Don’t forget about the band
COMMENTARY
Melissa Christensen

With all the publicity surrounding a ground-breaking 11-1 football season, certain communities within TCU have received deserved attention: the football players, coaches, fans, alumni. One group, however, has been ignored despite their noticeably loud presence throughout the season.

The TCU Marching Band is an energetic group of 190 students deserving recognition. Director of bands Bobby Francis said band members rehearse as a group an average of six hours a week and attend about a dozen university events in the fall semester. For a mere half hour of credit, band members are at all home football games, a few away games, university and city parades and marching competition exhibitions.

Oh, yeah, and the big one, of course: the bowl game.

While most of us have plans to travel home right after finals, the TCU Marching Band will remain on campus until Dec. 23 rehearsing for their last seasonal performance. Their winter break starts on Christmas Eve, leaving those who live out of state a small travel window to open presents Christmas morning.

Some of these students are required to be a part of the marching band to meet their music scholarship requirements, and those requirements include attending the bowl game. But, according to Francis, at least half the members are not on music scholarship, making their enormous time commitment to the program entirely voluntary.

One of these students is trombonist Justin Jordan, a junior biology major with medical school aspirations. His full-time class schedule is demanding, plus he works part time at a local doctor’s office. Still, every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday he is in place for roll call at marching rehearsal. He is also at the practice field four hours before every home game for a short rehearsal, then performs from the pregame parade to the playing of the alma mater at the end of the game.

“It’s good camaraderie being around people who all love music as much as I do,” Jordan said. “And, it’s great way to show my pride for TCU.”

And do they ever show their pride. Any fan who has sat near the band at a football game knows how loud and proud the band can. They chant, curse bad calls, cheer good plays and provide a peppy soundtrack for the game.

At the Plains Capital Fort Worth Bowl, the TCU Marching Band will take the field at halftime for their last performance of the season. For those of you who will be there to cheer on the Horned Frogs, remember the band members are also hard-working Frogs who deserve your cheers.

Melissa Christensen is a junior news-editorial journalism major from Grand Island, Neb.