Exciting numbers

untbone05 · August 18, 2011

Hear through the GB Facebook page that they had 370+ students come out to the first day of summer band. I'm excited to hear how loud they will be in the bowl of the stadium!

(please don't turn this into a GB bashing topic, just trying to share some more good news)

LongJim · August 18, 2011

Get a bone in there.

jdennis82 · August 18, 2011

Hear through the GB Facebook page that they had 370+ students come out to the first day of summer band. I'm excited to hear how loud they will be in the bowl of the stadium!

(please don't turn this into a GB bashing topic, just trying to share some more good news)

I heard that Houston's band may make the trip to Denton (not sure if this is accurate) but I sure hope the GB blows them out of the water.

NorthTexan95 · August 18, 2011

I heard that Houston's band may make the trip to Denton (not sure if this is accurate) but I sure hope the GB blows them out of the water.

GB can blow any other band out of the water.

ValleyBoy · August 18, 2011

There is nothing wrong with a Marching Band, the bring excitement to the gameday experience. My son plays the tromebone in his HS band which has given me a better appriciation of marching bands. :thumbsu:

MeanGreenHoops · August 18, 2011

Hear through the GB Facebook page that they had 370+ students come out to the first day of summer band. I'm excited to hear how loud they will be in the bowl of the stadium!

(please don't turn this into a GB bashing topic, just trying to share some more good news)

Good grief 370 is massive. With how close we are too the field now in Apogee, it's going to seem like the Green Brigade is twice as loud as before.

SHOSS · August 18, 2011

Good grief 370 is massive. With how close we are too the field now in Apogee, it's going to seem like the Green Brigade is twice as loud as before.

if they put 370 out there... we will need earplugs. that is 3X's as many as a larger marching band.

LongJim · August 18, 2011

Wonder if the bigger size--obligitory *heheheheh*--is due to the excitement of being able to march in the new facility?

"Athletics is a window into...etc."

[/KRAM1]

Green2012 · August 18, 2011

Hear through the GB Facebook page that they had 370+ students come out to the first day of summer band. I'm excited to hear how loud they will be in the bowl of the stadium!

(please don't turn this into a GB bashing topic, just trying to share some more good news)

Great to hear. I heard on RV's GMG interview that we have a 15% increase in freshman enrollment. Good to see that some of the 15% are athletic supporting band enthusiasts. Can't wait to hear how loud they'll be in the stadium. Anyone know the avg amount we've had the past few years?

Also, we need more cowbell. Can anyone make this happen? I need more cowbell.

Edited August 18, 2011 by Green2012

KRAM1 · August 18, 2011

This is really great news. UNT needs a real "home field advantage" that it never seemed to have at Fouts with the field being as far away from the stands as it was...now, that is going to be different at Apogee Stadium. The Mean green brigade can play a big role in helping to create that home field advantage...great news, indeed!

Maduro · August 18, 2011

I hope and pray that we allow at least 300 of them to march on gameday. 370 is just 100 short of FSU's chiefs, the "so-called" largest marching band in the ncaa. However, I'm sure Clubber Lang would refer to them as a "paper champion" when comparing their sound quality with the GB.

greenminer · August 18, 2011

If Dr. Williams puts all 370 of them on the field ("on the field" includes front line/pit), I think we would be closing in on largest college band in Texas.

Maduro · August 18, 2011

If Dr. Williams puts all 370 of them on the field ("on the field" includes front line/pit), I think we would be closing in on largest college band in Texas.

all of tech's Goin Band literature says they top 400+

haven't done my research on the rest of the big 12.

greenminer · August 18, 2011

all of tech's Goin Band literature says they top 400+
haven't done my research on the rest of the big 12.

Last I heard, Baylor is up in the 400s, too.

michagb · August 18, 2011

This is fantastic! Typically, larger doesn't necessarily mean better because the quality of sound declines. This is NOT the case with the GB under the direction of Dr. Williams. I'm really excited to see what shows they have in store this fall. Side note: When I joined the GB I came from a small 3A school and my section here at UNT was larger than my entire hs band...

SilverEagle · August 18, 2011

I'm guessing that some of those numbers include the color guard. But even if that's the case, were talking around 340-50 instruments on the field. Impressive numbers. Looking forward to an equally impressive sound......and energy. After all, college bands pretty much set the energy level for the game....and keep it going.

340-50 instruments being played at the quality level of our school of music is a very exciting prospect.

One question. Will the drum line (and I mean the lst line) make a come back for this year? We need our first team in there for the first game....and the rest of the season for that matter.

MeanGreenHoops · August 18, 2011

One question. Will the drum line (and I mean the lst line) make a come back for this year? We need our first team in there for the first game....and the rest of the season for that matter.

There isn't a separate drumline that is also part of the marching band. Basically the drumline is a performing group, like the wind ensemble, lab bands, percussion ensemble, orchestra, choir etc. The drumline in the green brigade may and probably does have people that are in both, just as the other groups do, but there isn't any "1st line" missing. It's a little like saying - are the 1 O'Clock trumpet players all going to be there? We need 1st line trumpet players this season. - they might be, if they are in both groups but they are different performing groups.

SilverEagle · August 18, 2011

There isn't a separate drumline that is also part of the marching band. Basically the drumline is a performing group, like the wind ensemble, lab bands, percussion ensemble, orchestra, choir etc. The drumline in the green brigade may and probably does have people that are in both, just as the other groups do, but there isn't any "1st line" missing. It's a little like saying - are the 1 O'Clock trumpet players all going to be there? We need 1st line trumpet players this season. - they might be, if they are in both groups but they are different performing groups.

