Georgia State Band

[Tuscon]

Don't really want to hear about attendance (as it's obvious it's bad), but I love our fricken' marching band. They put together this great video.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=236EaY9MeVM#!

[SpiritCymbal]

Not bad. Ga State has always had a great music department and talented musicians. Marched with several back in my days with SOA. You can tell they put in a lot of work and take pride in the work they do.

[Bogus Megapardus]

That's really quite impressive. No one is reading from sheets, either - it's all from memory and it is very well-practiced. The Georgia State band certainly seems to be ready for FBS.

[seantaylor]

Guys named Scantron and Tripshell

[The Eagle's Cliff]

Very nice!xthumbsupx

[eaglewraith]

That's really quite impressive. No one is reading from sheets, either - it's all from memory and it is very well-practiced. The Georgia State band certainly seems to be ready for FBS.

What bands out there are playing halftime shows from sheet music? I can't recall ever seeing this in recent memory.

Hell when I was in the band in high school, ALL of our music was played from memory. That includes pre-game, halftime, and stand music.

[gataeagles06]

I was a band nerd in high school (and one year at Southern) and found out not too long ago that one of my old band directors from hs is the director now at State. He's a great guy and always had awesome ideas about halftime shows. Correct me if I'm wrong because I'm just going off what I've seen on Facebook, but it's Chester Phillips, correct?

[fc97]

What bands out there are playing halftime shows from sheet music? I can't recall ever seeing this in recent memory.

Hell when I was in the band in high school, ALL of our music was played from memory. That includes pre-game, halftime, and stand music.

we were the same way. but, if they are playing a different show every week, that might explain it. wake forest uses sheet music too.

[GATA_GSU]

What bands out there are playing halftime shows from sheet music? I can't recall ever seeing this in recent memory.

Hell when I was in the band in high school, ALL of our music was played from memory. That includes pre-game, halftime, and stand music.

When I was in high school all of our music was played from memory too. But, I know for a fact that at least the GSU Southern Pride and the UGA Redcoats bands use some sheet music in the stands. Usually for new tunes introduced that week. Can't speak for any other bands though.

That being said, this was a nice video. Georgia State's band is pretty good and I know they've got a great musical program.

[gataeagles06]

When I was in high school all of our music was played from memory too. But, I know for a fact that at least the GSU Southern Pride and the UGA Redcoats bands use some sheet music in the stands. Usually for new tunes introduced that week. Can't speak for any other bands though.

That being said, this was a nice video. Georgia State's band is pretty good and I know they've got a great musical program.

That's correct. When I was in SP Dr. Falin gave us sheet music for at least 25 songs before the season started. You eventually memorize the ones you play the most, but he would occasionally pull one out that we only played a couple of times so most of us used the sheet music in the stands.

[Smitty]

I think I saw a high school down the road perform almost the same show.

[Tuscon]

Thanks for all the kind words, guys.


I was a band nerd in high school (and one year at Southern) and found out not too long ago that one of my old band directors from hs is the director now at State. He's a great guy and always had awesome ideas about halftime shows. Correct me if I'm wrong because I'm just going off what I've seen on Facebook, but it's Chester Phillips, correct?

I'm pretty sure that is correct. We've got a kid in band that posts all this stuff over on PantherTalk and he talks about Chester Phillips. Our marching band has always impressed me.


I think I saw a high school down the road perform almost the same show.

It might have been us actually. Before the season, we went to at least one local high school and played an exhibition or something.

[SpiritCymbal]

Our marching band has always impressed me.

Georgia Tech would use a lot of Ga State students for their marching band as well before GaState started football.

[bjtheflamesfan]

What bands out there are playing halftime shows from sheet music? I can't recall ever seeing this in recent memory.

Hell when I was in the band in high school, ALL of our music was played from memory. That includes pre-game, halftime, and stand music.

Same here. The only reason Id go with sheet music is if they have a new song in between back to back home games and you dont have time to commit it fully to memory

[Smitty]

Thanks for all the kind words, guys.



I'm pretty sure that is correct. We've got a kid in band that posts all this stuff over on PantherTalk and he talks about Chester Phillips. Our marching band has always impressed me.



It might have been us actually. Before the season, we went to at least one local high school and played an exhibition or something.

No it was an actual high school...

[Tuscon]

No it was an actual high school...

Ok.

