Shippensburg University’s “Red Raider” marching band has put in hundreds of hours of work in the weeks leading up to the start of the 2015 fall semester in preparation for its upcoming season.
The band’s season consists of six home football games, four away games and exhibitions at high school band competitions during the months of August through November.
Exhibitions are events at high schools to help get high school students interested in band as well as in Shippensburg University. Several members of the band say that exhibitions are the highlight of their time in band.
“I get chills hearing the kids scream,” sophomore drum major Mackenzie Brouse said.
SU’s marching band played at first-year student Chris Atkins’ high school and when he saw them he knew he had to come to SU and join the band.
The band started its camp two weeks before the start of the fall semester, rehearsing almost every day for 12 hours to ensure that this season would be a successful one.
Rehearsals consisted of marching drills, learning music and some occasional joking around.
“[Band camp] is lots of hard work but we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” Nicholas Ecker, senior trumpet section leader, said.
“We are here to entertain, not to beat anyone,” Brouse said.
Ecker and his fellow section leaders are responsible for segments of the band and ensuring that every member of their section is performing to their potential.
The drum majors are conductors and directors of the band when they are on the fi eld or when the director is absent from rehearsals. This means the team of Michael Powers, Derrick Scheetz and Mackenzie Brouse is responsible for knowing the marching and music inside and out.
The band’s director is professor Trever R. Famulare, known as “Fam” by his marching band students. Famulare is the chair of the music and theater arts department, having joined the faculty in 2001. Members the band often say that band camp is a great way to meet new people and learn campus if you are in band your freshman year. “You come in your first day with more than a hundred friends,” Brouse said.
“It’s a lot of pain and time, but the end result of being able to learn an entire show in one week’s time is surreal. It’s defi nitely worth it,” Ecker said.
Support the band by attending any of the home football games and watching the new show.
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