How has the marching band evolved?
Many of the things the band got away with in the 1970s were pointedly rude—jeering at visiting teams and bands. That line has shifted. Instead of heckling, we join them and play with them. There’s more camaraderie, less antagonism.

Is that true of the scripts the band writes for its performances? 
The band members invariably push the envelope and try to get away with as much as they can. Part of my job is to let them get away with as much as I feel they can. 

Are there any common topics?
Politics. Pong. Alcohol. I challenge the students to be more clever in their humor. The crass joke is usually the easy joke.

How good are your musicians?
We have students who have never played an instrument to students who were in high-powered high school marching programs. 

What do nonmusicians play?
We usually work them into the drum line, improvising with the beat of the music on cymbals or bass drum. 

Do alums still join in?
Regularly. We always invite them at Homecoming. 

Do they yearn for cruder, more freewheeling times?
Some poke fun at the current band for having softened backbones. They feel it has had its teeth removed. The alternative is that the band would no longer exist.
It’s a changed landscape. 

What’s the best part of your job?
Students participate because they want to, because they love music and want to keep it as an important part of their lives. That’s true of the bands and ensembles I direct. Participating in the arts throughout your life—that’s really what we’re fostering and developing.