On any given Fall Saturday in Columbus 105,000 Buckeye faithful can be heard from miles around; their cheers echoing off the friendly confines of the Horseshoe. Even before the kick off fans are on their feet, filling the stadium with a rousing ovation for one of the greatest Ohio State traditions, The Ohio State Marching Band.
At a university so steeped in tradition and excellence the band has become the “Pride of the Buckeyes”. It has gained national and international acclaim through traditions like the Skull Session, Script Ohio, Dotting the ‘I’ and its continued innovation. These traditions have become synonymous with Ohio State but traditions do not become traditions with out being innovations first. “We walk a very fine line with innovation. We can’t go too far away from our traditional roots.” said Assistant Director Jonathan Waters, who is entering his seventh year with the band.
The band has focused on developing new ideas while not losing so much of what has made it such an important tradition. Can The Best Damn Band in the Land get any better? The Ohio State Marching Band has refocused much of its time and effort into the recruitment of new members, improving the tradition of performances through innovation, and using technology to enhance the quality of its members.
Coach Woody Hayes, who represents the essence of Ohio State Football, once said “you win with people.” This guiding principle has become the central philosophy of the marching band. “We have taken that Woody Hayes strategy and used it to get the best people that we can” said Waters. The band’s main recruiting tool has been the Buckeye Invitational, where 30 High School bands come together in a competition and at the end The Ohio State Marching Band performs for them live. Waters believes that the competition is what has really sparked more interest from prospective students. “Seeing the band in person at the Buckeye Invitational is our best way to bring in new students.” The band has tried a few other strategies as well to raise interest of incoming freshman. They have mailed out pamphlets and called prospective students recruiting them to participate in the band. Over the last 5 years the number of students trying out for the band has increased dramatically. “With the success of the recruitment strategies, (the tryout) is more competitive with better prepared and high quality students coming in,” said Waters.
The rise of the competition level has improved the quality of their performances on and off the field. The recent philosophy with the staff has improved their shows with tradition through innovation. Traditions like Hang on Sloopy and the Ramp Entrance, which has been used for 80 years, have gained the band much commendation. The band has brought back older traditions as well like “floating Ohio” from the 1940’s; A marching formation where “Ohio” seems to float right out of the end zone. Each performance is attended by a diverse audience and the band faces the significant challenge of appealing to a wide demographic. They have emphasized having balance between their compositions and marches, showcasing tradition with a touch of innovation.
Their Hollywood show that debuted at halftime during “The Game”, the 2006 edition of Ohio State vs. Michigan, was a break through performance incorporating special effects. The Hollywood show depicted the Titanic smoking and sinking into the ocean. On October 25th of this year during the Penn State Game they added fireworks to the performance. Mike Vasil, a third year trumpet player, has experienced many of these new techniques and the Penn State performance was an interesting show for him. “With the fireworks it was a surprise for all of us, we had not practice with them and we were not sure how bright or how loud or how many of them there were going to be so we just had to stick to the plan. It shocked us all.” The pyrotechnics, the incorporation of props and the use of new technology have all been major priorities in the bands attempt to improve its quality.
With a substantial donation from Joan Zieg Steinbrenner, wife of the infamous Owner of the Yankees George Steinbrenner, the OSU Marching Band has been able to make some significant improvements in its facilities and operations. They have added high definition cameras for the practice and game fields. As well as flat screen televisions inside the band room to help band members. “There has been a new focus on video recordings and it has given band members the opportunity to watch themselves and be able to make improvements” said Steve Cory, who in past years did Audio and Visual recordings for the band. Waters compares this new audio visual system to a “John Madden X’s and O’s system.” It gives the ability to freeze the shots and draw on the screen allowing the directors to focus in on formation mistakes and missed marching steps. “It helps tremendously when you are on the field you can only see so much from eye level but it gives you a better perspective on the larger scheme of things” said Vasil.
Another way the band has added new technology to improve the quality of the band is giving the members the ability to learn and practice music outside of the band room. “As soon as we get new music we make a recording of it, upload it online as an mp3 file, and band members can log on download it to their iPod” said Corey. Waters has really been impressed with this new technology. “Kids can walk to class and memorize music; it allows them to get more done with out spending late hours in the band room.” This new technology has allowed The Best Damn Band in the Land to get even better. Memorization and exposure to upcoming performances has become more accessible because of these new techniques. The band has been able to use these tools to eliminate inconsistencies, problem areas and put their best band out on the field.
The Best Damn Band in the Land, one of the most prestigious and traditions rich bands in the country has not allowed success to slow down their innovation and improvements. In the marching bands 130 year existence it has established a foothold in the modern marching band arena as the leader in innovation and tradition. Each year the band develops and utilizes new technology to recruit high quality members and improve the excellence of their performances. When asked what has been the most important change in the band, Waters said “It was taking that Woody Hayes motto of you win with people and we have used that keep making improvements in the band.”
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