band is one of the few courses when you get to have the same teacher and a student share a classroom for all four years. I don’t think there’s any other opportunity on campus where you can develop better personal relationships with students and teachers and really get to know a student and impact their life in a great way.”
Wolff feels the camaraderie with his Jesuit brothers and the Ursuline girls. “Being in band is really an opportunity to grow closer to my Jesuit brothers and the girls from Ursuline together through music. Being together in band is an opportunity for us to share our love of music and be together.”
For Lanyon, the band is treated like family. “Honestly, the band is my family. Starting from the the first day of band camp the other officers and I spent our time training people how to march, play, and just be successful musicians in general. Every time I watch the band perform from my podium, I am filled with pride due to the time and effort everyone on the field, especially the freshman class, has put in to make the show possible.”
I later asked Band President Maddie Flores ’14, a flute player since 4th grade, to share her thoughts on the relationships she’s formed in band. “Honestly, … When you’re outside and marching with somebody, like during Band Camp in August, and you’re really hot and sweaty or when you have to march … in the rain or when it’s cold and dark outside, those are the trenches… that’s really how you make friends.”
Crownover said the one piece of knowledge he would pass on to the students is, “Play what you feel and don’t be afraid to reach deep into your soul and just find the music and the joy that’s in there. Remember why we play music, because we love it at some point in time. It’s one of God’s greatest expressions of his love for us.” He added, “And more air.”
Lanyon finished by saying, “If I were to leave a message to the rest of the band, it would probably be to keep up the hard work and dedication in the years to come. Being able to work with such a committed and hard working group of people is a rare opportunity, and I am so glad that I was able to do so.”
Flores concluded by saying, “If anyone had been thinking about joining band, but was maybe a little hesitant because of the whole marching thing and missing out on that, the season is winding down and if you would like to join us for concert season, you are more than welcome to [join us].”
All-State auditions are also a big part of mid-year activities for the band. Lanyon elaborated, “My favorite part of being in the band would probably be performing in the all state band. We leave Thursday morning for a hotel in San Marcos Texas where about 100 of the best musicians in the state all perform together. We have rehearsal all day Thursday, Friday, and then part of Saturday. Saturday night is our performance where we get to play incredible music. In what little free time we have, we often have loads of fun which can include anything from having crazy dance parties in another kids room to hanging out by the pool listening to music on someone’s portable speaker. The three years I’ve gone I have always had a blast and I look forward to possibly again this year.”
The Jesuit-Ursuline Band is far from finished, with plenty of experiences to be shared. The group of musicians making up this great organization are committed beyond words, full of enthusiasm, committed to putting themselves above all competition, and all working towards the common goal of achieving greatness.
