 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: alpharettablue
Date: 2009-07-26 20:54
My daughter is a senior in high school and she really wants to go to the University of Michigan. She has the grades and the scores. She is a very good high school clarinetist (all-state five years in a row, Governor's honors), but she knows that she doesn't want to major in music. She loves to play in the marching band. She is section leader in her high school band as well as first chair in the Wind Ensemble. She visited Michigan and thought the marching band was incredible.
I have heard that Michigan is very competitive for marching band. They have exactly 24 clarinets each year.
Does anyone know anything about the michigan band? What are her chances of getting a place?
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2009-07-27 00:31
Hi,
I'm about 50 miles S. of Ann Arbor (in Ohio BTW) and am very familiar with the great U of M Marching Band, Symphony Band, and all the other top notch group s at the school. Great traditions and great music. I attend several concerts each year.
As a doubler, I'd suggest that your daughter consider the possibility of learning saxophone or even a brass instrument during her senior year of HS. I am a former HS band director and always found the woodwind players tended to thrive on a brass instrument. There were never any ill effects (and this has been discussed many times on the BB).
HRL
PS Go Buckeyes! See below.
http://tbdbitl.osu.edu/?action=a022
Post Edited (2009-07-27 00:35)
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Author: alpharettablue
Date: 2009-07-27 02:08
We used to live in Monroe Michigan, and later in Toledo. Which is probably near where you are.
Did you ever hear about the war between Ohio and Michigan over who got Toledo?
Michigan won.
Seriously, wonderful people, if not wonderful weather.
Yes, she has a sax which she plays occasionally. Are you suggesting she should try out on sax or a brass, or just encouraging her to expand her musical horizons?
She started piano lessons last spring and is planning to take guitar also. Neither of which will help her with the marching band!
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Author: weberfan
Date: 2009-07-27 02:41
To your original question, about your daughter's chances of acceptance to the University of Michigan Marching Band: I assume you have already looked at the band's Web site. Have you contacted the band director or any of his assistants? I'm sure they can provide some guidance. How about your daughter's band director? Or the UM Marching Band alumni association?
I can't swear to it, but it seems pretty clear that you do not have to be a music major to play in the band; in fact, most music majors probably don't have time for marching band. Nor is any such departmental requirement listed on the Marching Band's Web site or the music department Web site.
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Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2009-07-27 02:50
I live in Ann Arbor and went to school here, but was never in the Marching Band. I was however in Revelli Hall twice this summer, but this was to read a Beethoven symphony. This doesn't make me an expert.
That specific number of clarinets is correct according to their website:
http://mmb.music.umich.edu/joinTheBand/instrumentation.asp
Audition information is here:
http://mmb.music.umich.edu/joinTheBand/theaudition.asp
I can't comment as to her chances, but it is pretty competitive. Marching band used to be required for music majors, or members of the Symphony Band. Don't know if this is still the case, but this requirement would decrease the chances of non-majors.
Further contact information is accessible through the above links - best to have her phone or write and find out what she needs.
Post Edited (2009-07-27 02:57)
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2009-07-27 03:00
Two groups of people whose bragging about their respective alma maters I've been by irritated by over the years -- in the engineering world, MIT graduates; and in the music world, Michigan graduates. "Nuff said.
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2009-07-27 11:57
Yes, she should think about trying out on sax or even brass as well. Make the odds more in her favor. Ralph Katz is a good source though for AA2 info BTW.
As far as the war, that was ancient history LOL. We now mark decades by when Michigan last beat OSU in football.
HRL
PS Yes, wonderful winter weather (let it snow, let it snow, ...)
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Author: beantown_Bb
Date: 2009-07-27 12:51
If your daughter loves the marching band, I'd encourage her to consider many of the other well-known big-name marching band schools AND a rather unknown one: UMass.
If she wants to have the time of her life, UMass is the place for her. They are a relative nobody in football, but in marching band, they are fantastic.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2009-07-27 13:03
Alpharetta: Ah, Monroe Michigan....on the Raisin River as I recall. Would you mind emailing me directly? Although Ann Arbor and the U.of M. are delightful places, as I have fond memories of playing under Mr.Revelli in 1947, there are other Midwestern Universities with marching bands that could be considered. Even Purdue, for example. Dave: more than enuff.
Bob Draznik
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Author: llamaboy12
Date: 2009-07-27 14:12
im in the LSU band, so i know nothing about michigan. but i can tell you that if your daughter made all-state band for 5 years than she has more than a good chance of making it, and it's a shame that she won't be in a concert band. also, every year (again, this is in my band) they have a certain number of returning members, and a certain number of slots for new memebers, so when you speak to the director inquire about that.
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Author: alpharettablue
Date: 2009-07-27 14:32
Thanks everyone for your responses.
Michigan is number one on her list. The other schools she is planning to apply to are IU, University of Virginia(my alma mater), Wisconsin and University of Miami (Coral Gables).
