MSU represented at virtual halftime show

Five members of MSU’s Spirit of the West marching band performed at the College Football Playoff National Championship’s virtual halftime show on Monday, Jan. 11.

MSU students Mary Grothaus, Jake Kittleson, Hannah Mallard, Tanner Rubino and Patrick White were among the 1,500 performers nominated to play. Two hundred college bands had members play during the show, representing 45 states and Puerto Rico. The show was performed during halftime at the championship game between the University of Alabama and Ohio State University.

The virtual show consisted of several panels of college performers. Each panel showed footage of a different member of the band performing the routine. Each college represented a different part of the band, including color guard, brass and drumline. The videos were edited together to make the movements of each recording synchronous as they performed a rendition of Beyoncé’s, “End of Time.”

Rubino, a junior at MSU pursuing a major in computer science with a minor in music, played first trumpet for the band. To prepare for the performance, he was given the music in advance as well as a previous band rendition recording of the song. Rubino also made sure he could play his part correctly and had to perfect keeping time with the recordings to make sure his video was shot according to a set of requirements. “We recorded our videos outside in the cold, which adds plenty of challenges to playing a brass instrument,” Rubino said. “Luckily, as a member of the Spirit of the West that is something I’m quite used to.”

The virtual halftime show allowed the Spirit of the West members to play for an audience despite the pandemic. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic halting collegiate sports, the band has been unable to perform in front of crowds since March of 2020. “I felt proud to be able to contribute to such a large project and to represent MSU and the Spirit of the West Marching Band in such a big way,” Rubino said. “I’m happy to see that marching band performances can still go on despite being in a pandemic.”

To watch a recording of the virtual performance, visit https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dVYM1UNqu6Y