When the drumline was first formed as a competitive unit, it was part of the Green Brigade. They were part of the GB and performed at half-time shows, as well as attending competitions. Now you are telling me that it has become an independent unit that has nothing to do with the GB. I find that unacceptable. When the GB performs at games it should be putting it's best foot forward.

The drumline should be part of the GB again, and helping this University show it's best to the fans every time we have a FB game.

I'm not the only one who has noticed the absence of the performing drumline that was an integral part of the GB during the 80-90's.

greenminer · August 18, 2011

There is a drumline in the GB, and it is already better than any other battery (field ensemble) out there. What I want to know is, do you miss a specific performance routine, or is it merely being able to say "we have our best out there"? If we put our A-line out there, and you don't hear anything different than our B-line, what then? Maybe you'll be happy, but if the line odes not win PASIC again, where do you think they'll first put the blame?

This all goes back to a Dean of Music that required every music major, regardless if you're education/performance/whatever, to be in the marching band. That is the era some got to like, and nothing else is acceptable.

You want the A line? Challenge the system.

Now you are telling me that it has become an independent unit that has nothing to do with the GB

Silver, that was mentioned in the drumline discussion months ago. This is not new to the board. The A-line is a separate "course" from marching band. It does not fall under the umbrella of Dr. Williams or any of the AD. I'll see if I can dig it up.

Edited August 18, 2011 by greenminer

greenminer · August 18, 2011

Just to clear this up so people don't think we have people in an A line that don't perform because the music dept. is snobby or something. Back in the day (80's) the drumline started competing nationally and winning every year. So the group grew to where there were two lines. The A-Line was the competition line and only did a few games and the B line was the understudies and would fill in when the A line got to competition time.

Later this changed to where the A-Line is a separate performing group that does tours and other things with the school of music. The A-line no longer plays in the halftime show. But as was greentimer says, some of those players do play in the line with the marching band. They do this because either they want too, or need the credits as music ed majors must be in marching band 3 years. SO there is overlap but it's two different groups.

Think like the Schools' Wind Ensemble. it's the top performing band at the school. Some of those players are also in Marching Band, but it's two separate things.

SilverEagle · August 18, 2011

There is a drumline in the GB, and it is already better than any other battery (field ensemble) out there. What I want to know is, do you miss a specific performance routine, or is it merely being able to say "we have our best out there"? If we put our A-line out there, and you don't hear anything different than our B-line, what then?
Maybe you'll be happy, but if the line odes not win PASIC again, where do you think they'll first put the blame?

What routines? They (the drumline) haven't done "routines" in well over 10 years. However, when they WERE part of the GB, my favorite routines were "across the heartland" and "the 747".

This all goes back to a Dean of Music that required every music major, regardless if you're education/performance/whatever, to be in the marching band. That is the era some got to like, and nothing else is acceptable.

You're talking about the Maurice McAdow era. I was first introduced to the North Texas school of music by watching the GB at homecoming games. And yeah,
during that era, the GB musically knocked the crowd's socks off. AND, during that era, the school was putting it's best foot forward at every Saturday home game. I'm sorry that isn't a priority any longer.

letsgiveacheer · August 18, 2011

This all goes back to a Dean of Music that required every music major, regardless if you're education/performance/whatever, to be in the marching band. That is the era some got to like, and nothing else is acceptable.

There has never been a requirement for every music major to be in the marching band. We would have a band of 1600+ if that were the case! I think you are referring to Maurice McAdow's requirement that every person who wanted to be in the concert band (the top band during that time) had to march. As he would say, "if you don't walk, you don't sit!" As I've posted before, it was common that the head band director at major universities conduct both the marching and concert bands but those days are long gone.

I suspect now it is a requirement for every (band) instrumental music ed major march in the band at least a few semesters, but that wasn't always the case.

untbone05 · August 19, 2011

There is a drumline in the GB, and it is already better than any other battery (field ensemble) out there. What I want to know is, do you miss a specific performance routine, or is it merely being able to say "we have our best out there"? If we put our A-line out there, and you don't hear anything different than our B-line, what then?
Maybe you'll be happy, but if the line odes not win PASIC again, where do you think they'll first put the blame?

What routines? They (the drumline) haven't done "routines" in well over 10 years. However, when they WERE part of the GB, my favorite routines were "across the heartland" and "the 747".

Here are the A-lines competitive shows from PASIC (national drum competition that UNT has owned basically every year since it started):

There are tons of videos of different years. It's pretty cool to watch, especially when you consider thus is the gold standard of drum lines EVERY YEAR since they started doing this.

SilverEagle · August 19, 2011

Here are the A-lines competitive shows from PASIC (national drum competition that UNT has owned basically every year since it started):

There are tons of videos of different years. It's pretty cool to watch, especially when you consider thus is the gold standard of drum lines EVERY YEAR since they started doing this.

I'm sorry, but unless/until the shows are at Apogee stadium before the North Texas alumni/students/visiting fans, I'm really not interested in seeing the video.

Mean Green 93-98 · August 19, 2011

I'm sorry, but unless/until the shows are at Apogee stadium before the North Texas alumni/students/visiting fans, I'm really not interested in seeing the video.

99% of the fans would not know the difference if it was the "A" line versus the "B" line. They'd be hollering at them to play some Skynyrd. Just like last year when everyone was posting saying that Troy's band blew the Green Brigade out of the water.