Noise, Piped-In And Otherwise Comment Count

Brian

Apparently it's ND Nation week on MGoBlog. Eh.

eminem_lose_yourself_grammys2    vs    mmb

street-fighter-iv-20090108105755337

FIGHT

This is, without question, a first:

I was there too, with a UM friend of mine.  He was at the UM game against WMU the weekend before, and he said the music was not played that weekend. In fact, he said he's never heard music played at any Michigan home game. Yesterday was his first ND/Michigan game in the Big House. Maybe it's just something they do for us. Wouldn't surprise me.

We both thought it was bulls---. With those new press box/fan suite things they've built at the top of the stadium, that place got really loud. The Eminem songs only made it worse.

I guess that's why they call it home field advantage.

Leaving aside this guy's probably-fictional Michigan friend who went to the Western game and didn't notice the RAWK MUSIC, this is an opposing fan complaining about the noise level in the stadium. Even if this is just more complaining to complain, it's still a 180 from the usual laughter at the 110,000 quietest people in America or whatever. As a group of people naturally inclined to laugh at all things Michigan, statements like this are as close to proof as you're ever going to get about the effect of the new boxes:

I thought the place seemed so much more intimidating
by BigEND (2009-09-13 21:09:28)


with the skyboxes there. It was louder and felt like you were really in a "big house". I still can't understand why so many people complained when the plan was originally announced. That stadium will be 10 times better with those boxes finished.

You and me both, BigEND. Meanwhile, email from people who would know confirms the third-party impressions:

Brian -

I attended the WMU game with siblings who are recent graduates and former band members. The word they got from contacts still in the band is that the on-the-field noise is significantly louder, even if it doesn't seem so to the layman sitting in the 67th row.

Without having any sort of technical knowledge, my guess is that the new structures are aiming sound back into the bowl. Clearly not all of it, but enough to make it louder the deeper you are inside. (That's what she said?)

So, it might not seem much louder to us, but clearly LOUDER FIELD > LOUDER STANDS from a competitive standpoint. In other words, my screaming is more directly helping Brandon Graham to murderfy Jimmah this weekend.

Go Blue!

And this was just for Western. The initial take, then, appears to be that the optimistic projections this blog's scoffed at more than once are basically accurate. The luxury boxes are a huge aid to the noise on the field to the point where complaint-inclined opposing fans focus on it. This is a major win.

--------------------------------------------

So, then, the other matter at hand. Last week everyone had a little conniption fit and I posted a poll about whether piped-in music should be slain out of hand or not. The results:

5: I love it.
17% (685 votes)
4: It's better than nothing
26% (1067 votes)
3: It's the same as nothing
14% (573 votes)
2: It's worse than nothing
17% (699 votes)
1: It is the devil.
26% (1090 votes)
Total votes: 4114

Of the 75% who care, respondents were evenly split between pro-and-con, but the con side was more strongly opposed. This was shocking to me, but I guess this blog's readership skews away from bluehairs. I also have one main explanation: it's the band's fault. Multiple band members have sent in emails about the shift in the MMB's focus over the last ten or so years, and 90% are along these lines:

Brian,

I was in the band for the last few years of Professor Nix's turn at the helm, from 2003-2007*, and I would say that there was plenty of "blame" to spread around for the quieter band. During my years, we frowned upon bands like Notre Dame's that would sacrifice precision for loudness. I believe most of us felt this way, and while it's reasonable to say this mentality started at the top, which would mean Professor Haithcock, I think Professor Nix and his appreciation for the newer, drum corp influenced style of a marching ensemble was the biggest factor. And now, with Director Boerma, who also has strong drum corp ties, I'm sure that influence is just as strong or stronger. But, Haithcock did hire them, so we can just blame him.

Steve

I've got other emails claiming Nix was a huge proponent of loud and that Haithcock asked about making the band louder and etc etc etc and I don't care about who is at fault for what, all I know is that the main reason that poll above came out the way it did is because the band is not doing its job. Saturday I could barely make out the Victors on any of Michigan's touchdowns. About the only thing I heard at halftime was the drum corps. I've gotten plenty of complaints from kids in the student section who say they can barely hear the band and it's 30 rows away from them.

