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Marching Band

Performances - We perform a pre-game show and 2 to 3 different half time shows a year along with marching in the "Potato Bowl" Parade and Homecoming Parades. We will also travel to one away game and all National Championship appearances. This proves to be both challenging and exciting.
Rehearsals are held on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 4:10-5:40 p.m. and on Game Day mornings. Sectional Rehearsals may be required, and will be scheduled by Section Leaders. While this might sound like a lot of work, most students find the schedule quite flexible. Students in the marching band also have time to participate in a wide variety of organizations on campus such as ROTC, fraternities and sororities, academic honor societies and clubs. Many band members also work during the marching season. Naturally, your parents will be happy to hear that Marching Band will not require such a large amount of time that it will interfere with studies!
Academic Credit is available for participation in marching band. This applies to all curriculum electives. Students interested in participating in the Marching Band can enroll in MUS 272 for one hour of lower-division credit.

Marching Band Camp - We do have a band camp that begins on Monday, a week before classes begin for sections leaders, color guard, and percussionists and on Tuesday for everyone else. We will be working hard and learning both the pre-game and 1st half time show during this week so attendance is required. We do have all the fun activities planned to including mixers, a BBQ, Band Olympics, Movie Night and Bowling Night.

Eligibility - Enrollment is open to all University of North Dakota students. Only about 10% of the band members are music majors. The other 90% is made up of students majoring in virtually every curriculum on campus, with aviation comprising the largest percentage of band members at about 30%. Auditions are not required, except for the Drumline. More information about auditions for Auxiliary Groups will be sent to you if you indicate so on the sign-up form below. Band Social Life is a big reason many members return year after year. A great break from the everyday routine, the band regularly schedules picnics, parties, ice cream socials, banquets and other events. Additionally, It has been found that the members of the Pride Marching Band have traditionally maintained a slightly higher GPA than the average University student.

Benefits As a Member of the "Pride of the North" Marching Band you will have the opportunity to perform in a musical organization which performs for over a hundred thousand people a year and you'll meet 150 new friends from all over the country that will become your second family. The band is a great way for a new student to avoid getting lost in the shuffle, which can be a very common occurrence at a university of around 13,000 students.

Attendance is held to the highest standard in the Pride Marching Band. Band Members are required to attend all rehearsals, all performances, and may be asked to participate in smaller ensembles throughout the semester. Marching Band members are also eligible to audition for the Basketball Pep Band following completion of the marching season. We know that conflicts will arise and are very understanding to work with members when this happens.

Things you will need - Everyone is required to have comfortable shoes to wear to practice -No Boots. Please wear tennis shoes or athletic sandals with back straps. This is imperative to facilitate a proper glide step. We will have water at the rehearsal but it is still a good idea to have a bottle of your own. Bug spray is also a good idea. The Band does not supply music flip folders, flip folder pages or lyres. Please be ready with these items before you get to camp. For performances we will be wearing the same type of black shoes this year called the Drill Master. You can find these at http://www.bandshoppe.com/html/bandshoes.html or by calling the Band Shoppe at 1-800-457-3501. You will also need to have a good pair of black pants to wear at performances when we are not in full uniform. No faded jeans are allowed.

Marching Band Camp - We have a band camp that begins a week before classes start, on Monday for sections leaders and all persons wanting to be in the drum line and on Tuesday for the winds and colorgaurd. We will be working hard and learning both the pre-game and the first half-time show during this week so attendance is required. We do have all the fun stuff planned to including mixers, a BBQ, Band Olympics, Movie Night and Bowling Night.

Sounds Interesting? The truth is that the Pride of the North Marching Band is much more than a Pep Band for football games. The band exhibits and expects a higher standard of friendship and support than many other groups on campus. If you would like to work hard and play hard with the Fighting Sioux, click on the Join the Pride link to be taken to a sign-up form. Once the Marching Band has your info, we will contact you with all of the information you need to join us next fall.