Reform the band

[Arkpony]

As for paying a continuous Peruna, surely it is possible to get a ruling on this prior to the game. It seems absurd to penalize a team on offense because that teams band is playing softly. WHY?

[SoCal_Pony]

I am pretty sure I am remembering correctly, but if I'm wrong, one of you band guys correct me. We were either playing UT or A&M--inthe 80's--and our band was given a penalty for being too loud, which we all felt was baloney considering the different sizes of the bands! Despiration on their part, I would imagine!

Soccermom,

Good Memory.

It was against A&M at Texas Stadium and IMO one of the all-time most Baloney penalties I have ever witnessed at a sporting event. It occurred late in the game and 'maybe' had an impact on us losing that day....probably were going to lose anyway but still a terrible call.

[SmooBoy]

Correcto! It was the '86 SMU-ATM game. I was sitting with the Mustang Band as a mere high school sophomore, and remember the call surprising the hell out of everyone.

[mustangdm]

The director's and the band are solely within the limitations of the presentation crews for both football and basketball games. It is the most frustrating thing in the world for the band because there are many times they cannot play at all due to stupid Kiss Cams and ad after ad no one cares about. The directors know the NCAA rules very well and if it was legal they would play during plays.

The band has a tradition to clap twice when one of our basketball players makes a freethrow. The drums also play two taps on their drums. Last time the drummers did this, the ref threatened the band with a penalty, even when the ball wasn't technically in play. So the band makes sure only to play when told now to avoid penalties.

You will find that the band is EXTREMELY laid back these days, and things like executing perfect marching formations and every member marching with knees hitting their chest just doesn't happen. Like someone else said, in this PC era and the university's absurd crack down on hazing, there's not really a way to run the band with discipline and precision.

[WorldStang]

The other thing I have to mention is the way in which the band marches - or lack there of..

Check out some of the old footage on youtube - the Mustang band marched with intensity and purpose - more like a Big 10 band these days.

[Glenn Sosbee]

As someone who played for Dr.Dreibrodt and was part of the band culture of the late 60's, I cannot agree more. The firey leadership provided by Drei is difficult to emulate. But the Mustang Band culture from those days cannot exist in the PC culture in which we now have to live. This is not all bad, but we have lost something in the process.
Maybe, however, our own Don Hopkins and Tommy Tucker can remember and get us closer to the days when the band actually affected the outcome of games.

Couldn't agree with you more Beanman. You broke it down nicely with the politally correct reference. The PC thing is literally destroying our very own Country (Ft. Hood, etc.), much less the SMU band. But I want to expand on your post a little. What I'm about to say may be insensitive and offensive....to which I say, too damn bad. Deal with it.

Back in the late sixties and early 70's (and way before), women weren't a part of the SMU band. They were busy twirling bataans, cheerleading and doing girl things like trying to figure out who was going to be Homecoming Queen. They were just doin' what girls do and guys were doing what guys do and everyone was happy. I'm not saying chicks can't play band instruments (obviously). All I'm saying is that when you start inviting chicks to a boy's club, there is going to be a lot less farting. The energy is going to go from "how much hell can we raise, to how do I not offend these girls?". Somebody tell me I'm wrong!

The SMU band hasn't been the same since the mid-80's (about the time our football team was sentenced), and I challenge anyone to disagree with my politally incorrect evaluation of the state of our beloved SMU band , who used to be a hell of alot more rowdy.

If I hurt some feelings tonight, I'm sorry...(not).

[Glenn Sosbee]

Uh, band ain't got flutes or clarinets, buddy...

Also, crediting the addition of women to the "watering down" of the Mustang Band is a great landmine to step on.

Good luck with this thread

Women distract men from having a singular purpose, and lack the warrior's courage of men. A bow drawn by a woman will not shoot.

Women just distract men...period.

