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I have been a member of Albion's "British Eighth" Marching Band, more affectionately known as the B8, since my freshman year. Going into my freshman orientation I was unsure as to whether or not I would participate in any musical ensemble on campus- I wasn't sure I was up to the additional commitments. However, my advisor for SOAR (Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration) was none other than Dr. Samuel "Mac" McIllhagga, director of bands at Albion. He convinced me to join this amazing group of students and musicians, and it has been one of the best decisions of my time at Albion.
The
band also has given me a sort of mentoring role. Upperclassmen in the
band take an
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Last updated on March 07, 2008 |
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For marching season, I play piccolo. The band learns and performs
roughly five shows each season (one for each home game). For the most
part, we march a traditional low-step; for pre-game, however, we use a
unique low-kick step known as the "British Eighth step." That,
combined with our uniforms (which are modeled after the British Honor
Guard) add to the pageantry of the British Eighth. The pace of the
band is fairly quick, the atmosphere both incredibly focused and
welcoming. We learn a lot, but we also have a lot of fun doing it.
incoming first-year or first time marcher under their wing
in our "bigs and littles" program. I've been big to two girls thus far,
and it's a great experience for both the upperclassmen ("bigs") and
their first-year littles.