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Pride of Southwest: Sun Devil Marching Band & Twirlers

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Pride of Southwest: Sun Devil Marching Band & TwirlersPride of Southwest: Sun Devil Marching Band & Twirlers
PETER VANDER STOEP

College athletics and bands have been synonymous for quite some time. It would be hard to imagine a touchdown scored or a 3-pointer made without a celebratory song from the various instruments that comprise a college band.

While a spectator is usually focused on the ongoings of the game being played, there is rarely any recognition for the group that makes those instruments come to life.

The rigorous amount of time and effort that a member of a collegiate band must contribute in order to be consistently successful could be compared to that of a student-athlete. That comparison especially applies to the Sun Devil Marching Bands at Arizona State.

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At ASU, several different groups make up the Sun Devil Marching Bands. There is the marching band, the basketball band, the color guard, the drumline, the spirit squad and the twirlers.

At the helm of this 320-member team is Director of Athletic Bands for the ASU Herberger Institute, James Hudson. While music is Hudson's job and passion, his detailing of his team's practices and preparation sounds nearly identical to that of a sports coach.

"We came into camp on August 12," Hudson said as he described the preparation that went into the band's annual welcome for Arizona State freshman. "We did three-a-day practices starting on the 13th, all the way up to freshman welcome [on August 16]."

But the band does not solely practice music.

"The musicians not only have obviously music to learn, but also their formations to learn," Hudson said. "The visual units have routines to learn that fits the music plus their formations. At the beginning of the season, the amount of material that we have to go through to get ready for that home opener against NAU was - well, it's a lot."

 

The band's weekly agenda starts off with "Music Mondays." Wednesdays and Fridays are "drill days," which include practicing formations. 

"Those Friday rehearsals going into a game can be pretty intense, especially if we haven't prepped the way we need to prep," Hudson said. "I put that more on me than the students. Sometimes when you're writing formations, or you're just not very creative. I take that responsibility pretty heavily. I want to set them up to succeed, and college marching band is supposed to be fun."

According to sophomore drum major Jackson Snyder, not only is the environment fun, but it serves as a place of comfort to many members of the band.

"One thing that I think the SDMB is in particular is kind of a home for students," Snyder said. "There are people that are [in the band] because they like the band, and that's a way for them to participate. But regardless, we all find a way to have fun and to come together and to support Sun Devil Athletics and just have a good time as a band. It really is a kind of a family atmosphere."

Despite Hudson's desire for a fun atmosphere for his students that make up the Sun Devil Athletic bands, that does not mean that success has to be sacrificed. 

In fact, Arizona State's twirlers hold every single collegiate twirling title in the United States.

The Sun Devils' Emma Carr has the 2022 College Miss Majorette of America, while Kylie Cates holds the 2022 Grand National Twirling Championship, the Senior Strut Gold Medalist World Championship, the Grand National Strut Champion and the Grand National Collegiate Solo Championship. 

Additionally, Cody Carter holds the Senior Men's Two-Baton Gold Medalist World Championship, the Grand National Solo Championship, the National Two-Baton Championship, the National Rhythmic Twirl Champion, the World Open Twirl-off Championship and the Grand National Downfield Championship.

"You could almost call us Twirler U," Hudson said.

Hudson has created a melting pot of over 100 different majors within the Sun Devil Marching Band all while maintaining the balance between ambition, success and enjoyment - a  community with one common interest and affinity.

"They're all just there because they love the Sun Devil Marching Band," Snyder said. "Whether they love it because they love to support Sun Devil Athletics, or they love it because they love to play their instrument or they love the atmosphere or what have you. They're there for a uniting reason."

Teamwork is not just happening for Sun Devil student-athletes. While spectators may be coming to watch them execute on the athletic field or court, they would be remiss in not appreciating the other team, the Sun Devil Marching Band, performing and executing their game plan during the game. Both the Sun Devil Marching Band and Sun Devil Athletics have a unique responsibility to engage with the spectators, allowing them to live the game through the shared in-game experience.

About the Authors -

Sam Culver is a senior at Arizona State University. He is pursuing a degree in Sports Journalism at The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He recently decided to focus on public relations with his degree, in addition to receiving his Google Analytics certification. He will graduate in the spring of 2023.

Hunter Brownstein is a graduate student in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He is pursuing his master’s degree in mass communication with a heavy emphasis on public relations. He received his bachelor’s degree from the Cronkite School in sports journalism where he learned to produce stories and content both in digital and broadcast formats, and will finish his master’s degree in December 2022.