[jim121256]

Good job! I'm really impressed with how good the band has become in such a short time. Hmm... wonder if Chester is interested in a coaching position....

[FormerPokeCenter]

I'm at the 'Nova/Ga State game and it's more of a standing band than a marching band...the PA guy should STFU....He's making it worse ;)

[ST_Lawson]

Not bad. Ga State has always had a great music department and talented musicians. Marched with several back in my days with SOA. You can tell they put in a lot of work and take pride in the work they do.

Hey...a fellow corps person on AGS...nice.

Anyway, yea, that's a pretty solid university band. I think that's the same arrangement of "Summon the Heroes" that my school is playing this year (I'm not in the band anymore, but it's the band that I marched with when I was in school). Our band went up to our game against Iowa State earlier this year and performed it on the field with the ISU band, then they integrated it into their 2nd halftime show of the season. Also, ISU used sheet music...our band did not...never have.

A couple other very good bands to check out, if you're into that sort of thing are:
Western Carolina University (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HkAkXEpgIw)
West Chester University (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDQxNmr6Low) (not FCS, Div. II actually, but still a phenomenal band)
(what is it with WCU's having good bands?)

[Tuscon]

I'm at the 'Nova/Ga State game and it's more of a standing band than a marching band...the PA guy should STFU....He's making it worse ;)

I'm not too sure what the hell that was yesterday. I think they were trying to teach cheers or something. Definitely not the normal show. The one in the video is what we normally do. No PA guy.

[Tribal]

Wow, what a nice band you have, Tuscon.

[GSUEagles#1]

I've never seen a college or HS (for that matter) use sheet music on the field.

[clenz]

Nice band....was that during a practice session though?

[Tribal]

Nice band....was that during a practice session though?

Nope, that's in front of 12,000+ xeyebrowx rabid Panthers fans. Impressive, huh?

[gataeagles06]

Nope, that's in front of 12,000+ xeyebrowx rabid Panthers fans. Impressive, huh?

I chuckled pretty good at that one.

[Gringer1]

I'm not too sure what the hell that was yesterday. I think they were trying to teach cheers or something. Definitely not the normal show. The one in the video is what we normally do. No PA guy.

Oh. So it's a 1 show a year kind of band. I remember high school.

[Tuscon]

Nice band....was that during a practice session though?
I honestly have no idea. Our stadiums been nice and empty this season.

Oh. So it's a 1 show a year kind of band. I remember high school.

Seriously? We played one different show than the one on the video. For homecoming, the band did some kind of cheer training or some such. I don't even know. Every other game has been what you saw in the video.

[Gringer1]

Exactly. Every game is the same show. That's not how college band works.

[Tuscon]

Exactly. Every game is the same show. That's not how college band works.

Yeah, it mostly is.

[FormerPokeCenter]

I'm not going to comment on attendance other than to say that I took iPhone. video of the ghost town on the mezzanine and the largely empty stadium seating...I'm guessing 6 k, total....it is what it is and the crowd was commensurate with the product on the field...

[Tuscon]

I'm not going to comment on attendance other than to say that I took iPhone. video of the ghost town on the mezzanine and the largely empty stadium seating...I'm guessing 6 k, total....it is what it is and the crowd was commensurate with the product on the field...
I'm not going to comment, but here's a comment.

[ITmonarch10]

I'm not going to comment on attendance other than to say that I took iPhone. video of the ghost town on the mezzanine and the largely empty stadium seating...I'm guessing 6 k, total....it is what it is and the crowd was commensurate with the product on the field...

So you are being a d*** basically because this thread isn't about attendance at all.

I will never understand the retards who begin a statement with "I'm not going to comment on xxxxx but" , "I'm not trying to be racist/sexist xxxxx but", or "Not to be a dick but" and still say something retarded afterwards. It makes them a giant p**** for not owning up to the stupid things they are about to say.

[bjtheflamesfan]

Exactly. Every game is the same show. That's not how college band works.

That really is up to the director and dependent on the size of the band. I know at Liberty we only did one show a year, but added elements to visual effect throughout the season. some of the larger bands (like I believe JMU so Im sure one of their fans can correct me if Im wrong on this) go with multiple shows, but the drill is easier to teach so that it can be learned in between home games (especially useful if you have back to back home weekends)

[gsu_paintballer]

Yeah, it mostly is.

Not at this GSU.

