When students walk by the Lake Buildings and Zumberge Pond, they are sometimes met with the loud blare of trumpets and the roar of a thunderous drumline. The commotion comes from the Grand Valley Marching Band (GVMB), which holds weekly rehearsals on their practice field.
GVMB performs at every GVSU home football game and other athletic events, along with several exhibition performances throughout the year. Far from just music, GVMB must learn the steps and movements within the musical pieces, and come to rehearsals with the pieces memorized and ready to collaborate as a band. Along the way, marching band members celebrate with rewarding traditions that keep them going.
Drum major and Marching Band Council Vice President Quinten Campbell said that, because of the group’s schedule, there is pressure to prepare and practice outside of rehearsals.
“You take a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff for granted,” Campbell said. “(In college) you’re not waiting to take instructions from a teacher, you have to be proactive.”
Campbell added this doesn’t just entail preparing for the band’s performances, but helping set up the band room for rehearsals and communicating clearly with other members for things to run smoothly.
Despite the dedication that it takes to perform with GVMB, trumpet section leader Kyle Lee said that he enjoys the preparation inside and outside of the rehearsal schedule, and doesn’t mind balancing his school and personal life around it.
“I look forward to (the rehearsals),” Lee said. “They calm me down from the long stress of school.”
Lee added that game-day performances are another enjoyable part of the experience, as the band has several fun traditions to build excitement in return for the week’s hard work and practice.
“Before a show, when we get into our march down, we do the little chant from ‘Finding Nemo,’” Lee said. “It’s awesome, I just love it. I love the energy we have in our section because we’re all so close.”
Base-drum major and first-year section leader Declan Raimer said he also looks forward to the game-day rehearsals and performances because of the community and traditions that GVMB upholds and strives for.
“We actually sing ‘Piano Man,’” Raimer said. “One of our fellow section leaders (gets) his harmonica out and plays it. We all circle up and sway back and forth. It’s a lot of fun.”
Campbell added that, while the preparation and performance feeling is satisfactory, the success of their hard work does not feel complete until they’ve had their post-game apple, a tradition that provides the band with a healthy snack.
“There is nothing better than biting into an apple at the end of the game,” Campbell said. “It’s just an apple, but when you put that much work into something, a small apple becomes a huge reward.
After starting the season with two weekends of back-to-back home games, the band has four weeks to practice their sets for the next football game. They can be found performing at halftime again Oct. 4, for their show “Viva La Lakers.”