[RednBlue11]

my observation is that i cant hear jack on the student side of the ball cuz all the speaker are pointed to the home side, our band needs to be 5 times bigger if you want it to have the kick that it should, the rap selection on the home side sucks make it go away, i dont like it when the PA gives the away team a loud yell on 3rd down and its not THIRD DOWN THUNDER! what happened to the thunder sticks? how are we supposed to make 500 students loud when they are all gentiles?

[CalallenStang]

our band needs to be 5 times bigger if you want it to have the kick that it should

The school has to support the band for that to happen. Currently the band rehearses in a band hall that comfortably holds 30 people. The school gives very little scholarship support to attract band members. I could go on.

[The Spaz]

Wow, really?!? We're really going to publically blame women for the problem with band?
Well, why don't we just get down to it and admit that the band was WAY better when it was All-White?

Sorry you can't "fart" anymore, idiots, but this is the f***ing 21st century. Welcome to it. There are pansy lazy dudes that are holding the recent bands back just as much, if not more, than anyone else. I've heard plenty of dudes complain and whine about being yelled at or "hazed," and I know more than a few hard [deleted] girls in band that were telling them to suck it up and get their knees up

I feel sorry for any of your wives, girlfriends, sisters, or mothers.

[JackSon 3]

As someone who played for Dr.Dreibrodt and was part of the band culture of the late 60's, I cannot agree more. The firey leadership provided by Drei is difficult to emulate. But the Mustang Band culture from those days cannot exist in the PC culture in which we now have to live. This is not all bad, but we have lost something in the process.
Maybe, however, our own Don Hopkins and Tommy Tucker can remember and get us closer to the days when the band actually affected the outcome of games.

Exellent post. As a son of a asst. director and father of a soon to graduate piccollo player [ no flutes here], I think you are spot on.

[Statler]

As already mentioned, but there is more.

The band can't play even when we have the ball as it hurts the Defensive calls, yes you heard me, the defensive calls. At the Tulsa game four years ago, the ref came over to the current director and told him not to play when SMU has the ball because it hurt the defensive signals. I personally witnessed this event.

I also know that the directors asked the coaching staff if they wanted to push playing Peruna while we had the ball. They said no.

[smu diamond m]

Anybody been to a UT or USC or "etc. University" game lately? I'm curious just how much they play outside of first downs and whatnot. If I was calling the shots (and no, Don, I don't want you job) I'd play until they told me to stop. If they have to warn you before giving a penalty, get a warning every game.

Interestingly enough though, I've always wondered how the Band can manage to keep Beans rolling for almost an entire play series late in the game, but not run 20 Perunas in the same time period.

[Statler]

Anybody been to a UT or USC or "etc. University" game lately? I'm curious just how much they play outside of first downs and whatnot. If I was calling the shots (and no, Don, I don't want you job) I'd play until they told me to stop. If they have to warn you before giving a penalty, get a warning every game.

Interestingly enough though, I've always wondered how the Band can manage to keep Beans rolling for almost an entire play series late in the game, but not run 20 Perunas in the same time period.

Oh one with great volume read my above post....The coaches told them no!

[couch 'em]

Wow, really?!? We're really going to publically blame women for the problem with band?
Well, why don't we just get down to it and admit that the band was WAY better when it was All-White?

Sorry you can't "fart" anymore, idiots, but this is the f***ing 21st century. Welcome to it. There are pansy lazy dudes that are holding the recent bands back just as much, if not more, than anyone else. I've heard plenty of dudes complain and whine about being yelled at or "hazed," and I know more than a few hard [deleted] girls in band that were telling them to suck it up and get their knees up

I feel sorry for any of your wives, girlfriends, sisters, or mothers.

I think your quest for PC outrage made you miss their point entirely - if you have a culture founded on all-male dick-waving and oneupmanship that comes from an all-male environment, mixing in females changes it. Guys and girls become more focused on things that result from a mixed-gender environment: trying to get laid. This changes the dynamic.

Their point wasn't that girls aren't capable of participating in a marching band, their point was that you cannot maintain an all-male culture in a mixed-sex environment. You have to make a conscious effort to change to the new culture. Simply maintaining the mindset of what was under the old culture just leads to a watered down version.