NCCU taking on Human Jukeboxhttp://NCCUsmbc.tripod.com
BY CAROLYN NORTON, The Herald-Sun
September 17, 2006 9:11 pm
http://www.herald-sun.com/sports/nccentral
DURHAM -- When N.C. Central University senior Austin Chalmers joined the marching band freshman year, it had just 80 or so members.
The school didn't have instruments for band members, and in lieu of expensive uniforms, they wore wind suits. To -- pardon the pun -- drum up support, band members marched through campus, performing for students.
That year, the band's enrollment jumped to 100, a number that has doubled since. And this year has turned out to be the best year yet for the marching band, which is nicknamed the Sound Machine.Saturday, the band will perform at a football game against Southern University, matched up against the Human Jukebox, which is generally considered one of the best marching bands in the country. While not officially a competition, the band members will play against some of the best musicians and performers around, letting the crowd decide who is better.
"We're not intimidated," said Antwone Vass, an assistant drum major with the Sound Machine. "Yes, they're bigger than us, but we're going to go on and give it all we've got."
The band will also play at N.C. State University next month, filling in for Florida State's band, which could not take the trip. The game will be shown in ESPN, giving the Sound Machine wide exposure. This year, the band has also appeared on MTV, played for former U.S. Senator John Edwards, and participated in the Honda Battle of the Bands.
It's a far cry from the old wind-suit days, just five years ago, Chalmers said.
"I feel really proud," said Chalmers, who is a distant relative of Durham Police Chief Steve Chalmers. "We've worked really hard. We strive to be the best. That's the main vision of the band."
Chalmers serves as head drum major, a conductor of sorts for the dancing, baton twirling and music playing that traditionally fills the marching band performances. In many instances, people attend football games at historically black colleges and universities just to see the bands perform. Chalmers, a music education major from Durham, has been in the band since freshman year, even marching with his older brother, who used to be drum major.
Back then, the band owned few instruments. Now it has two sets -- one for practice and one to play on the field.
Heading to Southern could be intimidating, said Latia White, a junior who dances with the band, twirling streamers, batons and rifles. But most band members choose to look at it more positively, the biology student said.
"If anything, it serves as motivation," White said. "You get to travel, you get exposure. We get to show how good we've become."Much of the growth has come at the hands of Jorim Reid, who became director of the band in 2001. He had been an assistant director, but university spending cuts eliminated his job. When the main director left, Reid took that position.
"We weren't really working with much. We started with about 30 kids, and not a lot of equipment," Reid said.
He immediately launched into a campaign of raising funds and recruiting members. As the band grew, so did the number of shows, festivals and contests it was invited to. And, the more the band played, the more members joined.
During halftime, the bands' various sections perform against each other, seeing which can put on a more impressive show. When the game's over, the bands play what's informally called the "fifth quarter," alternately playing the same styles of music, each trying to outdo the other.
"We're kind of like a David and Goliath going up against Southern there," said Dennis Ellis, a member of the Sound Machine booster club. "Everybody's heard of them. You name it, they've done it. The Human Jukebox, they're on NBC every year. They just put on a super good show."
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NCCU marching band to play for Florida State at N.C. Statehttp://NCCUsmbc.tripod.com
The Herald-Sun
September 13, 2006 10:55 pm
http://www.herald-sun.com/sports/nccentral
DURHAM -- The N.C. Central marching band has been invited to play as the stadium band for Florida State when it travels to play N.C. State at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on Oct. 5.
The game will be nationally televised on cable network ESPN.
It will mark the first time the NCCU band, known as the "Marching Sound Machine," will have played at an Atlantic Coast Conference football game, according to a news release from NCCU on Wednesday.
Florida State will not bring its marching band to the game since band members would have to skip two days of classes because of travel considerations for the weeknight event.
The NCCU band will be seated in the visitors' section along with some 5,000 expected Florida State supporters, and will play Florida State fight songs as well as NCCU standards and other game cadences.
Florida State is preparing special Florida State shirts for NCCU band members to wear at the game and will pay for the 250-member team's trip. The Marching Sound Machine members will be served a tailgate dinner outside the stadium and will play for the Florida State contingent before the game.
Douglas Manheimer, chairman of the Florida State Athletics Hall of Fame, personally invited the Marching Sound Machine to play at the game.
"We had heard a lot of good things about NCCU's band and were impressed with their performance at the Honda Battle of the Bands," Manheimer said. "Since the chancellor of NCCU, James H. Ammons, and the band director, Jorim Reid, are FSU graduates, we hoped as members of the FSU family they would accept our invitation."
"It's great publicity for the university and the students are very excited about playing during the game," band director Reid said. "The game is already sold old out with 60,000 plus fans. An old FSU tradition is after the game the coach, Bobby Bowden, usually throws his hat to the band in appreciation, whether they win or not. I'm sure the band will enjoy the entire experience."Ammons received a master's degree in public administration in 1975, and a Ph.D. in government in 1977, from Florida State. Reid holds a master's degree in music education from Florida State's School of Music.
Florida State has used other replacement bands in the past, including the U.S. Military Academy band, the Marine Band of El Toro, Calif., and the Quantico (Va.) Marine Corps band to play at several games in the past.
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