SMU Band

[BUS]

Does anyone know who are the leading applicants for the new Band Director?

[DiamondM75]

Someone does.

[Eddie P]

What's this? Where did Dandy Dave Kehler go?

[RGV Pony]

Y'know, if SMU wanted to be unique, increase the band numbers and awareness for the school, they'd hire someone from Southern, Texas Southern, Prairie View etc. and give the band a makeover.

[MustangSally]

The current director, Dave Kehler, is leaving to pursue a doctorate degree at UT. They have one of the best wind symphony programs in the nation, and arguably the best wind conductor, and that's ultimately what Kehler would like to end up doing.

RGV - elaborate your point. I know what you're getting at, but explain how this would work at SMU.

[MustangSally]

The current director, Dave Kehler, is leaving to pursue a doctorate degree at UT. They have one of the best wind symphony programs in the nation, and arguably the best wind conductor, and that's ultimately what Kehler would like to end up doing.

RGV - elaborate your point. I know what you're getting at, but explain how this would work at SMU.

[RGV Pony]

MustangSally: I think SMU could tout this as a vehicle by which SMU supports and encourages a much more diverse student body. Instead of 96, imagine 300 band members, with a halftime show & the pomp & all that entails of say a Grambling or a NC A & T. If you were in such a band in high school and you knew you wanted to be in a college band, what would sound better...PV A&M, Tx. Southern, or SMU?

Not realistic, but fun to think about.

[Eddie P]

I'll freely admit to not being the biggest supporter of the band at times, but I would be truly horrified if we ever went in that direction. I don't think that would do well at SMU and I don't believe it would accomplish the goal of creating a more diverse student body. I think there are vast differences between SMU, Grambling, Prairie, etc and what appeals to each student body I think also vastly differs.

[GoRedGoBlue]

MustangSally: I think SMU could tout this as a vehicle by which SMU supports and encourages a much more diverse student body. Instead of 96, imagine 300 band members, with a halftime show & the pomp & all that entails of say a Grambling or a NC A & T. If you were in such a band in high school and you knew you wanted to be in a college band, what would sound better...PV A&M, Tx. Southern, or SMU?

Not realistic, but fun to think about.

BE serious...there aren't that many geeks at SMU, c'mon.

[MustangSally]

RGV, I appreciate you thinking outside the box, I definitely DONT want the band to be another copy of TCU, Texas, or Tech's bands. Something unique is what SMU needs, and is what made the band famous at various points in the past. That said, a lot of people seem to think you either go the artsy route like TCU, playing classical music and some rock songs, or you do the complete opposite and act like Grambling, playing rap music and dancing. What the SMU band needs to do is something that makes it stand out. Copying Grambling or TSU will make the band exactly that, the small 'white' school trying to copy Grambling or TSU.

Look at it like this:
Let's say that next spring, a student from Dallas Lincoln or Ft Worth Dunbar could apply to an Historically Black College or University (the only schools that have the "black showband" style) like Grambling or Southern or FAMU, where the student body is 95% black and tuition is $7-8000, and the bands have a 50 year history of being some of the best in their style. Or they could apply to SMU, where only 7% of the student body is black (the second smallest minority behind Hispanics and Asians, and just ahead of Native Americans), tuition is $25,000.

As far as size, UT barely fields over 300, and that's with a Big 12 Rose Bowl winning football team, flute and clarinet sections of 30-50 people, and the biggest student body in the nation. 96 would be a great size for SMU, keep in mind the band has been more like 66 in recent years. Imagine if the band were 50% bigger than it was this past year, and that's the target size.

[Diamond Girl]

RGV Pony, are you really an SMU alum? If so, how in the world could you suggest something as outrageous as wanting to make the band over to be more like Grambling, etc.? The Mustang Band, since the late '50s, has had its own style, not only from the way we march and dress, but mostly from the style of music we play - jazz/swing. If that's not unique enough for you, I don't know what is. To emulate someone else isn't being original.

[MustangSally]

The trick to being awesome is being unique and being good at it. We have the unique part down, we just have to make it really good. Recently, the band has been so-so, but nothing amazing. Hopefully a new director can bring that to the band.

[RGV Pony]

Diamond Girl:

Please read the disclaimer above at the end of one of the posts. It reads, "not realistic...but fun to think about."

I agree with your take on the Mustang Band's unique style. I also happened to want to take this thread a different direction than the usual 'there's supposed to be 96, but there's not, because there's no money,' etc. etc. etc.

Read previous posts of mine and you'll find how I recognized the band as being the stars w/ swagger of for instance last year's TCU game, a swagger we wish the football team would've had.

I say this in the nicest way possible, but lighten up. I don't want to get into conversations like those I have with a friend who was an Aggie Corps-type, who interviews scholarship applicants. One question he asks is, "what would you change at A&M to make it better?" If they don't answer, "I wouldn't change anything," he doesn't recommend them for scholarship. I think that's backwards posturing.

[RGV Pony]

Sorry, one more thing. Regarding the statement, "...to emulate something [someone] else isn't original:" I concur. Which is why I can't stand that our guys are dressed up like Ole Miss. But that's another thread, and another argument, and I think a lot of us have just given in.

[MustangSally]

RGV-
I agree that the band should be flashier and have a more showy presence, a swagger. What we need is a director who gets the importance of being showy and intriguing, and this could be someone who comes from a program like Grambling or wherever. That's why I asked what you meant by the suggestion. I just wanted to explain that the band shouldn't try to be like one of those bands in terms of overall style. But yes, the band needs to step it up a notch or two.

I really believe the setup of the band allows for it to be amazing and awesome, it just hasn't really lived up to potential lately. Defenders of the band want to protect the unique style like high-step and uniforms, that doesn't mean they want the band to stay just like it was last year for example.

With a new director coming in, I sense there will be some renewed spirit and life in the band, and hopefully that will inspire the team on to some more wins!!!