Back in Blue

With instruments at the ready and uniforms pressed clean for the kick-off game of the 2010-11 ISU football season, the ISU Marching Sycamores are set to take to the bleachers and rally fans to cheer for the white and blue.

Organizing, practicing and performing are never easy tasks for the marching band, as flawless as they make it look. However, this year's season presented itself with a slight problem.

Doug Keiser, the associate director of bands and director of the marching band, announced during the band camp's annual leadership retreat that he would be taking medical leave for an undetermined amount of time.

This meant student drum majors: Michael Baum, Jenny Rose Hanchett and Rejeana Overmyer needed to step up without faculty leadership for a few weeks until a replacement could be found.

"When Doug [Keiser] said he was leaving, Jenny, Rejeana and myself split the tasks amongst each other," said Baum, a senior music education major. "I had to take over indoor rehearsals, Jenny took over communication with the students and Rejeanea handled all of the paper work necessary."

They became co-directors of the marching band, until their new leader was appointed just last Wednesday, Baum added.

Gary Wallyn, interim marching band director, was recruited for his knowledge of marching bands. He also had worked specifically with the Marching Sycamores, due to the fact his daughter, Lisa Wallyn, an ISU graduate, had been with the marching band until her graduation last year.

"Already we are showing success for this year," Wallyn said. "But for now we are really are focusing on this first show because it will be the first time anyone sees the band this year."

Large amounts of practice go into perfecting the band. Members join the marching band through a class that meets two hours per day on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

"These students are putting in so much work, and it's only the beginning of the year," said Roby George, director of bands.

This season also presents itself with "quite a large number of freshmen," Baum said. All together, there are 120 members marching, which is bigger than last year's.

Overall, students are enthusiastic to be marching the first show, and for some, it will be their first time marching with the Sycamores.

"I love performing, and all of the excitement during the game is what I look forward to the most," said Shelby Dean, a freshman history major and an alto saxophone player.

Clarinet player and freshman exploratory major Leon Love is excited to marching in the traditional "court-style" marching, which is the style the Marching Sycamores have adopted.

"I went to Roosevelt High School in Gary and my marching band was a boot camp compared to Indiana State's," Love said. "I love how amazing [The Marching Sycamores] are and I can not wait to march with them this season."

This season promises to be filled with exciting halftime shows that the band will perform on the field, said Wallyn

"For Saturday's game, our pregame show will be ‘the basics,' and our halftime show is labeled as a tribute to the late John Wooden and veterans of World War II," said Baum.

"The basics" that Baum referred to are "The Wabash Cannonball," "March On (You Fighting Sycamores," and ISU's Alma Mater. The song list for Saturday's halftime game includes: "The Star-Spangled Banner," "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "American Salute."

For future games, the band hopes to perform songs from the Broadway musical, "Wicked" and various selections from "Glee." They also have been invited for the fifth year to send a small brass instrumental section to perform at Indiana State School Music Association state marching band finals at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Oct. 30.