NC State is a well-renowned university for myriad reasons, and one of these reasons is thanks to The Power Sound of the South — NC State’s marching band.
Carter-Finley Stadium hosts well over 300 marching band students during every home game. The band enters the field, and the crowd is ecstatic — “the most dangerous band in the ACC” stands before nearly 60,000 people and performs the fight song, its first song of the evening. The band’s presence is electrifying. Ask any true Wolfpack fan.
Surely any home football game would not be as animated without the all-powerful sound of the Wolfpack marching band.
Chelsea Burns, a freshman studying biological sciences, is a cymbal player in the marching band. She described her experience playing in front of a packed stadium.
“[It’s] really energizing, every person is rooting for you,” Burns said.
Other members claim to feel the same way, admitting that playing in front of a packed stadium is not as intimidating as some may believe.
“Being out on the field at a packed Carter-Finley really isn’t all that intimidating,” said Seth Cole, a freshman studying aerospace engineering and a saxophone player in the marching band. “It sort of feels like having fun with my friends while sweating our butts off.”
The end product that is heard in Carter-Finley is an ongoing process of hours of practice. Practices last about two hours and happen three days out of the week. When the band is not practicing together, different sections hold practices called sectionals. These sectionals can last almost as long as practices themselves, and sometimes even longer. The dedication that players put into the program is what brings out the soul in every performance.
For many band members, dedication to musical programs can be traced back many years. It is not uncommon to find members of the band who were previously in middle or high school band programs.
“When I did band in middle school, I really enjoyed playing,” Burns said. “I thought it would be a good opportunity to continue playing and developing my skills.”
These years of musicianship resonate in the sound of the band; it takes talent to produce the sound that the Wolfpack marching band does. However, this does not mean that every person makes the cut.
The marching band holds auditions during the first day of New Student Orientation from 4:30-6 p.m. Those who cannot make auditions during orientation also have a chance to audition during band camp, or can even schedule an audition by appointment. Most auditions are held in the Price Music Center next to Talley Student Union. It should be noted that those wishing to audition for the marching band are expected to know all 12 major scales and are also expected to sight read.
Auditions allow for the band to produce its most complete sound by finding members who are committed to playing to their fullest potential. Band members come from many different backgrounds which contributes to the community-like atmosphere of the band.
The beauty of marching band is that not only is it a way for performers to form a bond with others who may share similar musical backgrounds, but marching band is an art within itself. The 300 plus members who are physically playing an instrument are auditory performers and visual performers as well. Memorizing an entire set takes a lot of brainpower, and memorizing show music on top of that, well, that opens a whole new can of worms.
Of course, the players are not the only visual performers on the field. The color guard adds the extra zest to the show that might not be as easy to achieve through the style of marching and rhythm of the show music. Each member of the band has an essential role in the entire artistic process that goes into a marching show; not one section or person is more significant than another.
Each song and show takes a lot of effort from every section and member of the band. The amount of time put into each practice and performance is remarkable, but is worth it in the end.
“It certainly leaves me with a limited amount of free time,” Cole said. “But all of us that are out there are doing it because it’s what makes us happy.”
NC State marching band plays before kickoff at the Old Dominion game held at Carter Finley Stadium on Sept. 17. The band played songs like 1999, Pure Imagination and Phantom of the Opera at the game.
