Our student is interested in marching band (one of the reasons Syracuse made the list) Just curious what the culture of the marching band kids is like. Geeks? Partiers? While I’m sure it’s a mix of kids - generally, how would one describe the group? TIA
No comments?! I was under the impression marching band was a pretty big deal at Syracuse (for those in the MB of course) no feedback at all?
While I can’t answer your question specifically (my daughter isn’t in the band but is a student at SU), I can say that the posts I’ve seen on FB from SU Marching Band parents has been pretty impressive. It appears to be a tight knit group of kids who are very hard-working and commit an incredible amount of time to the marching band. There is a FB group specifically for the marching band: “The Pride of the Orange: The Syracuse University Marching Band.” You may be able to get a sense of the culture from that page or even reach out to a parent directly. Good luck!
Thank you! I will look for their FB page.
Hi there! Just my perspective as a parent. I have a sophomore who is a Music Ed major. He was a drum major in high school, and joined the SUMB as a freshman last year as 1 of 12 in the tenor sax section. He had a blast, and his section won the “section of the year” competition within the band. My son works very hard, is very dedicated to music and also to the SUMB, and gets great grades. This year, he is section leader of the brand new baritone sax section, and again, is having a terrific experience in the band. They travelled to Yankee Stadium for a game, and we will find out where Syracuse is going for their bowl game within a few hours! I would not characterize the band as “partiers.” It’s a cross section of many majors, and everyone I have met in the band seems to be a great kid. Highly recommended! I briefly spoke to the President of the university on Family Weekend - he wants to have a bigger marching band! I agree! We would love to have your student join!!! (PS I am working on being the biggest SUMB fan on the planet, lol.) Happy to answer any other questions!
Thank you for the feedback. Our student is not into the party scene but is very interested in marching band, so your news is good news!
I wish I saw this sooner! I’m in the band right now as a member of the drumline and I love it with all my heart! There
is honestly is no way to describe this one group as a whole as you asked, it’s such a diverse group of people thats its hard to put a label on it. Sadly, imo, the band isn’t as big as you think it would be here, but Syracuse is not known for football so it makes sense that MB isn’t big here. I’m hoping after how well this football season went we can start bring in more people into the band! If you have any questions feel free to pm me! I love talking about this wonderful group 
@saintmurdock, my son will be a freshman this fall. Can you tell me a little more about the marching band, how many hours per week do you practice, do you still have time to do all of your school work? I read somewhere that the marching band does require many hours of practice and other time during games etc. I’m sure he would love it but it sounds like it might be too much??
@SUmom2023 Hi! Sorry for the late reply! So on a non game day week we practice about 6 hours, on game weeks that becomes about 10 (not including the actual game itself, I lose my Saturdays when it comes to doing work unfortunately on game weeks). In my personal experience I’m able to make time for my work and band, in fact band makes me more productive. What instrument does he play? I’m going to be a section leader next year so I’d love to talk more about the SUMB!!