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4B - Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
MARCHING BAND
From Page 1B
ers to individuals.
Despite the hard work everyone puts
into the Marching Band, no one seems
to grow sick of it. Revelli Hall (the band's
headquarters) is usually full of students
practicing their flag choreography, run-
ning through music with their sections or
just socializing with other band members
hours before practice begins.
Last Thursday, the band rehearsed
in rainy, 30-degree weather. Even when
people's breaths were visible and their
toes were growing numb, a couple mem-
bers confidently shed their shirts and
rehearsed the pre-game routine with
smiles on their faces. Perhaps it wasn't
the safest display of band enthusiasm, but
it was surely indicative of how much the
students are willing to go through for the
band. What makes this stressful environ-
ment enjoyable is the sense of camarade-
rie and intra-section spirit.
"My favorite part has to be the people,"
said LSA senior and trumpet rank leader
Michael Rudowski. "Coming in as a fresh-
man to the University ... you have a com-
munity of 300 people (in the band) ... and,
being a trumpet, I have a really large sec-
tion of 62 members - that's how large my
high school band was. I don't think social-
ly, college would've played out the same
way if I wasn't a member of the band from
day one."
Community and tradition are impor-
tant to the band - the trumpet section
makes a point of practicing for the band's
weekly touch football tournament before
rehearsal; the euphonium players have
a tradition of dressing up in accordance
with the theme of that week's show (last
Friday, they dressed as characters from
the four operas presented in the halftime
performance).
After each practice the band huddles
together for announcements. Some are
important, like reminders about Basket-
ball Band. Others, including epic declara-
tions of band members' birthdays and the
resulting number of cheers correspond-
ing with years of age, just add to the fun.
Before leaving the field, the band sings in
support of defeating the football team's
upcoming opponent and plays one final
round of "The Victors."
"('The Victors') is an iconic fight song -
the best fight song in the country, in the
world, no matter what anyone says," said
Drum Major David Hines Jr. "The first
time I heard myself on a recorded play of
"The Victors" - there's nothing else like
that. It's definitely something special."
The band members have an indescrib-
able amount of spirit. And not just toward
marching band. Their enthusiasm toward
Michigan football is tangible.
In the tunnel before the Delaware
State game, cheers of support and shouts
of good luck between the band, the foot-
ball team, the cheerleaders and the dance
team echo deafeningly, mixing to create
an unmatchable air of enthusiasm.
"We're all there to support the team
and generate excitement in the stadium,"
Boerma said.
The community surrounding the
Marching Band doesn't just extend to
band members and other football-centric
-student teams. Despite the low tempera-
tures on Friday evening and Saturday
morning, the band's last few practices
attracted quite a crowd. Ranging in ages
from eight months to 80 years, people
bundled up in Michigan regalia came out
to support the band. Some visitors came to
watch sons or daughters and others came
to support friends. And all had nothing
but respect for the marching band.
With such a diverse audience. the band
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This season's Marching Band has 328 members.
has the responsibility and opportunity to
provide music that appeals to all specta-
tors.
"The hardest thing about what we do
is the fact that we have 110,000 people all
with different preferences of what they'd
like to hear, so we try to appeal to every-
body at some point in the season," Boerma
said. "It's just a process of trying to find a
good balance to connect with everybody
at some point."
Approximately 110,000 people eager-
ly await the band's entrance in the Big
Mouse before kickoff of every home game,
but for band members, the Saturday fes-
tivities start much earlier. For the noon
game against Delaware State, the Sat-
urday Marching Band practice began
promptly at 7:30 a.m. While even the most
dedicated pre-gamers were still in bed,
328 students were up and preparing for a
busy day, watching the sun rise over Elbel
Field in 25-degree weather. About two
hours later, after final run-throughs of
music and marching, the practice ended
and band members dispersed to tailgate,
eat breakfast with members of Delaware
State's band and de-thaw.
The drum line, considered by many to
be the centerpiece of the Marching Band,
reconvened for its weekly pre-game step
show outside of Revelli Hall at 10:30 a.m.
The waiting audience was treated to the
drum line's impressive rhythms - it was
difficult to spot anyone in the crowd
who wasn't completely captivated by the
beat. The informal concert ended with
a musically and visually complex piece:
Drummers placed their drums on stands
and struck them as the performers spun
around and wove between one another.
Cymbal plsayers worked together to create
the accompainying crashes. The cadence
became more of a dance, instilling a tre- lifetime opportunities. The band arguably
mendous amount of energy in the excited has the best seats at the game, and when
crowd. the team does well, the experience can
The fans then fell in behind the band make for some incredible memories.
and followed as it marched toward the "We did the Rose Bowl our freshman
Big House. The band played "The Victors" year, and we took very few freshman, and
once more before filing into the tunnel. so to be able to go (was) unbelievable,"
The suspense and energy inside the tun- Rudowski said. "You know, you're in band
nel was unparalleled, as the band belted asa freshman and you're goingto Califor-
40
community f
300 peop187)
- Michael RuddskP'
Trumpet rank leader
"Eye of the Tiger" loud and clear.
