HMB Band Banquet - End of an Era
Winter 2024
This banquet was a representation of the end to my four long but fulfilling years in the Husky Marching Band. I’ve loved every moment of it, and I can’t think of a better season to leave it off at. Having this band with me all my years of college has not only helped me develop my musical/performance skills and organization/time management, but it also showed me the importance of having a community united under one purpose but available for any reason. I’ve been able to grow close with many of the people in band through many long trips and have also been able to rely on them in difficult moments. Ultimately, band has helped both my personal and professional growth, and I will always hold the memories I’ve had from this experience close in my heart.
Forever PAC-12 Champions
Fall 2023
To be honest, I never really took much of a liking to sports of any sort in my childhood, and that didn’t really change very much through a cancelled season in freshman year due to COVID and a relatively uneventful 4-8 football season in my sophomore year. Although as any Huskies fan will be able to tell you, the last two years have been some of the luckiest experiences. So much so, that I have now actually found a connection to sports as a whole. In part because of my sense of actual identity within the UW community (and perhaps the football team’s undefeated season may have played a role…), I have now become a huge fan, so much so that I think my neuroscience clubs might have gotten slightly annoyed with how often I have to bring it up! I truly think that the unique experience I’ve had in the marching band has fueled much of this, as wherever the football team travels I will also go free of charge to perform. This quarter alone I will have been to Michigan, Nevada, Louisiana, and even Canada with the band, and through all of these I have gotten what I think are college defining moments. Playing the national anthem on field in front of a completely booked out audience, blasting our “Bow Little” sequence after beating rival Oregon (twice!), and the thrill of making it to the playoffs with a historic ending to the sad dissolution of the PAC-12 conference are just a few of the ways that band has made this quarter incredible. It’s an experience I will truly never forget, and one that I will always feel a connection to despite my dismay at having to leave this year. At the very least, it’s made me a lifelong Dawgs fan!
Traveling to the Alamo
Fall 2022
The defining feature of this year was that our football team was in FIRE throughout the season. As a result, we got to go to a prestigious bowl game - the Alamo Bowl! Against Texas, we came out with an incredible win that has solidified my love for football, but my personal highlight was our halftime show, which I have rewatched perhaps an unhealthy amount of times. This is my first time going on a significant trip with the band, and it was truly an unforgettable experience to both perform and to experience San Antonio!
IN PERSON MARCHING BAND WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
Fall 2021
I apologize for the overly emphatic celebration, but marching band was the #1 reason I was excited to get to campus the moment it was in person again. And let me say, it was everything I expected and more. It has been nearly two years since I have played in person in an ensemble, much less to a crowd of 50,000 cheering fans! (Or to those at the rallies...)
Taking up anywhere between 8 to 20 hours a week, there is no way I could have managed to do marching band if it wasn't something that I truly loved... but it definitely is. Unfortunately I don't see myself pursing a career in music, but I do love seeing the ways that it can connect to my personal growth. Whether it be teamwork in listening to the rest of the band, accounting for details in delayed beats across the field, or the focus in ensuring my perfect position on the field, I'm not sure there is anything more thrilling (or taxing on my lungs) than this and all I can say is I love every moment I'm playing into the audience and every person I've met in the band.
Learning the Basics of Husky Marching Band
Fall 2020
I knew going into college that I loved music and was not ready to give it up. So I auditioned and was fortunate enough to be placed as a second trumpet in the Husky Marching Band. As you might expect, we didn't exactly get a whole lot of the experience with COVID forcing us to be virtual. Nonetheless, the new rookies and I did our best to memorize the marching tunes and choreography so that we are ready to get into full swing next fall. Attached on the right is a recording of my audition playing through some tunes and the four main songs (Victory for Washington, Bow Down to Washington, Louie Louie, and Tequila) along with what I now know are many mistakes after taking MUSEN 303 (Marching Band) albeit virtually. I'm planning to replay these tunes sometime later in college to survey my improvement, along with some choreography I have learned.
