By Jessica Hickerson
Marching band group of choice for talented students
“La Banda Preferida,” Spanish for “The Band of Choice.” The University of Louisville Marching Band presents 180 of the most talented and determined musicians and performers that you can find on this campus. Members of the marching band represent a variety of majors and cultures, but the skills and courtesies taught within the organization are learned the same by each member. Participation in this program promotes discipline and respectfulness, and has an extremely positive influence on these entertainers.
Dr. Greg Byrne, director of the marching band, has taught at U of L for five years and is in his second year as director of the Marching Cardinals. This collegiate band is important to him because of one word: identity. “Collegiate band is so important for the students because it gives them an identity in college life,” says Byrne. “It allows them to contribute to the university.”
The director also sees the positive influence found among his students. “I see a lot of bonding between the students. I also see every student coming together toward one concentrated goal: a great show,” states Byrne. Not only is there bonding between the students, but there is a major acceptance of freshmen or new marchers. Unlike many organizations in which freshmen are looked down upon and treated in an inferior manner, the marching band celebrates freshmen. In fact, a program was created within the band to help welcome new students and make uneasy freshmen feel at home and part of a family.
This program is known as the “CID Program”. Each freshmen is considered a CID, or Card-In-Development, and each one is assigned to a “CID Parent.” The “parents” are veterans of the band who help the CIDs ease into marching band life through social events and activities. In most families, there are always those warm and welcoming grandparents, and the marching band family is no different.
Juniors Adam Miller and Rebecca Rayman represent the “grandparents,” or CID leaders in the band, and have worked diligently for two years to make sure that every single marcher is included, cared for, and most importantly, having a great time. Miller, a music education major, recalls several reasons why the CID Program was created.
“The CID Program came about as a way to deal with the problem of retention. The band wants and needs marchers who want to remain in band all four years of college,” says Miller. “We also thought it would be a better way to achieve a sense of family among the band.”
The CID Program is also a way for marchers of any age to meet and begin memorable friendships within the band. This is also an ideal method for freshmen to know a slew of people before the first day of class even begins. “It’s awesome when on the first day of classes, any new freshmen can walk through campus and know that there are 180 faces they know and recognize,” states Miller. “It is a great way to get involved in campus life.”
Freshman colorguard member Ashley McAtee, originally from Elizabethtown, has strong positive feelings about her part in the band and feels that her new friendships really helped her through her first days of college. “I really felt that if I had any questions about anything, I could find a band member to help me,” says McAtee. “I actually felt secure knowing there were various people I could talk to.” McAtee says the reward of being in band for her is her friends. “The band has helped me build long lasting friendships that will continue long after my time with the band is over.”
Dr. Byrne is confident in the way that marching band rewards each student who chooses to participate and perform under his direction. “I believe that in life, there are big events that help to sustain life, and once done, that experience continues on through future family, work, and social situations,” says Byrne, a major voice of positivity within the band.
So, what is the purpose of this column? It is important to see that marching band- any marching band, but especially U of L’s- goes far beyond music notes and diagonal lines. Marching band is a release from academic stress. It is 180 people to call friends, and it is a family. We are a family. Many of us learn together, cry or mourn together, and most importantly, smile together.
As a freshman and a member of the colorguard myself, I am thankful for the positivity it has already brought to me in the short time I have been a member, and I am looking forward to being able to grow and learn in my years to come with the University of Louisville Marching Band. “La Banda Mi Preferida,” the Band of My Choice.
Jessica Hickerson is a freshman English major and a columnist for The Louisville Cardinal. Contact: Opinionwriter@aol.com
