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| Vol. 19, No. 7 | Oct. 14, 1999 |
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| Vol. 19, No. 7 | Oct. 14, 1999 |
My editor suggested that I do a behind-the-scenes story on the University of Delaware's Fightin' Blue Hen Marching Band, which had reached epic proportions this year, and today is the day. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. This was no ordinary Saturday. It was Band Day, the annual event that brings UD's band together with eight area high school bands for a total of more than 1,000 musicians.
It was in this melée that I was to find out how Delaware's band operated. And, as I looked at the game program, I realized I was in for another treat. The game was against West Chester University, a long-time musical rival of the Fightin' Blue Hens.
7:30 a.m. -- I find the band practicing on the field No. 9, just behind the UD's Outdoor Pool. The members' uniforms are packed in garment bags and thrown lazily over the fence. The musicians' faces look tired.
8 a.m. -- The UD band practices separately from the eight high school bands that are here to participate in Band Day. I mix in with the UD band, which boasts 303 members this year-the largest group in its history.
9:30 a.m. -- The nine bands come together to practice the selections they will play together during the game and at halftime. UD Band Director Heidi Sarver takes a perch on a bright yellow Ryder truck to direct the 1,000-plus musicians who begin to play in unison. It is amazing to me how easy this effort seems to them. "If you were to analyze all that we wish to accomplish each year," Sarver adds, "you would say it is an impossible task." The secret to success, she says, is to keep keyed into the goals. "Every single student and staff member understands the tasks in front of them, as well as the goals. When everyone focuses on his or her responsibilities, it makes life easy."
9:45 a.m. -- Senior Drum Major Michael Pollock, who is serving his fourth term in the
sought-after position, informs me that he arrived at 6 a.m. to place the extra band yard markers on the football field. I feel bad for my later arrival and decide to keep my yawns to myself. Rising early isn't an issue for Pollock, though, when he sees the effect the band has on the fans. "I love to perform," Pollock says. "The audience reaction is great."
10 a.m. -- While the actual show is hours away, the rehearsal time is Sarver's chance to perform. She paces on top on the truck and speaks
through a microphone headset. She
manages to crack some jokes in between her directions. Today is an important day for her, she explains. Having all of these high school musicians to the University plays out for excellent recruitment. "Band Day is a perfect chance to show the high school musicians what Delaware is all about," Sarver says.
10:15 a.m. -- The bands play "Hey, Baby," one of the songs they will present at halftime. But, in the middle of the song, Sarver unexpectedly drops down the roof of the truck and begins doing push-ups. The bands laugh and count to 10 aloud. "She messed up," Pollock explains, with a chuckle. It is very clear that the band members like Sarver very much.
10:45 a.m. -- As the bands break up into their separate groups, Sarver speaks to her UD band about the controlled chaos called Band Day. "Do whatever you can possibly do to keep your heads together today, particularly in the stands," she says. "You need to gun it today. The Purple and Gold is out there somewhere." She refers to West Chester University's band as a spy would talk about an enemy. "I like to make it competitive," she explains. Seating assignments are handed out verbally and the director, who also is an assistant professor in the music department, climbs down from her post.
11 a.m. -- Sarver is having a "dining disaster." The food for the 303 musicians has not arrived and they were supposed to begin eating in 30
minutes to remain on the tight
schedule. Everything could be thrown off kilter from this point if the matter is not resolved. She dismisses the players and rushes over in her little black car to the Bob Carpenter Sports/Convocation Center, where UD's band will dine.
11:05 a.m. -- The food has arrived and Sarver is relieved. The band has 40 minutes to relax and eat packaged meals on the floor and in the stands of the Carpenter Center. "Feeding 300 people carries an exorbitant price tag," she says. "But, they must eat!"
11:45 a.m. -- The band members begin to dress. The 38 color-guard members change into their velvet outfits, as the musicians pull on their polyester-based pants and shirts. I begin to feel like I don't belong. Pollock passes by in his white drum major uniform, looking official. "We step off in 10 minutes!" he shouts to the crowd.