The band cheered with wild excite-
ment as the Michigan football team came
in from the field. The two groups joined
in the tunnel, and immediately the band
transformed into a stoic, professional
militia at the sight of the Delaware State
team. Before marching onto the field, the
band huddled together, arms across each
other's shoulders, to sing "The Yellow
and Blue."
"I like a lot of things about band week,"
Hines Jr. said, "but you practice every
week just leading up to the game."
Being a part of the Marching Band also
provides many students with once-in-a-
over our flight plans ... They sent three
quarters of the band home from Pasadena
hours after the game ended," Rudowski
recalled. "We played 'The Victors' very
slowly as they were processing the coffin
by ... It was very powerful."
Through its activities outside of Satur-
day performances, it's easy to see that the
Marching Band is made of much more
than uniforms and music. The halftime
shows students see on the field are the
products of 328 students' devotion for
music and marching, and the end result
of hours of physical and mental sacrifice
- though no member would call it one.
This loyalty has fostered a unique family
on campus.
"It's the students that make this band;
the students that bring the drive and the
talent and the smarts and the desire to
be excellent," Boerma said. "And without
that drive, without that internal commit-
ment to making this program great, none
of us could've made this happen."
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By KAVI PANDEY
Daily Arts Writer
For children sauntering through
the aisles of the video store peek-
ing at R-rated movies they would
have to wait an eternity to see, one
film in particular likely sends chills
down their prepubescent spines:
"Candyman."
The title's promise of delectable,
pleasant mirth is immediately shat-
tered by the film cover's terrifying
visual of a blood-red eye with a
menacing, man-shaped shadow for
a pupil and a solitary bee sitting on
the eyelid. The tagline is equally
horrific - "We dare you to say his
name five times!" - as it creates an
insatiable desireto test the declara-
tion while dreading the potential
consequences.
In the film, repeating the phrase
causes the Candyman (Tony Todd,
TV's,"Chuck") to appear immedi-
ately behind the summoner, and he
proceeds to hook the person and
anybody in the vicinity from"groin
to gullet." But this isn't just another
slasher film with the villain cutting
up an endless supply of silly teens
who dare test the myth. Instead,
"Candyman" serves as an intelli-
gent psychological thriller, exam-
ining the impact of an urban legend
on the public and individual psyche,
while providing enough shocks and
chills to be sincerely scary.
The film's lead, Helen Lyle
(Virginia Madsen, "Sideways"),
happens to be a graduate student
researching urban legends, spe-
cifically the story of the Candyman.
Helen uncovers that residents of a
crime-infested, low-income hous-
ing project are connecting a series
of gruesome deaths to the myth
of the Candyman, who is said to
reside in the city. Here, in the der-
elict, graffiti-strewn buildings of
the project, complete with bark-
ing pit bulls and threatening gang
members, Helen begins her inves-
tigation. Does the Candyman actu-
ally exist or are criminals merely
exploiting the legend to terrorize
the community?
The answer remains intention-
ally ambiguous throughout the
film. Even when Helen foolishly
summons the Candyman and he
begins to slay her acquaintances, it
is never clear if the murders are the
doings of this wraith-like figure or,
even more outlandishly, if Helen is
committing them herselfin a mani-
acal trance.
On screen, it appears as though
the Candyman is cutting through
the victims, but these may just be
images formulated by her mind.
After all,behind her tough exterior,
Helen has a very vulnerable mind,
constantly questioning her hus-
band's fidelity. The movie suggests
that such a frail mind is susceptible
to manipulation - perhaps Helen's
subconsciousis absorbingtheurban
legend and using it as an excuse to
expel frustrations by murdering
people. Then again, much of the
dismemberment in the film would
require alot of strength, thus mak-
When childhood
fears come true,
ing it equally likelythat the illusory
Candyman is the true culprit.
The Candyman stands alongside
some of the horror genre's greatest
menaces, yet he is distinct in his
approach and appearance. Unlike
Jason Voorhees of "Friday the
13th" fame and countless other vil-
lains, the Candyman doesn't hide
behind a mask. His intense visage
is revealed to the viewer, allowing
for a hint of humanity in what is
normally a soulless character. The
wise, brooding figure is surpris-
ingly insightful, making fascinat-
ing proclamations about the power
of his legend.
Those concerned that "Candy-
man" might.be overtly philosophi-
cal need not worry - the film
contains all the elements of a classic
horror thrill ride. It is consistently
suspenseful because of its dimly lit
scenes,sharpeditingandharrowing
Philip Glass score. A swarm of bees
fills the revolting creature quota,
and there is a satisfying but not
excessive number of gruesome-yet-
awesome deaths. Because of this,
"Candyman" works on multiple lev-
els. The film's deeper subtext can be
ignoredby those seeking a diversion
or adopted by those searching for a
little"more"fromtheirhorrorfilms.
Either way, "Candyman" is amemo-
rable frightener.
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