This does not have to be the case. I vividly remember going down to Auburn last year. I sat in the upper deck on the 40; the LSU band was stuck in the corner of the opposite endzone, and I could hear them loud and clear. They were blasting it. Auburn's band was also louder than the MMB. Click the link and see where we were, man… we were in orbit around a football game.

And then there's the SWAC:

That's Southern University making a strong argument for Michigan scheduling a SWAC school, any SWAC school, the next time it reaches into the I-AA ranks for an opponent.

What's the point of a marching band? To be audible outside in a stadium of 110,000. If you want musicality, there are a dozen other bands on campus you can join. Scott Boerma and his superiors are completely missing the point, and if the band is being marginalized on gameday it is entirely their fault. Personally, I hate it. I want the band to be awesome and wish piped-in music would die a fiery death. But when "Lose Yourself" gets vastly more reaction than anything you do and large sections of the stadium can't hear you at all, that's on you. What the hell is the point of a piccolo when the only people who can hear it are the ones playing it? Have you ever thought about the poor schmucks in section 16 who have never once heard The Victors after a touchdown? Think of the children, and do this:

On the band:  I used to play clarinet in the Ann Arbor Huron marching band.  (Why?  Beats me.  I should have learned how to play guitar like Slash instead.)  Clarinet, while fine inside, is a waste of time outside.  It cannot be heard.  Ditto the flute and the piccolo. 

What the MMB needs to do is (1) get rid of all the clarinets, flutes and piccolos, and (2) add 150-200 more trumpets and trombones.  Made the band bigger, and sacrifice a measure of technical proficiency (which 98% of the crowd wouldn't notice) in exchange for a big ol' Wall of Sound.

Regards,

Brandt Goldstein

NYC

Or something. Your prime directive should be loud; if it's not no one can help you fight your slide into irrelevance.

PS: and dammit the hockey band director should dance, you communists.

Comments

PeteM

September 15th, 2009 at 2:31 PM ^

I'd like to see the band get louder and if that means more brass so be it, but getting rid of the piccolos would mean getting rid of the distinctive "trill" in the middle of the "The Victors" which I can't abide.

dtdanUM

September 15th, 2009 at 2:50 PM ^

Back in the good old days of loud band-ness, I distinctly remember the quiet verse of The Victors when the piccolos are blasting their tiny little hearts out. I still hear that little bit in my head when they play The Victors, despite the fact that they are now all but inaudible. Contrast is the key. If the band is blasting, then that quiet verse where the piccolos are all out is even better sounding. Make the band louder, but not by subtracting the actual instruments that make the song the best one around.

Jeff

September 15th, 2009 at 2:34 PM ^

I just saw this morning the annarbor.com notebook http://www.annarbor.com/sports/notebook-receiver-greg-matthews-makes-up…

It says that the piped in music is due to the players requesting it. From that article

"We need music that we can listen to as a group, you know, for our age group," senior tailback Brandon Minor said. "We keep playing music for alumni, but we weren't really feeling it. Last year, (the music) was just kind of dull and we were just going through the motions.

"But when we get music for our age group, we start bouncing around and feeling it."

MH20

September 15th, 2009 at 2:40 PM ^

I sat in Sec 6 Row 37 for the ND game and I had an extremely hard time hearing the MMB during any big plays. "Temptation" was impossible to hear, and after every touchdown I had to guess where we were in "The Victors" because I couldn't hear a goddamn thing from the band.

ND's band, OTOH, good lord it was all I heard all game long. Granted, those annoying sonsofbitches play something after almost every fricking play (WTF you just gave up a 30 yard pass and you're playing a cheer?!), but even when the MMB was also playing something all I could hear was the Irish band.

My normal seats at Sec 4 Row 22, which is definitely better for hearing the band, but still, it's not great, and I got plenty of blaring blasts from the WMU band all game long.