Noon -- Sarver reappears wearing a black blazer, instead of the warm-up pants and T-shirt she wore at the rehearsals. She has retired the headset and carries a walkie-talkie instead. Pollock blows his whistle and the band begins marking time, hundreds of feet move up and down in place. Surprisingly, Sarver looks more relaxed than at practice. "Drum majors are extraordinarily important to the success of the program," she says. "Once the band take the field, there's not a whole lot I, or the rest of our professional staff, can do if the band gets into trouble. The performance lies in the hands of the performers and is guided by the drum majors. In essence, they are my right and left arms."
12:05 p.m.-- The whistle blows three concise times and the band members call out a synchronized "HUH!" They stand at attention with their arms held tightly at their sides and heads facing front. The whistle signals once again, and the band begins its trek around the parking lot. The drum sound bounces like gunshots off of the concrete walls outside Delaware Stadium.
12:08 p.m. -- The white feathers on top of their hats bounce as the band is signaled to stop in front of the UD Hen House. While Pollock conducts with swift, sharp ticks of his wrist, the other drum majors follow along. I can actually feel and hear the enthusiasm of the fans in their cheers.
12:10 p.m. -- The whistle blows and the trip resumes. One fan pretends to play a trombone. The trombone members seem amused. Near the corner of the Delaware Field House someone from the brass section barks, "DELAWARE!" and the 303 members boom in response, "BLUE HENS!"
12:25 p.m. -- When the band stops in front of the Touchdown Club's tailgate in front of the stadium, Pollock hops up a truck that is decorated like a bandstand. The "Fight Song" is played once again. This group is the most enthusiastic and the fans in this section clearly look forward to the band's arrival. Sarver says that the band's size this year surprises some veteran football fans. "I love to see the faces of the football fans as the band marches by, and marches by and marches by," she says. "We really are pretty big."
12:30 p.m. -- The band enters the underbelly of the stadium. I follow alongside next to the drums as it marches down what looks like a runway. The fans line up on either side of the band and clap along. This part of the pre-game trip is more energizing than I had imagined.
12:35 p.m. -- The announcer introduces the band as it makes its way onto the field, lining up by the markers that Pollock set during the morning. "PLEASE WELCOME," the announcer says, "The PRIDE OF DELAWARE, THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE FIGHTIN' BLUE HEN MARCHING BAND!" The music begins and fans in the stands clap along as the band creates the interlocking UD.
12:45 p.m. -- Anticipation is building. The band forms two rows on either side of the stadium entrance. The cheerleaders give voice to the band's musical energy. The high school bands, which are already seated in the stands, cheer for UD's band. The football team makes its way into the stadium. The band plays proudly as the players run through the mass of blue and gold musicians.
1:50 p.m. -- Sarver leaves at the beginning of the second quarter to prepare for the halftime show. UD band members shout across to the West Chester band after they complete a song. "Take that," one drummer bellows. When the Delaware "Fight Song" is played back to them from the West Chester band, the musicians surrounding me turn their backs, pretending not to listen.
1:55 p.m. -- The stands empty as the eight high school bands and UD's unit all leave for warm-ups.
3 p.m. -- After returning to the stands, I spend the second half with the UD musicians. I feel proud of
them as the high school bands
mingle in with Delaware's group, a feeling which Sarver says she gets after each performance. "I feel really great when I see the kids smile after a show," she says. "They know they played well and it feels good to see that. It's all about having fun."
3:50 p.m. -- West Chester's band performs the first postgame show and the Delaware band listens attentively.
4:10 p.m. -- Delaware fans cheer in appreciation, along with UD's band, for a job well-done by the West Chester Rams.
4:20 p.m. -- Delaware begins its performance. Pollock takes center stage once again and directs the musicians.
5 p.m. -- The performance and Band Day are over and the musicians begin to return their instruments to their cases. They mix in with the fans as they leave the stadium parking lot. Being part of the band, Sarver says, is about more than just playing music. "The most important goal, from my standpoint, is for the students to learn skills that they can use throughout their life, regardless of their career choices," she says. "It's about music and motion, a very unique art form, but it is also about teamwork, communication skills, organizational skills, problem solving and, frankly, growing as a person."
-Laura Overturf
