Michigan Marching Band
| Michigan Marching Band | |
|---|---|
| School | University of Michigan |
| Location | Ann Arbor, MI |
| Conference | Big Ten |
| Founded | 1896 |
| Director | John Pasquale |
| Assistant director | Andrea Brown |
| Members | 400 |
| Fight song | "The Victors" |
| Uniform | Blue jackets with white on the back and a maize shield on the front, maize capes, blue pants, white hats with blue trim, maize and blue plumes |
| Website | http://mmb.music.umich.edu |
The Michigan Marching Band (MMB) is the University of Michigan's marching band.
In 1896, Harry dePont invited musicians throughout campus to attend a meeting for the purpose of organizing a band. Two years later, the MMB became an indispensable part of the Michigan tradition by playing at the football games. After Michigan moved out of the Western Football Conference in 1911, J. Fred Lawton and Earl Vincent Moore composed the fight song 'Varsity', which became an immediate hit. George Olsen became the marching band's first drum major in 1914. The band fraternity, Kappa Kappa Psi, was established to promote and serve the University bands in 1925. During the Michigan-Ohio State football game in 1932, the MMB performed the first "script Ohio" now used today by the OSU marching band. William D. Revelli succeeded Nicholas Falcone as director in 1935 requiring all male wind instrument majors to join the MMB and aligning the band with the School of Music in 1940. 1951 brought forth the MMB classics 'M Fanfare', 'Temptation' and 'Hawaiian War Chant', all arranged by Jerry Bilik. In 1970, Carl Grapentine became the "Voice of the Michigan Bands" and continues to hold that post today. Women were finally allowed to join the marching band in 1972. The MMB was the first band to win the Sudler Trophy in 1982, receiving the trophy at halftime of the 1983 Rose Bowl Game. Today, the MMB remains an integral part of the Michigan Football tradition.
The Michigan Marching Band half-time performance block instrumentation:
The Performance Block is the subset of the MMB that performs pre-game and halftime. An additional subset is called "half-time only" which adds to the performance block for half-time. The half-time block usually consists of an additional 6 piccolos, 6 alto saxophones, 12 horns, 3 bass drums, 4 snare drums, 4 tenor drums, 6 cymbals, and 6 to 12 sousaphones (depending on the drill requirements).
The rank leaders along with the MMB staff decide which members in block are to be challenged for their position in block. This method lessens tension in the band as a member does not need to challenge an individual member of the performance block for their position. There are no minimum or maximum requirements for challenges, and some members may not be challenged for an entire season.
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