The Band Looks Like Crap...a Response From "mr. Williams"

THEBandMan · September 3, 2007

I usually don't post on this network. I usually don't read the posts here, as my job keeps me busy enough that I honestly don't have much time to read and respond to the number of positive or negative posts. I appreciate the support that the band receives from the vast majority of the alums, fans, and supporters of the University of North Texas and all of its students (including the student athletes and members of the student support groups--band, cheer, dance, wings, etc.)

My response is as follows.

1. I would rather that current students of the Green Brigade not respond to the posts on this website. What we do is consistently recognized as among the elite in the college band activity. For all of my "young'uns" don't feel that you need to respond or defend any of our actions (or mine). As a matter of fact, just appreciate the fact that you were noticed. :-)

2. The only somewhat valid point made in this thread of conversation is the fact that the shorts don't match. This is an obvious observation. So, thank you to those who noticed. There are many institutions across the country who have gone to this "summer uniform." Those institutions who have made this temporary switch have done so for the physical safety of the students who wear the (wool) uniforms. The decision to not wear a full wool "suit" is a well-informed decision. I made the decision to do what was in the best interest of our students. I will continue to make the decisions that serve in the best interest of our students. (Many of you who have been around for a while will probably remember the criticism that we received when we played schools who did the summer uniform when we didn't. Further, another interesting thing about this conversation is that the OU band is receiving similar criticism in that "North Texas has figured out how to deal with the elements" to all the students to do their job better. interesting....

3. Yes, we could purchase matching shorts for the band every year, but I don't see that as a good way to spend university (state of Texas) funds for one or two events per year. (This purchase could be $5,000 to $7,000 per year.) The band students pay tuition to be in the marching band class. I would not expect them to purchase "band shorts" to be worn once or twice. If there is a donor who would like to pick up the cost for this and provide the shorts for the next several years, please, lets call me. I will not turn down the gift. But, in all honesty, I would rather that donations/gifts/pledges go to our scholarship fund or something that could truly benefit our students in a non-clothing-related way. New instruments?

4. Yes, the band, the cheerleaders, the dance team, and the student athletes do represent our university. Yes, they represent the university well. Yes, the band is the Pride of North Texas. Yes, they do all that they can do promote spirit and pride. (Did I mention they PAY to do this? There are no scholarships for marching band at UNT. There is no stipend to do marching band. There is no tuition waiver for this class.) Yes, they do everything that they what they can to promote a positive atmosphere in these athletic events. Yes, they do their job well. And, yes, I am proud of them...as you should be as well.

5. As far as performance goes, our cheerleaders, dancers, and band members did an outstanding job on Saturday. Was there ever a moment on Saturday where I felt our students were outperformed by our friends and colleagues at OU? No. With all due respect to those students and teacher at OU, the students at OU did their job well; we did our job well.

6. Of course we have green flags. We use them at EVERY pregame performance. We use them for most halftime performances. We will use them again. We typically get a new green flag every year to add to our collection.

7. The band is, of course, always in the public eye. I'm aware of the nature of our public image. While the saying is true, "you can't please everyone," I feel that we do a great job of representing the university to the highest level. Through my work throughout the world, I often have the opportunity to see what goes on other campuses. I wish I had the resources to show you (or let you listen to) the other groups. You should be proud of the effort, spirit, and performance of our band members. What they do is consistently at the highest level. Is it the largest band? No. Is it the loudest band? Almost always, but not always. (Sometimes those bands that are twice our size make more "sounds" than we do.)

Finally, I realize that one of the reasons for this network is to give our fans a place to publicly voice their opinions, whether the opinions given are positive or negative. My advice to everyone on this network, as it relates to athletics and the groups who support our student athletes: lets spend our time, energy, and resources on creating a larger fan base, having more active supporters on game days, creating positive energy for our students. Lets focus on supporting our student athletes so that they always feel that their efforts are appreciated. Lets do what we can to uplift our students who are cheerleaders, athletes, dancers, and band members.

Positive energy leads to positive results. The negative vibe only helps to tear us down. And, really, who needs that? None of us do. We are at the beginning of a new era for our football program. Lets find ways to jump on that "band wagon". Lets find ways to create a stronger UNT network.

I don't intend to respond to any further posts on this subject. All I have left to say is....

GO MEAN GREEN!

