Colleges with good marching bands

<p>Can anyone recommend any colleges mid-atlantic, northeast, mid-west with good college marching band experiences below the Big 10 football conference? We've identified the schools with fantastic bands (e.g. UMich, Penn St.) but my concern is that they are by audition only so...what if you choose your college on having that huge marching band experience and you don't make it past band camp? Are there some other schools we should add to the list?</p>

<p>Stats 3.8uw/4.25w, 630cr/710m/690w (2040/2400), top 10%, major undecided, most likely not business or engineering but more social sciences.</p>

<p>Thanks for the help!</p>

<p>If you want the super marching band experience (which comes with Big Football) as well as good academics, the Big Ten is where it’s at. With your stats, you could be looking at Northwestern as a reach, and Illinois/Minnesota/Wisconsin as a match/safety, depending on where you live. All four of those, with UMich, are fantastic schools academically, even outside of engineering.</p>

<p>I have heard that Rice has a very quirky marching band (that apparently prides itself on not actually marching) which I think is awesome/hilarious. I hope to join it if I get in. Also they don’t have a particularly awesome football team, but I don’t know how important that is to you or if you just use it as an indicator of the strength of the band…
Rice may be a reach for you, but with excellent essays I think it would be doable.</p>

<p>I don’t really know of any other marching band programs, except that Stanford has a very entertaining one. But again, probably a high reach…</p>

<p>Someone who is looking for a strong marching band experince is <em>not</em> going to be happy at Rice or Stanford.<br>
It’s not in your geographical area, but if you are willing to go farther, give TCU a look. Stats are good enough that there may be merit money available.</p>

<p>University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is right behind UW-Madison in the UW school system. I’ve known many past and current band members who have all loved their time with the Screaming Eagles. The marching band does not require an audition and is open to any student regardless of major.</p>

<p>[Screaming</a> Eagles Marching Band | UW-La Crosse](<a href=“http://www.uwlax.edu/semb/index.html]Screaming”>http://www.uwlax.edu/semb/index.html)</p>

<p>If you want something in the midwest, try University of Illinois. The first modern halftime show by a marching band at a football game was by the University of Illinois Marching Illini in 1907. In the 1920s, John Philip Sousa called the Illinois band the “world’s greatest college band.” Oskie-Wa-Wa!</p>

<p>JMU has a super-great marching band. It’s a total party school, though. Maybe a safety?</p>

<p>Thanks for the ideas! Wisconsin feels too far for him, it’s a stretch to get him to visit Michigan…UNC is on our list, but not a likely for OOS unfortunately.</p>

<p>Purdue! Home to the World’s Largest Drum! I believe you have to audition though :(</p>

<p>The Sudler Trophy is awarded by the John Philip Sousa Foundation to identify and recognize collegiate marching bands of particular excellence that have made outstanding contributions to the American way of life. It’s currently awarded biannually to a college or university marching band which has demonstrated the highest of musical standards and innovative marching routines and ideas, and which has made important contributions to the advancement of the performance standards of college marching bands over a number of years.</p>

<p>Here are the recipients of the Sudler Trophy:</p>

<p>2009 - Western Carolina University
2007 – Indiana University
2006 – University of Arkansas
2005 – Penn State University
2004 – Auburn University
2003 – University of Alabama
2002 – Louisiana State University
2001 – Texas A&M University
2000 – University of Georgia
1999 – Texas Tech University
1998 – University of Massachusetts
1997 – West Virginia University
1996 – University of Nebraska
1995 – Purdue University
1994 – James Madison University
1993 – University of California Los Angeles
1992 – Northwestern University
1991 – Arizona State University
1990 – University of Iowa
1989 – University of Kansas
1988 – Michigan State University
1987 – University of Oklahoma
1986 – University of Texas at Austin
1985 – Florida A&M University
1984 – Ohio State University
1983 – University of Illinois
1982 – University of Michigan</p>

<p>Thanks for the Sudler list - it was the jumping off point that led to a list of large universities but now, after seeing many of these band have tough auditions and some saying only 50% of frosh make it in first year (Penn St), just trying to find any programs that don’t cut, audition is ok if just for placement. And just read some of the Loren Pope CTCL book, so I think maybe we need to find some alternatives that are not big 10, not huge universities. Right now, my ds is thinking Penn St is his only real match. </p>

<p>Any experience out there with making the blue band (or not making it)?</p>

<p>If he’s open to LACs (e.g. CTCL), the only marching band LACs that I’ve found are College of Wooster, Furman and Gettysburg. Of those three, Furman has a Division 1-AA football program (the others are Division 3 - non-scholarship), so its band may be at a somewhat higher level.</p>

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<p>College isn’t like high school. If you make it into band camp you won’t be cut unless you are injured. Band camp isn’t for weeding out, it is for learning routines for the upcoming football season.</p>

<p>My son was leery of auditioning for the UCLA band, but he took a leap of faith and gave it the old college try anyway. He knows several others who sent in audio tapes instead of doing a live audition, and they all got in too. Marching bands WANT new members, because there is a constant turnover with graduations, transfers, etc. and they want the bands to be large enough to fill the football field and make a lot of noise in the stadium.</p>

<p>Just for fun, here is a website where you can listen to all the best college bands play their school songs.</p>

<p>[NCAA</a> College Football Fight Songs Music](<a href=“http://fightmusic.com/]NCAA”>http://fightmusic.com/)</p>

<p>Click on which regional NCAA conference you are interested in, and all the schools in that league will come up, with links to hear their fight songs. It’s fun to listen!</p>

<p>UCLABandMom - actually his focus right now is Penn St. and they do cut 50% of frosh reportedly after band camp - I guess depending on what instrumentation they need and how well you do high step and learn the formations. So conceivably, 50% of those frosh go through a week of band camp prior to start of college year and then find out they are cut. Hence my fear! :)</p>