Brooklyn_Blue

September 15th, 2009 at 2:42 PM ^

I was in section 17 for the Western Game, sitting just above the exit, and I could hear the MMB. Not as loud as sitting directly across, but they were audible. I am biased as a former MMB member, but I can hear them just about anywhere in the stadium. I've sat in the south endzone, section 10 row 90 and have still heard them. I am not opposed to the RAWK MUSIC, but the selection could be improved. I would like to hear classical RAWK like, music from Independence Day, Mars from the Planets, the opening battle suite from Gladiator, Oref's O Fortuna, or anything else that gives you goosebumps. What would help even more would be showing Michigan highlights on the video screens linked to the music. O Fortuna linked to huge michigan hits on the video screens would RAWK.

mjv

September 15th, 2009 at 2:54 PM ^

"I am biased as a former MMB member, but I can hear them just about anywhere in the stadium."

Your entire post lacks credibility after this comment. Sit in section 24 and tell me you hear the Band at all. No one on the West side of the Stadium can hear the Band. If you can hear the band, you have your iPod on. The Band effectively no longer exists while the game is being played. And this is a very bad thing.

Brother Mouzone

September 15th, 2009 at 10:30 PM ^

Are you part dog? Maybe you have one of those T.V. infomercial hearing things?

I'm in 16 and I listened for them because it's part of the game day experience for me. I can't hear them.

If by "heard" you mean there was some type of sound coming from across the field, when things were v-e-r-y silent, possibly.

It it would be akin to detecting a faint distant AM station signal between static from two states away on the radio and saying "I can hear that station".

YVD4Heisman

September 15th, 2009 at 3:01 PM ^

Haven't heard the MMB in years (since they moved to the student section). I'd MUCH rather hear the band than piped-in music, but ANY other music is better than hearing nothing but the opponent's band blast away for four quarters.

trumpetgirl

September 15th, 2009 at 2:47 PM ^

Despite the idea floating around, decreasing sound quality in order to increase volume won't help much. Back in my day (mid to late 90s) we were taught that better precision, intonation, breath support (all things that contribute to overall sound quality), not just volume, would give you a "wall of sound" and better overall effect. This is pretty standard marching band stuff. High level of musicianship can coexist with a big sound.

Also, I haven't noticed having trouble hearing them when they are on field. If you ever watch postgame when the stadium is mostly empty, it is quite different (in a good way!) from the muffled sound you get when they are in the stands. I've wondered over the years if the band should be down at field level. I realize there are logistical issues here but visiting bands are always at field level and the sound is fine.

badjuju81

September 15th, 2009 at 2:48 PM ^

I sit in row 4 (i.e. very close to field level), north end zone, right next to the student section. It is definitely much louder the lower you get, even in the end zone, as far away from the structures as you can get when down low in the bowl. I can only imagine that the field-level effect must be greater as one moves towards the 50 yard line.

aenima0311

September 15th, 2009 at 2:52 PM ^

The Band does need to get LOUDER.

I don't buy the response in all of the emails that they are playing as loud as they can. (Including a response I have recieve myself)

I have vivid memories of being BLOWN AWAY by The Victors as a Young'n. It was so loud we couldn't even talk about what happened.

This has not been the last for the last 4 years or so and is a damned shame.

Maybe they need to add more Trumpets and Trombones **just** on gameday. I dunno but something needs to be done.

BaggyPantsDevil

September 15th, 2009 at 2:57 PM ^

I can only comment on the sound based on watching the games on television but the crowd is much louder now and the band quieter. In past seasons, "The Victors" came across loud and clear while the crowd sounded like polite background conversation at a cocktail party. Now that the crowd is finally as loud as it should be the band barely audible.

I can't help but wonder if the band's position in the stands fails to give them the full acoustical benefit of the suites. Perhaps they could be moved closer to midfield? Surely, there is a way to give the band the same acoustical advantage the crowd is getting.

As excited as I am about the team and the direction they are going I’m also excited that Michigan finally has a loud stadium that gives the team a real home field advantage. It is, however, disappointing to lose the band (or at least the ability to hear them).

