Why do I keep hearing band kids outside?

The football season may have been put on hold for this fall semester, but MSU’s “Spirit of the West” marching band is still making music, practicing marching and helping to keep the Bobcat spirit alive. The band has tried to make the best of an already unfortunate situation caused by COVID-19. 

The pandemic has canceled all performances, creating less than ideal rehearsal situations for the group. According to band director Dr. Nathan Stark, the students have been nothing but wonderful in overcoming these adversities. “They’ve been fantastic,” said Stark. “We were worried that there would be pushback… but students seem legitimately happy to be able to do something this year.” 

The biggest obstacle students are facing in these unusual times is the lack of performances. The shows “feed the whole reason we do things,” said Stark. However, it seems that for the foreseeable future, the band will be sticking solely to rehearsals in the Roskie field. 

Stark says that they’re not too torn up about it though. Instead, they’re using this year to update previous goals, setting things in motion that will hopefully last for decades to come. For starters, they’re making changes to their pre-game show. Since the show was originally written for a much smaller band, they’re using this time to expand and adapt the performance for a larger group. Stark explained that they’ve also started working with a new field metronome to help with tempo problems they have faced during past performances, which is something with which they most likely would not have time to practice during a normal season. They’re adding new drill maneuvers, adopting a new ballad of songs and taking a moment to improve and refresh the program as a whole. “It’s like when you clear all the furniture out of a room and now you get the chance to set it up differently, and I’m really looking forward to that,” Stark said. 

Although they’re not performing at athletic games, students can still support the band by acknowledging the work and effort they’ve put into rehearsing this year. “If you see someone in a Spirit of the West shirt on campus you can say hi...you can drop by rehearsal…you can share our posts on Facebook or Instagram,” said Stark when asked how those not in the band can still show their support. 

With strict social distancing guidelines, Stark also mentioned that many of their rehearsals (individually and as a group) will be held outside while the weather is agreeable. He asked students and faculty to “be patient with them and the noise” as they figure out what environment works best for practices. 

All in all, the marching band is keeping an optimistic outlook on their situation and making the best of what they have. According to Stark, the most important thing is that “they’re working hard, and they’ll be ready when the time comes to get back out there!” 

Make sure to show your support for the band members this year as they traverse this difficult and unexpected terrain.