For its Homecoming show, the Pride of Mid-America Marching Band will perform a centennial-related drill to celebrate Ball State’s 100-year anniversary during the Homecoming football game.
Caroline Hand, the director of the Pride of Mid-America, said she has been preparing for this show since before the 2018-19 school year started.
“We start[ed] planning our entire fall season starting in March,” Hand said. “This year, we knew Oct. 20 would be used for Ball State Athletics to celebrate [Ball State’s] Centennial, as it is this year’s Homecoming. With this in mind, the Pride of Mid-America wanted to perform a Ball State-centric show.”
The Pride of Mid-America Marching Band will perform several of Ball State’s school songs, including the Ball State fight song. They will also be performing with the Statesmen, Ball State’s all men’s chorus.
“I can’t wait for our crowd to hear all of the words to our school songs sung by this fantastic group,” Hand said.
To ensure the band's collaboration with the Statesman runs smoothly, Hand said she needed to coordinate the two groups’ rehearsal schedules as well as work with the School of Music’s sound engineers to set up a speaker system.
“When you collaborate with another group, such as the Statesmen, in preparation for the show, there are always extra logistics to keep in mind,” Hand said.
Members of the Pride of Mid-America Marching Band have only been given about a week to learn the routine before performing on Oct. 20.
“The hardest part[s] [are] making sure everyone is on the same page and making sure we are representing Ball State well for its 100-years,” said senior drum major Amber Hall.
Freshman drumline member Aaron Desena said because the marching band only practices three time a week, it is important for them to stay focused to ensure they are able to perform a quality show at every football game.
“[Practicing] is a little stressful at first, but as long as all the members give it their all, the end result will always be amazing,” Desena said.
Looking forward, Desena said he is excited to perform the Homecoming halftime show.
“It’s going to be super hype,” Desena said. “We’re excited for the student section’s energy.”
Contact Samantha Meurer with comments at smeurer@bsu.edu or on Twitter @sammeurer12
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