Ace Deuce

September 15th, 2009 at 2:58 PM ^

I was a member of the MMB recently and can tell you that they have been bleeding members the last 3 years. The band is down to around 320ish I believe and has been well over 400 at times. Part of this is a new musical cap put in place to promote musicality, but this does not explain the recent lack of people auditioning. This is especially true of Trombones and Trumpets who usually get no more than 20-25 people auditioning for about 15 spots. Of those 20, only maybe 13 or 14 are college level musicians. To give you a real number example, there are only around 40 trombones in this years band and they will take up to 60+. 20 Trombones is a huge difference in sound and balance of a band. It pains me to say it, but there is not the interest in bands that their once was and the lack of interest more than anything else has to be partly responsible in the lack of noise. This is not an excuse* for a lack of noise, but something to be considered.
*(see Charlie Weis for example of excuses)

topgun161

September 15th, 2009 at 3:29 PM ^

In the mid 90s band membership was going down as well. It may or may not have been related to the string of mediocre 8-4 seasons. Then all of the sudden, 1997 happened. We won the national championship and band membership swelled. Looks like the cycle may be repeating itself. If we continue to win this season and there is renewed excitement with the more general fans, not just die hard fans, I would not be surprised to see the membership start growing again.

Elise

September 15th, 2009 at 3:44 PM ^

Not necessarily. Up until a few years ago, the band would take practically anybody that could competently play their instrument. After that, cuts started being made that definitely started whittling down the numbers. Since I've been out of the loop for a few years I don't know if this is still the reason for dwindling numbers, but that's part of it.

Also, When the Nix-Boerma transition happened I knew of a number of bandos who were not fans. The two directors are very much unlike one another, and there was a visible dichotomy between those who preferred Nix and those who preferred Boerma. It's hard to tell from a distance, but there may be some level of "attrition" happening related to that as well.

Tapin

September 15th, 2009 at 4:12 PM ^

It's worth noting, also, that even with a great UM School of Music, the majority of the band is (traditionally -- I don't know about these days, but I assume it's still the case) not from the SoM; it's LSA & Engineering students who played in marching bands in high school. "Marching band" and "performance major" are typically nearly a disjoint.

Which is emphatically not to say that the members of the band can't play or aren't talented -- it's just that people who want to essentially make music their life and/or career don't (typically) end up in the MMB.

(Note: I say this as a former band member from both the LSA and Engineering schools who had a lot of SoM friends.)

Ace Deuce

September 15th, 2009 at 7:13 PM ^

I know nothing about the numbers over a long period of time, but was simply relating the idea that we only have a band of brass is impractical based on the auditioning members currently. In addition there is no disputing that there are fewer members than there has been of late as it's come down from over 350ish to more like 320ish. I think topgun has the right idea that it's related to football success as sad as that is based on the evidence provided by the years after 97 when the band ballooned in size.

chriscamzz

September 15th, 2009 at 10:26 PM ^

I agree that it likely has a lot to do with football success, and maybe that's the biggest correlation to band size/volume/general effectiveness. It may not be a coincidence that both the band and football team enjoyed decades of success, with the past several years being a bit of a decline.

As with the team's national standing, maybe winning will fix everything for the band, too (though delayed a bit due to football-success-induced recruiting)

MBandMarch

September 15th, 2009 at 7:22 PM ^

I grew up on the Revelli and Cavender bands. Saw my first game at 6 (in 1971) and knew I HAD to be in that band someday. I marched four years in the 80s under Becher. While it was not a Revelli/Cavender band, we still had game. We were loud (and not offensively so) and we MARCHED. What has happened to the MMB breaks my heart, and most of my colleagues'.

I, for one, would not join this band if I was a student today. Did I tell you that breaks my heart?

FieldingBLUE

September 15th, 2009 at 3:00 PM ^

Finally got season tix this year (99 alum) and am in section 17. Observations:

1. The suites do bounce sound back in, even in row 71 (my location).

2. The band is inaudible up there. The opponent's band is so loud up there, however, probably because it's blowing our way. Curious how the MMB sounds in sections 38-41, directly opposite the band.

3. Piped in music is horrendous, no matter if I like or don't like the songs. Dear God, I pray that Sailboat is not a Buffett man.

robpollard

September 15th, 2009 at 4:15 PM ^

To answer your question, I have no problem hearing the U of M band in Section 40 -- loud & clear.

Interesting story I came across: Journey's own Steve Perry is ticked the LA Dodgers have "highjacked" his song. Maybe we can plant a story Neil Diamond is annoyed we play 'Sweet Caroline'?

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/15/SPU219M4EO…