She wants to major in business and all the schools have good undergrad business programs. Purdue is out for her because she will never be an engineer. For some reason she never looked at Illinois. She visited Northwestern, and loved Chicago, but didn't get the vibe on the campus. Her counselor waved her off from OSU (not sure why). UMass sounds awesome, but she is pretty focused on the midwest even though we live in the south.
Music is going to be a lifelong avocation for her, and she is planning to play in whatever wind ensemble is available to her. She also just really enjoys being around music people.
We do have some good contacts into the Michigan music program, but I know there is so much knowlege on this forum, and I wanted to tap into that.
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Author: factorymill
Date: 2009-07-27 17:11
Both of our children graduated from the School of Music; our daughter has a degree in clarinet performance. Neither was in the Marching Band, but they have friends who were. To the best of my knowledge, it is a rare music major who participates--the Marching Band is composed of students who just plain love it. The hard part is not the playing, so I can't think of any reason why your daughter should not audition. The tough part is the time commitment and the physical and mental endurance required. The difficulty might not be getting into the Band; the difficulty might be getting to perform as much as she would like. I believe there are about 500 band members, but only about 250 participate each time the band performs; if there are 24 clarinets in the performance block section, there is probably double that number on the roster. There are auditions before every performance, and the competition is indeed fierce. There are 5:00 am rehearsals sometimes. It seems that Marching Band members go to class and to Band--no time for anything else!
Best of luck to her, and to you!!
Post Edited (2009-07-27 18:03)
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Author: alpharettablue
Date: 2009-07-27 18:18
Thanks for the info.
Yes, marching band is kind of a strange creature and does not necessarily appeal to the strongest musicians.
Our band director jokes that marching band is a cult. If that's true, my daughter is a member in good standing.:)
I think my daughter would be happy to be in the reserve band while she learns the ropes. And she is always happiest when she is so busy there is no slack time at all. What could be better than hanging out every day with 500 of your best friends?
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Author: lrooff
Date: 2009-07-27 22:28
I would add that if she enjoys marching band, she should go for it while in college, as she'll likely never have a chance to do it again. Sadly, while there are hundreds and hundreds of community bands, community orchestras and community wind ensembles, we generally don't find a community marching band in which we can participate. Even though I'm in my 60s, I miss it.
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2009-07-27 22:35
I was all about marching band in high school, then went to a college without one. Missed it for about a semester, then never wanted to even think about doing it again.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2009-07-27 23:10
My wife, who has a Specialist degree in Flute Performance, informs me that the Marching Band requirement went away long ago. She says that the Marching Band is mostly non-majors. Music Majors are much to busy, she says, to sacrifice 10 hours a week for rehearsing, plus all day Saturday, and the other commitments that arise.
There are lots of criteria that should play a role in your daughter's decision making process. I would encourage her to investigate extra-collegiate possibilities as appropriate, such as: mass transit, nearby parks, part-time job availability, community music groups, public libraries, on- and off-campus religious opportunities. My wife and I both went to UMich, but our children have chosen somewhat smaller schools, one in the sticks, and one in a much larger city.
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Author: alpharettablue
Date: 2009-07-28 00:55
Alex and Ralph, I think you make good points about the changable nature of college age kids. It's quite possible that one days passion will be abandoned six months down the road.
I think that is one of the things that she likes about Michigan, though. It is such a large school and offers so much that regardless of her interests, Michigan can meet her needs. Her sister goes to a school with 1100 students, and while it is a wonderful school for my eldest, it would not be right for my youngest.
These decisions are so hard. I still regret the decision my parents made in not allowing me to attend my first choice (and to which I was admitted). Perhaps I was better off at my second choice, who knows.
But I am telling her to follow her heart.
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Author: Basie86
Date: 2009-07-28 20:15
Hi alpharettablue,
I think I can help put you and your daughter at ease about joining the band. There are actually more than 24 clarinets within the ensemble of the Michigan Marching band. There are about 35- 40 clarinets on the roster.
The actual competition happens once band camp starts and throughout the season. The marching band only has 2 Ranks of 12 clarinets (24 clarinets total) marching during pre-game and half-time, and there are challenges each week to see who marches the next show. I think all this was mentioned before.
If she has already audition, then I think the new members will be notified by August 1. Freshman band camp starts on the
Now, just to clear up some shaky information:
TIME REQUIREMENTS:
No practices start at 5AM, Ann Arbor has a noise ordinance that will not allow the band to practice before 8AM. Normal weekday (M-F) rehearsals are from 4:45PM - 6:15PM and this allows students to take classes all the way till 4. Many students each year have conflicts with rehearsal, but the band is more than willing to work with them. It is rare for freshman to have any major classes scheduled outside of the 9AM - 4PM time frame if they are in LS&A. There is plenty of time to do other activities and passions. The tendencies are for members to actual get better grades during band season, than during winter semester.
- Game Day rehearsals depend on the start time of the football game, but again none will start before 8AM. Typically, a section member's parent will provide a free tailgate before each game. Clarinets have by far the best themed tailgate before each game (steak, seafood, barbecue, taco bar, etc.)