Nicholas Williams

director of the Green Brigade Marching Band

UNT classes of 97 (BM), 03 (MM), 08 (DMA)

Edited September 3, 2007 by THEBandMan

rcade · September 3, 2007

Thanks for taking the time to post this. I've been a member of GoMeanGreen.Com for almost as long as the site's been around, and most of the comments here related to the band have been positive. Even in some lean years for the football team, one thing UNT fans could count on was a band that demonstrated our greatness as a music school.

NT80 · September 3, 2007

Thanks for taking the time to post some interesting points. I always appreciate the band showing up at an away game.

I have no problem with the "summer" outfit of shorts but I do think GREEN shirts would have looked better than the white. I doubt we'd see the UT or OU band in white shirts, they would be in school colors. I also, like many, greatly dislike the "rainbow" flags. Stick to GREEN, it's the school's colors. One last rant, while I'm sure it may have sounded fine to the side the band faced, the music selected to play at halftime was very soft and almost unheard on the opposite side of the field. Try some louder tunes instead of the artsy symphony music, it is a football game! Thanks for reading the board, outwise how would you know how real fans felt?

Ibleedgreen · September 3, 2007

Those who feel everyone should have been in matching green shorts have no appreciation for how little money the university allots the various programs. It would likely require a huge garage sale to earn the funds. Thank you, Dr. Williams, for the outstanding work that you and the band do for the university, team, and fans.

KingDL1 · September 3, 2007

Thanks for taking the time to post some interesting points. I always appreciate the band showing up at an away game.
I have no problem with the "summer" outfit of shorts but I do think GREEN shirts would have looked better than the white. I doubt we'd see the UT or OU band in white shirts, they would be in school colors. I also, like many, greatly dislike the "rainbow" flags. Stick to GREEN, it's the school's colors. One last rant, while I'm sure it may have sounded fine to the side the band faced, the music selected to play at halftime was very soft and almost unheard on the opposite side of the field. Try some louder tunes instead of the artsy symphony music, it is a football game! Thanks for reading the board, outwise how would you know how real fans felt?

I love our band and I don't want to beat them up, they do a great job. This has more to do with band policy. Mr. Williams thank you for all you do and for taking the time to post. Your post is very enlightening for me and I am sure other members of this board.

I would be in favor of having more green on the Green Brigade's summer outfit, on the t-shirts or maybe even baseball caps. The rainbow flags I wish would go a way, and I know among my group they are not well received.

Once again thank you for all that you do, and for everything the Green Brigade does for our fine University.

Thank you

Evan · September 3, 2007

I doubt we'd see the UT or OU band in white shirts, they would be in school colors.

I believe that last year Texas wore white shirts with Beige shorts, white socks and white tennis type shoes.

GreenTiger_OriginalAcct · September 3, 2007

Those who feel everyone should have been in matching green shorts have no appreciation for how little money the university allots the various programs. It would likely require a huge garage sale to earn the funds. Thank you, Dr. Williams, for the outstanding work that you and the band do for the university, team, and fans.

Trust me. I realize how much money is allotted to every program and what it takes to acquire those funds.

GreenTiger_OriginalAcct · September 3, 2007

I believe that last year Texas wore white shirts with Beige shorts, white socks and white tennis type shoes.

Close, but the shirts were burnt orange.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ernestbludger...57594265747056/

hickoryhouse · September 3, 2007

Thank you Mr. Williams.

Green Dozer · September 3, 2007

Thanks Dr. Williams for taking time to give us your side of the story. We appreciate you and the band's efforts.

NT80 · September 3, 2007

Close, but the shirts were burnt orange.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ernestbludger...57594265747056/

**bing**bing**bing**

UNTLifer · September 3, 2007

Thank goodness Scrappy was in his "summer outfit."

Mean Green 93-98 · September 3, 2007

Mr. Williams, if you are who I think you are, I believe we had a class or two together. It seems the Green Brigade (prior to your tenure) has had a reputation of unprofessionalism in sloppy field entrances, etc. I appreciate your taking the time to answer, and am thankful for someone who takes pride enough in the Green Brigade to care when someone makes a comment.

Lee Moses

KingDL1 · September 3, 2007

Close, but the shirts were burnt orange.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ernestbludger...57594265747056/

And their socks and shorts match.

SouthBendGreen · September 3, 2007

I can't even believe the Green Brigade got so many negative threads. I avoided every single one of them because some people will complain about anything especially when upset. They should be dismissed. I always no one thing about our football program. No matter what happens on the field, our band will always be the better of the two. ALWAYS.

I'm just as proud of the GB as any aspect of our alma mater.