[clenz]

UNI has a 240ish member band and does 2 or 3 different shows a year without sheet music.....A couple use sheet music, but those are typically freshman.

[FormerPokeCenter]

what part of "other than to say" is hard to comprehend? I could have said a LOT of stuff...instead, I stuck to the facts. why do facts bother the Georgia Stare Crowd so much?

By the way, you guys need to call the Georgia Dome and complain. on the Marquee, it says "Home of the Atlanta Falcons"...Nary a word about ThecPanthers....

when I attended the game, I was expecting to be wowed, based on this thread. I was underwhelmed, but attributed that to the lack of marching and the PA guy... Hopefully, it's not like that every game...moreover, there were posts before mine that dealt with attendance. I guess y'all skipped the critical thinking class that's supposed to be required at GaState...

[SpiritCymbal]

Hey...a fellow corps person on AGS...nice.

When did you march and with who?

[JMad03]

Corps person here as well.
I marched with Cadets in '99 and '00.

At JMU when I marched we were doing about 4 shows a year. The concert tune was usually the same 2 or 3 sets and would allow us to mix and match songs if we wanted.
Now the band is under new leadership and they march around a lot more. Drill is much more complex and now they tend to do only about two shows a year. I think their visuals have come a long way and do a great job.

[GATA_Eagles]

The new band director at Georgia Southern thinks that we should be debuting a new show every home game. Southern Pride has put out 4 shows so far. In the first and second show, there is a repeating song - as well as the third and fourth. SP is working on it's last show right now and will put together the show for App State next week

[Smitty]

The problem with new shows every week/2 weeks is the quality really drops. You will see a lot of show bands just have 1 pregame show and 1 half time show all year long but add different effects (like bj said above).

WCU keeps the same show but adds more for each game. It would almost be a nightmare to get 394 people to learn a new show constantly.

[eaglewraith]

Corps person here as well.
I marched with Cadets in '99 and '00.

At JMU when I marched we were doing about 4 shows a year. The concert tune was usually the same 2 or 3 sets and would allow us to mix and match songs if we wanted.
Now the band is under new leadership and they march around a lot more. Drill is much more complex and now they tend to do only about two shows a year. I think their visuals have come a long way and do a great job.

Cadets in 2000? They won the championship that year didn't they? I'll always remember that performance for the lineup where they reached over and played the horn of the person next to them and switched back and forth several times.

I went to a show in Dothan I think it was that year, Cadets were last but didn't perform due to rain. Had to see it during the broadcast of the championship.

[bjtheflamesfan]

The son of the director at Liberty marched with Cadets this past summer. They werent as dominant as they have been in the past but BD, Crown and Phantom really stepped their game up this last summer.

[SpiritCymbal]

The problem with new shows every week/2 weeks is the quality really drops. You will see a lot of show bands just have 1 pregame show and 1 half time show all year long but add different effects (like bj said above).

WCU keeps the same show but adds more for each game. It would almost be a nightmare to get 394 people to learn a new show constantly.

Just saw a video from WCU's performance at a competition this past weekend....WOW! VERY IMPRESSED with the musicianship and coordination!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gKdBTPCnhU

[SpiritCymbal]

Corps person here as well.
I marched with Cadets in '99 and '00.


Nice. I marched with Spirit from '97-'99. Auditioned for YEA in 2000. Had a spot in Cadets front ensemble, but chose to march cymbals with Crossmen that year instead. DOH! (Didn't matter b/c I had to bail at the last minute anyway b/c of school.)

[IndyTreeFan]

Wow! Nice work there! Great sound, and nice field work as well. I'm glad someone mentioned Spirit of Atlanta cause it reminded me of them. Very nice!

[gasoutherneagle]

Look...

As much as I LOVE seeing State squirm and convulse in agonizing pain...

Can we please lay-off the ONE class-act Georgia State fan that still has the BALLZ to swim in the FCS shark tank?!?!

[gasoutherneagle]

CAN'T DO THIS IN A DAMN DOME THOUGH...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1cUZlM1CRI

[JMad03]

Cadets in 2000? They won the championship that year didn't they? I'll always remember that performance for the lineup where they reached over and played the horn of the person next to them and switched back and forth several times.

I went to a show in Dothan I think it was that year, Cadets were last but didn't perform due to rain. Had to see it during the broadcast of the championship.