- there are 2 orchestras, Michigan Pops Orchestra and 2 bands that she can play in a as non-music major. She can also audition for the School of Music ensembles, in addition. The audition occur during band camp, but the staff is willing to let student miss rehearsal for the audition. Faculty is very friendly to non-music majors! Numerous members of the band have made the school of music ensembles and participated in studios.
- we do have some music majors in the band, but you are not required to be a music major to participate. Other university sometimes require music education majors to do marching band.
Hopeful that helped!
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Author: alpharettablue
Date: 2009-07-29 02:01
Thanks SO much!
My daughter is a senior in HS so we are looking to next year, not this year, but Michigan is her first choice and she is a very stong candidate.
One thing I'm still not clear about. Is there a tryout to make the reserves, or is the only tryout to make the performance block?
I think she would be happy so long as she could be part of the band and work her way up into the performance block.
It really is an inspiring group and I understand why she wants very much to be a part of it.
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Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2009-07-29 18:58
It would make sense that an audition would be required for membership at any level, but contact the Band Department per the link above to firm this up.
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Author: Basie86
Date: 2009-07-29 19:50
Short answer, there is technically only a marching/playing audition to make performance block. The students perform an excerpt of that week's marching show for next week's block placement.
There is a music audition that takes place during the summer for membership. Because the pre-game routine is very specific and different from what most high school bands do, there are marching audition every friday for a spot within the performance block. Those students that do not make the performance block will be apart of the reserve block.
The reserve blocks also include members who are apart of half-time only members because the performance block on the way to the stadium consist of only members who are performing during pre-game. Some sections such as alto sax, piccolos, mellophones, and tubas march only 12 people during pre-game and 24 during half-time. I would suggest that your daughter not try-out on the alto sax or tenor sax, as suggested, because the spots are more limited in terms of pre-game.
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Author: saxlite
Date: 2009-07-30 06:08
As a University of Illinois alumnus and a former member of the The Marching Illini, I strongly suggest your daughter to take a good look at the U of I- they have an outstanding marching band and a large band program which will offer many different opportunities. Academically, it also on a par with any of the finest large state schools. Notably, the band building also houses the John Philip Sousa musuem. It's a great school!
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2009-07-30 17:51
Saxlite,
Many years ago, I had the pleasure of preforming under the baton of A. A. Harding, Father of Illini Bands. I think we played his arrangement of Meditation from Thais.
Illini Bands have always been outstanding.
HRL
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Author: BobD
Date: 2009-07-30 19:27
Hank.....didn't you also play under Sousa for a few years when you were in your Prime? This alum appreciates your Illini comment and your perspicacity.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2009-08-01 04:26
Alpharettablue,
I know graduates as well as faculty members at most of the Big 10 schools and each one has an excellent music education program and fine performance ensembles. One thing that helps is the when the collegiate band movement was becoming very strong in the 1940 and 50s, there were some tremendous directors at each school (Revelli, Bainum, Dvorak, Ebbs, Harding, Wright, Falcone, and others).
It would be hard to find a Big 10 schools without an excellent music program. We love our football here in the Midwest as well as our bands.
HRL
PS There are loads of smaller state universities in the mid-west that as well. Check out these two groups.
Ohio University Marching 110 (my alma mater and way more than 110 in the band) http://www.marching110.org/
Ball State http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pride_of_Mid-America_Marching_Band
Post Edited (2009-08-01 12:09)
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Author: mmbclarinet
Date: 2009-08-01 13:10
alpharettablue,
I think I can offer some advice. I play clarinet in the Michigan Marching Band (going into my 3rd year), and I was an all-state musician several years in a row. I was in a similar situation in that I wanted to keep playing, but certainly not as a music major, and for what I wanted to study, Michigan was a great choice.
So while earning a spot to march in a game is competitive, actually making it into the marching band isn't very hard at all. This year we have 35 clarinets, with 24 spots on the field, although that being said, if some of the 11 extra clarinets do very well on their weekly "challenge," they may steal spots from other instruments. That being said, being in the reserves really gives you a chance to bond with other freshmen, so it could be worse to be on the reserve field. And I definitely agree with whoever said not to audition on alto. She'd have a very difficult time making games. She'd have a pretty equal shot at making games on tenor as on clarinet.
Illinois and the other Big 10 schools have great bands as well. I have friends from high school in bands at Minnesota, Iowa, Northwestern, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Purdue, and Wisconsin (although they are always getting into trouble--especially when they come back from Michigan). Everyone loves their own experience, so really it comes down to other factors that make up the universities.
Hope this helps!
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Author: stevesklar
Date: 2009-08-02 01:06
I was in the Michigan Marching Band some 25 years ago now. The MMB was not part of the music school and back then, the music school kinda frowned on the idea of music majors in the band. BUT there were plenty in the band. I think the most major issue was that they didn't want you to mess up your embouchre and stuff as they thought marching while playing wasn't a good idea overall for music majors .... but that was a long time ago and who knows what they think now.
It was fun. The winters were brutal though .. practicing whilst snowing outside wasn't very fun. Luckily I was young AND stupid.
==========
Stephen Sklar
My YouTube Channel of Clarinet Information
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