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For more than 114 years, Mississippi State’s Famous Maroon Band has entertained Bulldogs of all ages with its captivating sound. When the 2016-17 football season officially kicks off at Davis Wade Stadium this Saturday [Sept. 3], one of the Southeast’s oldest musical traditions will ring true as the largest college band in university history and in the state of Mississippi.
“Many former students have said that their years in the Famous Maroon Band were some of the most special memories of their enrollment at Mississippi State. It is our hope that we can provide that same positive experience for the members of our program today,” said Director of Bands Elva Kaye Lance, an MSU alumna and instructor with nearly 40 years experience in music education.
For 2016, the program is comprised of 375 members representing 14 states, with more than 60 percent calling the Magnolia State home. More than 180 different high schools are represented in this year’s band, with approximately three-fourths of members having graduated in the top 25 percent of their high school class.
In addition to Lance’s guidance, members of the Famous Maroon Band are nurturing their talents under the tutelage of Craig Aarhus and Cliff Taylor. Both serve as associate director of bands, as well as assistant professors in the university’s nationally accredited Department of Music.
Aarhus said he attributes the band’s enrollment trend to the consistent growth that Mississippi State has experienced with its expanding reputation as a leading national university.
“We as a band staff, along with our student leadership team, work hard to provide a positive musical and social experience for the students in our program, who truly are some of our university’s best and brightest,” Aarhus said, adding that the success of MSU’s athletic programs also have contributed to “this very exciting time for those of us fortunate to be involved with the MSU Bands program.”
Along with home football games, the Famous Maroon Band lends its musical talents and spirit during Fall Convocation, Cowbell Yell, The Drill, and other special traditions and events.
Ashley and Brittany Carey of Olive Branch, both senior drum majors in the band, said being a vital part of the university’s game day atmosphere for four years has been an unforgettable experience.
“There is such a cool social aspect to the Famous Maroon Band, and we have made so many lifelong friends,” said Brittany Carey, an educational psychology and Spanish double-major. “You always have a friend in band.”
Twin sister Ashley Carey, a mechanical engineering major, couldn’t agree more.
“With a group this large, you can always find someone in the same major or with similar interests,” she said.
“Being in a leadership position is great because you can see how everyone grows as the season goes on.”
Along with the big rush of adrenaline during pre-game festivities, “there’s nothing that can prepare you for the first time you walk on Scott Field and hear the unbelievable sound of 60,000 cowbells,” Ashley Carey added with a smile.
In recent years, the Famous Maroon Band has made appearances at the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee, the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida.
Also, the MSU Wind Ensemble, the premier performing group of the university’s band program, has performed in Italy, England, Ireland, Austria and Germany as part of its international performance tours.
In addition to Wind Ensemble and the marching, symphonic and concert bands, students may participate in jazz band and basketball pep band. MSU Band Auxiliary units include color guard and feature twirlers. For more, visit www.msuband.msstate.edu/ensembles.
Representing a cross-section of academic disciplines, band members receive academic credit each semester and are eligible to receive a service award for their participation. The amount of the award is determined by demonstration of their musical ability during auditions, which are held in January.
Tax-deductible donations for MSU Bands are being accepted via the MSU Foundation. To contribute, contact Lynn Durr at 662-325-8918 or ldurr@advservices.msstate.edu.
For additional information about the MSU College of Education’s nationally accredited Department of Music, call 662-325-2713 or visit www.music.msstate.edu.
Aarhus also may be contacted at CAarhus@colled.msstate.edu; Lance at EKLance@colled.msstate.edu.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.
When it takes Scott Field during Saturday’s first home game of the 2016-17 Bulldog football season at Davis Wade Stadium, Mississippi State’s Famous Maroon Band will feature 375 members, making it the largest college band in university history and in the state of Mississippi. (Submitted photo by Craig Aarhus)
“Give me an ‘S!’ Give me a ‘T!’ Give me an ‘A!’ Give me another ‘T!’ Give me an ‘E!’ The Mississippi State Famous Maroon Band’s “State Spellout” is one of many beloved pre-game traditions for Bulldog fans of all ages. (Photo by Hunter Hart)