Yes, we did. I played trumpet (soprano bugle in '99) and was in the front row of the playing on each other's horn. A lot of people thought we faked it, but it was definitely real. :)
It's a shame you missed us in Dothan.. rain outs were always a bummer.

SpiritCymbal, I enjoyed the Crossmen show in 2000. Also that was the first year Cadets and Crossmen had separate camp locations. I kinda missed having Crossmen around. They had some rough years recently but they had a really good season this year and look to be back.

[coover]

With the state of Georgia State football, I guess that the only thing the fans have to cheer is the band, but I thought this site is to be used to talk about FOOTBALL, not about bands or music. Isn't it?

[ursus arctos horribilis]

With the state of Georgia State football, I guess that the only thing the fans have to cheer is the band, but I thought this site is to be used to talk about FOOTBALL, not about bands or music. Isn't it?

You are mistaken. This site is primarily driven by FCS Football talk but there are many other topics that your normal fan likes to talk to his friends and enemies about and some even concern FCS Football although not directly FCS Football talk.

[soccerguy315]

oh is this the DCI reunion thread????

hi...

[jim121256]

Since we're talking band and drum corps, let's get some links to other corps-style college bands. Here's Jacksonville State's performance from a couple of weeks ago. Not a real "football band" show, but if you're a band fan, you gotta love 'em. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IvbRMlo4Xc

[bjtheflamesfan]

Here is Liberty's debut performance (not the full show...hoping to find a full show video soon)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S41ShqDsA3I

[ST_Lawson]

When did you march and with who?

1994-1995 with a small Div. III (would now be considered "Open Class") corps from Iowa/Illinois called the Quad City Knights (http://www.corpsreps.com/corpsreps.cfm?view=corpsdet&corps=94&corpstype=Junior).
then
1996-2000 with the Colts

Proof:
Me in the '96 Colts Baritone section (https://dl.dropbox.com/u/128325/WIU%20Stuff/2688_27101643073_2266519_n.jpg) (I'm in the front row, middle) at a National Guard Armory we were staying at in Delaware (I think).
Me warming up for Semifinals in 2000 outside of Byrd Stadium in Maryland (https://dl.dropbox.com/u/128325/WIU%20Stuff/227732_517039911015_195_n.jpg) (I'm the short one, second from the right).

And for reference (and to keep it somewhat FCS-related), here's me much more recently participating in the Marching Leathernecks Homecoming Alumni Band (https://dl.dropbox.com/u/128325/WIU%20Stuff/561.jpg) (not even using music as an alumni...hehe).

[SpiritCymbal]

1994-1995 with a small Div. III (would now be considered "Open Class") corps from Iowa/Illinois called the Quad City Knights (http://www.corpsreps.com/corpsreps.cfm?view=corpsdet&corps=94&corpstype=Junior).
then
1996-2000 with the Colts

Small world. We did quite a bit of touring together in '97 and '98. I was in the pit those years. Us, Colts, Crossmen and Crown's pit's use to hang out at our stops.

LOVED your '97 show. Didn't get much better than God Bless the Child. One of my favorites to this day.

[ST_Lawson]

Small world. We did quite a bit of touring together in '97 and '98. I was in the pit those years. Us, Colts, Crossmen and Crown's pit's use to hang out at our stops.

LOVED your '97 show. Didn't get much better than God Bless the Child. One of my favorites to this day.

Nice. Me and a couple other baritones were on the post-show scaffolding crew, so we'd always be packing up the scaffolding in the truck at the same time that all the pit people were putting their stuff away. I'm sure I saw you around at some point or another.

Re: '97, thanks...it's always been one of my favorites that I've been lucky enough to perform. Actually that baritone solo in God Bless the Child was mine through the camps and into the very start of the season, but I was never that great of a soloist, so the other guy took it over by the time we started doing shows (he did it better than me anyway, so I had no problem with him taking it). I actually enjoyed your SOA show from '97 as well, always had a soft spot for "Georgia on My Mind", since it's become a tradition at Western to perform it at the end of every halftime show. Essentially the Jim Ott version from '79, we performed as part of our halftime show in '81, and then it somehow became the tradition to play after halftime starting in '82 (here's video from us in '82 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPxbUJdaY2Y)) and they still play it today (here's from '99 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZUHIC3NqwY) when I was in the Marching Leathernecks).