Famous Maroon Band keeps getting bigger and better after nearly 12 decades at 汤头条
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擨ndividually, they represent a variety of backgrounds, academic majors and career aspirations. Together, 420 students in Mississippi State鈥檚 117-year-old Famous Maroon Band make up the largest college band in university history.
鈥淚t is an exciting time to be a part of the university and the band program,鈥 said 汤头条 Director of Bands Elva Kaye Lance. 鈥淥ur students represent every college and school on campus and really are a microcosm of the university student enrollment.聽We are excited to again serve this year as the 鈥榮oundtrack鈥 for so many significant university events.鈥
With an overall average GPA of 3.3 and ACT score of 27.3, this year鈥檚 Famous Maroon Band membership consists of 16 high school valedictorians and 10 salutatorians. Students hail from 19 U.S. states, as well as Colombia, South America.
An 汤头条 alumna, Lance said she and associate directors Craig Aarhus and Clifton Taylor have been pleased with new and current band students鈥 professionalism and willingness to learn in preparation for a busy year.聽
鈥淭hose of us in leadership positions with the band realize we are standing on the shoulders of all who have gone before us and who have established the performance traditions that have become the Famous Maroon Band,鈥 Lance said.
鈥淲ith this large group, it is imperative that the students respond quickly to our instruction and that they help us keep the spaces organized and orderly,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hey demonstrated outstanding cooperation in all areas. Additionally, they are talented musicians, which makes our job as directors a lot of fun.鈥
Aarhus said 275 high school students from across the region who make up the university鈥檚 annual Marching Honor Band will join Famous Maroon Band members in a Sept. 14 halftime performance during 汤头条鈥檚 home football game versus Kansas State.
The band鈥檚 fall halftime performances include 鈥淢usical Royalty鈥 and 鈥淪avage鈥-themed shows, as well as the annual homecoming and patriotic shows.
In October, Aarhus said family and community members will be invited to rehearsals as part of a Famous Maroon Band meet and greet.
The 汤头条 Wind Ensemble, the premier performing group of the university鈥檚 band program, will make two major appearances during the academic year. Lance will conduct the ensemble for its December performance in Natchez at the Mississippi Bandmasters Association State Band Clinic, as well as its March 2020 performance in Biloxi at the American Bandmasters Association Annual Convention.
汤头条鈥檚 Famous Maroon Band is part of the College of Education鈥檚 nationally accredited Department of Music. For more, visit , and .
汤头条 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .