Whatever happened to...

[Bergermeister]

96 Guys and a Doll?
I realize that we had to let girls into the band years ago, but we have far less than 96 and now we don't even have a doll? What's the deal? No scholarship money? No interest from the University? No interest from the Music Department? Great sound, great spirit and great shows, but I'm afraid we're getting down to the size of the North Dallas High School Band... 15. Pretty soon we'll have a lower case Diamond m!!!

[couch 'em]

A number of things happened to us. I'll go down the list:

We have no doll this year because we could not find one. It isn't a permanant thing, we had a great twirler last year but we just couldn't get one this year.

As far as 96 guys...well... First off, the band cannot give reasonable scholarships. I get a relativly large scholarship and it is just a token gesture, I could earn more money working a $7/hr campus job in the time I spend with the band. Secondly, Meadows is very anti-Mustang Band. They will discourage or outright forbid their players from joining the band. I know a certain cymbal player who is a music major, but cannot let anyone in the music school know that he plays in the band, despite the fact that he is getting his performace major in a string instrument. He will be put in teh dog house. (he isn't worried, btw, that he will be seen at a game - music school profs wouldn't be caught dead in Ford Stadium)

So basically, the band is made up of people who can play an instrument, are already going to SMU but are not affiliated with the music school, do not mind marching, still want to play dispite the fact they are not majoring in music, and can afford the time commitment. This is a small pool of people indeed. The poor performance of the football team the past many years hasn't helped either.

As a member of the band these things frustrate me. In the old days they could give full scholarships and bring people to SMU just to play in the band, but now we get whatever we can. And that hurts quality as well as size. (note: The messed up playing of Varsity during pregame last night was not the fault of the band... For some reason a tape of Varsity started by accident {probably something to do with the words being put on the diamond vision...I don't know) and that is why it sounded like we screwed up)

Perhaps the people on this board will tell the school that they would like the band to have a reasonable budget, and would like the music school to stop being [deleted]. (and sending us to the hawaii game would be nice too!)

BTHOOTCU

[MrMustang1965]

Mr. Rohr is spinning in his grave! So is Henry Shiels!

More 'traditions' being shelved in favor of new-fangled, untested ideas. Sad. Very sad.

------------------
"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!"

[This message has been edited by MrMustang1965 (edited 09-09-2002).]

[MustangBandsman]

Mustang65,
What are you talking about?!?! What new fangled traditions have been started? It's the same band playing the same songs, it's just that people have lost interest and support, thus the numbers are lower. Please clarify.

[Bergermeister]

Interesting. The band needs a source of funds from the university (as well as a sugar daddy or someone sympathetic to the plight of the Mustang Band). The band does so much for the school, it should not have to struggle. Can it be put in with the athletic department?

[MustangBandsman]

I believe the band is under athletics somehow. It actually falls under Rec Sports and Spirit Squads. Not being part of the music school I guess hurts financially, but makes us unique, and it has lasted like that since the 1950's (including the days of 96 Guys and a Doll). Speaking of a sugar daddy, Ed Cox was in the Mustang Band a long time ago, maybe he could "pony up" some money.
I think if the team starts doing well, then the band's numbers will pick up. In 1989, everyone was so pumped about football returning and the band had 92 members I believe. But after only two losing seasons, numbers dropped to about what they are now.

[DiamondM]

Basically, two words: recruiting and retention. Both require support, financial and intangible support from parts of the University that matter. IMO, the latter has faltered as much or more than the financial support in the last 10 years, and I think is equally important.

As I understand it, the band is neither under athletics or under Meadows. Obviously the Athletic Dept. has its own budget issues. And Meadows is downright, undeniably hostile to the Mustang Band. (In contrast, Texas Tech music majors are REQUIRED to be in the marching band for at least one year in order to receive their degree).

Moreover, oftentimes, the rest of the university -- students, administration, staff -- simply take the Band for granted, all the while complaining about it and marginalizing its members. Here at SMU, supporting your school the way band members do is simply uncool, yet it cannot be done well enough. Feeling underappreciated is deadly to retention, not to mention recruiting.

Besides scholarships, here are some things I think would help:

1. Money for more roadtrips -- this is one of the great rewards for being in the band. I have fond memories of those trips, and I was post DP. Now if they get one trip a year they're lucky. This year is an exception because I think some money was mustered up to get the band to OkState (but with no overnight). I think it will help if potential and current members know they get to go on roadtrips, especially if they're a bit farther away than Fort Worth.(Incidentally, I firmly believe if you want to be a big time program, you've got to act like one, even if you're not one yet. And that means taking the band to away games.)

2. A high level directive to Meadows to stop discouraging/prohibiting music majors from playing in the Mustang Band. If we could actually get support, that would be icing on the cake.

3. A recruiting budget -- obviously smaller than an athletic recruiting budget, but something that allows Band to recruit locally.

4. Less reactionary rules about so-called hazing that really isn't hazing. For example, wearing a beanie is not hazing, just like wearing a pledge pin or ribbon isn't hazing. I'm not talking anything like how it was in the 70s and 80s, which some old Mustang Band farts would probably still like to see revived. Just little things like freshman putting together goodie bags for upper classmen for road trips, decorating the bus, carrying the ladders to the field, waiting for upper classmen to go first in line. These kind of things help you bond with your own class, making you less likely to desert your class or the group as a whole.

5. Finally, winning. Losing doesn't decrease the core, die hard numbers of the band -- about 60 or so from year to year, but putting a winning field on the team, with bowl opprotunities to boot, would easily boost those numbers.