Frequently Asked Questions

Marching band is a great way to make a lot of friends very, very quickly, and it offers a lot of perks and benefits towards your college career. Enrollment in the marching band gives you a $100 tuition reimbursement, allows you the ability to move in earlier than the rest of campus, and meets your university required PE credit. The marching season ends about 5 weeks prior to the end of the semester, opening up time previously used for rehearsals to study for finals while students in other PE courses are still attending classes. Participation in the band and guard makes you part of a very powerful spirit organization on campus, provides you the opportunity for leadership development and personal growth, and instills principals that can be used throughout the entirety of your college career.

Joining the marching band is quite simple. When you register for your fall classes, add one of the following course numbers depending on your year and requirement. If you are taking marching band to receive your PE core requirement, regardless of your current year, add the course PWB140. If you already have your PE credit, then add course ES119 if you are a freshman or sophomore, or course ES319 if you are junior or senior. If you have not yet been in contact with the band office, fill out the online contact form. The band office will answer any questions you may have about the ensemble and will collect important instrumentation and uniform sizing information needed to start the year off strong. The office can be contacted via email at dmccullo@butler.edu or 317-940-9876.

No, many students from various majors on campus join marching band each year. These students simply enjoy performing music, love the experience, and find rehearsals a very relaxing way to get away from their school work. In fact, the majority of the members of the Butler University Marching Band aren't music majors.

While experience is a big plus, no prior color guard experience is necessary. Hand-eye coordination is the only requirement. The Butler University Marching Band has staff and many members who are more than willing to help out and teach you what you need to know. We have a very large range of experience in our line, from those who have marched with drum corps and high-end competition HS bands to new members interested in learning for the very first time at Butler. It's a lot of fun and is a great way to make lots of friends!  To help you, instructional videos on flag fundamentals and our fight song routines (easy!) can be found on the "New Members" Blackboard site.  That link can be found here on this web site, and if you can find it, contact the band office.

We have a pit (percussion) and front (electronics) ensemble that performs on the front sideline. This ensemble includes guitar, electric bass, mallet instruments, piano/synth keyboards, and auxiliary percussion instruments.  We also have internships for video and audio engineers to assist with our live performances and to create the season DVD that we create each year.  Media Arts majors, or those with media or audio production experience can contact the "Internships and Career Services" office at Butler to apply for these internships.  Certainly, if you can play an instrument we want you to do so, but if you are a non-musician with A/V skill, this is a way you too can get involved.  Check with friends and roommates to see if they might like to intern with our band.

Yes, some years the band travels to one or two away football games and, occasionally, we have a year like 2010 and 2012 when we stay home and other bands come visit us!  On years we do travel, we often have an overnight trip, using the evening time to perform as an exhibition group for high school competitions.  These trips can, if large, require some additional fees.  In the near future, we are planning on shorter "day" trips to close schools in the area (like ISU, Valparaiso or Dayton) that will allow us to return to Butler the same evening to both save money and make more frequent trips possible.

Yes! Marching band is a great social experience. You get to interact with other students and closely work together as a team. There are also band organizations, such as Tau Beta Sigma and Kappa Kappa Psi, who host events so that the band can become closer. The marching band is a great way to make a ton of friends outside of your dorm, major, and normal classes!  And the band often acts like a large "peer advising" group, assisting younger members with class work and ideas as to how to stay on track to graduation.  With more than 130 people involved in both athletic bands it is difficult to come in with a major that an older member of the band does not already have!  Those folks can be a GREAT resource for you!

The fee for new members is $45. For wind and front ensemble players, this fee covers an in-stands hat, an under-uniform shirt and a copy of the season DVD. The shirt and hat are required for all performances. For marching percussion members and the color guard, this fee covers their warm up uniforms and a copy of the season DVD. Returning members pay $10 each year to help defray the costs of creating the DVD. Additionally, renting instruments from Butler, including all guard, drum line, and pit instruments, costs $10. This fee creates a fund to keep these instruments in good repair.

Though this may seem like a bit of money, when compared the cost of books required for other PE classes the amounts are quite similar.

School owned instruments can be rented from the marching band at registration in the fall.  There is a $10 dollar fee to do so that can be paid at band registration.  The fee creates a fund so that allows us to keep the instruments in good repair.  We own piccolos, clarinets, tenor and baritone saxes, trumpets, mellophones, trombones, marching baritones and tubas.  We also provide all drums, mallet and electric instruments, and amplifiers.  This instrumental rental fee is charged for all guard, front/pit and battery percussion members as those are the most expensive sections of the band to properly equip.

For the majority of shows, no, you don't have to have your music memorized. Many members of the band use lyres for their music during shows.  With the amount of music we perform in a season, there is no pressure to have it all memorized. It is expected to have several frequently played songs, such as the War Song, Varsity, etc. memorized. We utilize "flip books" for the music we play in the stands.

Currently, there are no auditions to take part in the wind, front ensemble, pit, or guard sections of the marching band. Due to the level of interest, however, the drum line will begin auditioning members this year. For more information, watch the marching band website as well as your email for updates. To facilitate this audition process, fill out the online contact form. The band office will answer any questions you may have about the auditions. The office can be contacted via email at dmccullo@butler.edu or 317-940-9876.

If you do not play an instrument we use, then you still have a few options.  Our color guard does not require experience, so if you are interested in adding to the visual aspect of the band, this section may be right for you.  Our front ensemble may also provide an option for those who play instruments not usually seen in a marching band.  We have had a violinist and a cellist play with us in the past.  If your instrument can't be marched, or placed in the front ensemble, then you might decide to try a new instrument or switch to a secondary instrument that you can play.  There are always options. If in doubt, simply ask!

A typical marching band rehearsal is not particularly strenuous for those in relatively good physical condition. For inexperienced marchers, special care is taken in the first week of rehearsals to get participants accustomed to the techniques of marching. These techniques are designed to make marching as effortless and comfortable as possible. Appropriate footwear, comfortable clothing, and a large water bottle are the best tools for a physically undemanding rehearsal.  Remember, this is a class that counts for a PE credit, so some amount of physical activity on your part is expected.  You will find the Preseason Technique Training Program schedule to be a great asset in helping you get ready to perform with the BUMB this fall.

For the past couple of years, we have had a section of our band entitled "Mobility Assistance."  Their role is to move any wheelchair members around the field in the different formations.  The turf in the Butler Bowl is very conducive for wheelchairs to move across it easily.  And the best part is that they get their PE credit too!

There are possibilities for less experienced musicians willing to learn.  The cymbal-line, for example, is also a good way to march and learn to play an instrument, and we can teach you what you need to know to be a part of this unique and highly visual section of our band.

Participating in Marching Band as a music education major allows students the opportunity to develop leadership and teaching skills.  Many use their roles as Drum Major, Section Coordinator or Section Leaders to "try out" pedagogical techniques that they later utilize as future music educators.  Some music majors perform on a secondary instrument, or march in the guard as this adds even more tools into their educator's toolbox.  As long as you look and sound good, and can make a real contribution to the band, you are welcome to play an instrument other than your primary and strengthen your secondary instrument skills!!

Yes. In 2008 the band added a front ensemble and "pit" where mallets, accessory percussion, electronic keyboards, and electric and bass guitar are used in a stationary section. Also, our marching band is like one big family, so there will always be someone there to assist you in marching correctly, whether it be the drum major, your section coordinator, or just a member of your section. You'll always have someone there to help you when it is needed. The band has members every year who have little or no marching experience.  Typically, they are able to quickly learn and become very proficient members of our band.