Sounds of Cal Poly – The Making of the Mustang Marching Band
Mustang Marching Band | Photo: Ian Billings
Inside the crowded hallways of the Davidson Music Center, the bellow of a tuba or the glide of a trombone can be heard — just a few of the sounds of marching season. For the students in the Cal Poly Mustang Marching Band, this is where the hard work begins.
In addition to the pregame show, laden with fanfare, ceremony and tradition, the band typically prepares at least four distinct half-time shows. Additionally, the full roster is divided into smaller bands to provide music at the Cal Poly men’s basketball, women’s basketball and women’s volleyball games in the fall and winter.
Unlike most college marching bands that meet three to five times a week during football season, Mustang Band only meets twice during the week in fall quarter to accomplish these tasks. Rigorous expectations, exceptional work ethic, and a good attitude are key ingredients to creating the band’s popular half-time performances.
Representing the Best of Cal Poly
The Mustang Marching Band is comprised of musicians coming from every college on campus. These student musicians are also engineers, writers, actors, animal scientists, aspiring businessmen and women, mathematicians and future educators.
The final roster for the 2014 Mustang Marching Band includes 222 students.
- 71 new students auditioned for the band;
67 were accepted - 160 returning students auditioned;
155 were accepted
Enrollment by college:
- College of Agriculture, Food &
Environmental Sciences: 16 - College of Architecture &
Environmental Design: 14 - College of Engineering: 111
- College of Liberal Arts: 27
- Orfalea College of Business: 14
- College of Science & Mathematics: 39
- Extended Education: 1
“Like I always say, we’re the smartest band on the West Coast. The students are smart and they’ve got skill,” said Christopher Woodruff, music professor and associate director of bands.
With about 175 wind players (including flutes, clarinets, saxophones, horns, trumpets, baritones, trombones and sousaphones), 18 color-guard members, a 26-person drumline and one award-winning twirler, the current 220-member marching band is the largest in Cal Poly’s history.
Woodruff notes the makeup of the group allows for a range of artistic expression that can reach a broad audience. “Within the time we’re allowed to play for half-time, we try to appeal to as many aesthetic interests as possible — the visual and the musical,” Woodruff said.
Students from every college are represented in the Mustang Marching Band, making the group one of the most interdisciplinary on campus.
“Marching band really teaches students how to work with other people, to be good collaborators, and to understand that you must work together to be greater than what you could be as an individual,” said Andrew McMahan, music professor and director of bands.
For students, the band is not only a place to grow as a musician, but also a place to network and build lasting friendships. “Mustang Marching Band is a giant family that takes care of each other. They have been my home away from home, and I have learned so much from my experiences in marching band,” said Morgan Johnson, student chief executive officer of the band. “I have learned so much about what it means to be a musician; and there is always more to learn about your instrument and how to play it.”
Today, the band continues a proud Cal Poly tradition while developing show-stopping performances and growing in both rank and prestige.
“We’re now in the 99th year of Cal Poly bands, so we’ve recently been looking into the history of the band program,” Woodruff said. “The band is the biggest it’s ever been, but we are still using the old fight songs. All the traditions are back: we’re bigger, we’re louder, but we serve the same mission to represent the best of Cal Poly.”