GoMeanGreen1999 · September 3, 2007

I love our band and I don't want to beat them up, they do a great job. This has more to do with band policy. Mr. Williams thank you for all you do and for taking the time to post. Your post is very enlightening for me and I am sure other members of this board.
I would be in favor of having more green on the Green Brigade's summer outfit, on the t-shirts or maybe even baseball caps. The rainbow flags I wish would go a way, and I know among my group they are not well received.
Once again thank you for all that you do, and for everything the Green Brigade does for our fine University.

Thank you

I am glad they were at the game, but I do not understand, for the life of me, why we can't be in school colors. Yes I understand it is expensive, but surely each one of the students can aford to go buy at the very least the same color shorts and a UNT shirt. Show school spirit - ESPECIALLY on the road.

FirefightnRick · September 4, 2007

Thank you for the response Dr. Williams. Most of us have noticed a great deal more of the positive changes made since you took charge. Keep it up. As I posted yesterday, the move to finally ditch the full wool outfits on the hottest of days is smart and shows the concern our school has for their students. It hasn't been that way for them in the past.

Again, keep up the great work.

Rick

jdennis82 · September 7, 2007

Close, but the shirts were burnt orange.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ernestbludger...57594265747056/

this picture is the classic example of where our band was outclassed. their summer UNIFORMS are just that UNIFORM. the shorts are the same length and shade and the dark shirt looks a whole lot better than white.

greenminer · September 7, 2007

this picture is the classic example of where our band was outclassed. their summer UNIFORMS are just that UNIFORM. the shorts are the same length and shade and the dark shirt looks a whole lot better than white.

personally, I don't think this kind of thing has anything to do with class. Certainly, I speculate that the UT athletic department pitched in for those clothes. I don't know for sure...just sayin' that financing is an issue with UNT, and not UT.

eppy4life · September 7, 2007

ok, now that the band director has posted lets all have a band love fest. Believe me, I have a lot of respect for the band. My uncle is a band director and a high school in Texas and my cousin, his son, plans to do the same. I still think however, that the job of a band isn't the same in high school as it is in college. In college the band shouldn't engage in a "band war." Those things should be left in high school. In fact, how does the band measure who won or lost halftime? Is it based on their personal opinions or is it based on crowd reaction? All I know is what I see and that is when it's time for halftime, everyone leaves. At other schools, everyone stays. It's that simple.

One other note; on my way into the stadium saturday I walked in with some of the band members. Feeling out of place I was happy to see some "familiar" faces. So, I said, "Hey guys good luck today." The response I got was, "we're not the ones who need luck. We're the band. Wish the football team luck." It is this attitude that makes me vomit in my mouth and makes me look for things wrong with the band.

BRD

eleazar · September 7, 2007

.....I still think however, that the job of a band isn't the same in high school as it is in college. In college the band shouldn't engage in a "band war." Those things should be left in high school. (snip)

I take it you've never seen grambling vs southern.

eppy4life · September 7, 2007

I take it you've never seen grambling vs southern.

no i haven't. and if you're comparing our program with either of theirs then we have more issues than i thought.

BRD

Eagle1855 · September 7, 2007

wow. now I've seen it all.

September 7, 2007

While the oriiginal post may have lacked tact, I believe that the message was right on.

North Texas has one of the best (if not the best) sounding bands in the nation. The poster, I believe, was just trying to say that a band of that quality should also look like it.

Denim shorts, of varying lengths and colors (and not the school colors at that) do not make a fashion statement. What if our football team came out in uniforms of various lengths and colors?

The band members do not purchase the wool uniforms so why should they have to purchase the summer ones? Or if that is unaffordable, furnish a standard green polo and have the band members buy white shorts, socks, and shoes which the university could likely get at a pretty good discount. Those items could be a part of their wardrobe for the foreseeable future. Maybe the band could play a concert or two and charge admission, pass the hat, whatever to defray the cost of the summer uniforms.

I totally agree about the quality of the marching band and that wool uniforms should not be worn in 90 degree weather. Now if we could just get the Green Brigade to both sound and look like the best band in the land, they would be great ambassadors of the finest College of Music in the nation.

Edited September 7, 2007 by GrayEagleOne

NT80 · September 7, 2007

I totally agree about the quality of the marching band and that wool uniforms should not be worn in 90 degree weather. Now if we could just get the Green Brigade to both sound and look like the best band in the land, they would be great ambassadors of the finest College of Music in the nation.

Good post; ....and lose the rainbow flags!