Cornhusker Marching Band exhibition is Aug. 23
calendar icon12 Aug 2024 user iconBy Kathe C. Andersen
Lincoln, Neb.—The Cornhusker Marching Band will hold its annual exhibition concert on Friday, Aug. 23 at 7 p.m. in Memorial Stadium. The concert is free and open to the public.
The annual concert will present highlights of what the Cornhusker Marching Band works on during their pre-season band camp.
“It’s a great ‘jump start’ to the season,” said Tony Falcone, senior lecturer and associate director of bands and the director of the Cornhusker Marching Band. “You get to see the band’s pregame show and a breakdown of what they have been working on to prepare for the season—all for FREE in Memorial Stadium.”
Annie von Kampen, a senior music education major and drum major from North Platte, Nebraska, said there is a special energy at the exhibition concert.
“The Cornhusker Marching Band Exhibition concert is an incredibly exciting performance for both the band and the spectators,” she said. “There’s a special energy in the stadium that evening as many band members make their CMB performance debut and show off their hard work from camp week. Additionally, people who attend have the opportunity to see special Color Guard, Frontline Percussion and Drumline showcase performances they don’t have the opportunity to see during the main season. There really is no better way to kick off a new school year and football season.”
The exhibition also includes the popular “drill down.”
“The drill down is a bit like Simon Says if it were on the Squid Games,” Falcone said. “Drum majors call out extemporaneous commands, and the band members must execute them without mistakes. Some of the commands are simple and straightforward, but some are meant to deceive. When a student makes a discernable error, and they’re caught at it, they’re ‘tapped out.” This continues until one student remains.”
Drum major Jason Manzitto, a senior music education major from Lincoln, said the drill down puts the band members to the test.
“The drill down is, by far, one of the most exciting portions of the exhibition,” he said. “It’s cool to see the amount of focus it takes to stay into the later rounds, especially as the tempo increases each time.”
Tanner Maas, a senior actuarial science and finance double major in the College of Business and a drum major from Gretna, Nebraska, said the drill down is an important tradition for the band.
“The drill down can definitely feel intense for band members as the tempo increases, and they become one of the dwindling group of marchers,” Maas said. “But at its roots, it is a fun tradition that unites sections of the band as they cheer for each other.”
This year, as a drum major, Manzitto and the other drum majors will be calling the drill down.
“Being able to call the drill down is a blast,” Manzitto said. “I’ve spent some time coming up with a few tricks to make it challenging for band members.”
Manzitto appreciates being a part of the “The Pride of All Nebraska.”
“Being in the Cornhusker Marching Band means being a part of something larger than ourselves, something that has not only existed for decades, but also means so much to the whole culture around NU athletics,” he said.
Von Kampen is also grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Cornhusker Marching Band.
“I’ve had the opportunity to not just be a part of the famous Husker gameday atmosphere, but also make so many connections with people all across campus and have a dedicated place to constantly develop my leadership skills,” she said. “The CMB was the first thing that made me feel ‘at home’ at UNL when I was a freshman, and I have loved having the opportunity to help others find their home here through the band. It’s been an experience that I will truly carry with me my whole life.”
Maas said it’s an honor and privilege to be in the Cornhusker Marching Band.
“The band not only represents the university, it represents the entire state of Nebraska, and that’s something I always think about when I put on the uniform,” he said. “We are called ‘The Pride of All Nebraska’ for a reason, and I don’t take that for granted. For me, being in the CMB has been a way to continue pursuing my passion for music while majoring in a non-music-related degree.”
Manzitto has advice for incoming freshman and new members.
“My advice is to never take the experience for granted,” he said. “Give it your all on the field.”
Maas said coming out into the stadium on his first game day is one of his favorite memories of being in the band.
“Being surrounded by a sea of fans in red in all directions was (and continues to be) a surreal experience,” he said. “The experience is one that makes you feel both learge and small in very different ways. Marching out into the stadium for the first time is when it first sank in for me what a huge impact the band has on the game day atmosphere and on the lives of the fans. On the flip side, the experience makes you feel humble that you are just one of 90,000 people in the stadium, but it is a powerful feeling to know you are part of something bigger than yourself.”
Some of the upcoming halftime themes this season will include a celebration of the Olympic Games, the Band Alumni Association’s 50th anniversary, the 400th consecutive sellout of Memorial Stadium and the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Invasion.
This year, the regular football season kicks off on Aug. 31 with a 2:30 p.m. game against UTEP at Memorial Stadium. The band will again perform at all seven home football games. Due to the Westbrook Music Building construction, the band will perform its pregame concerts in front of Sheldon Museum of Art and march to the stadium via the 12th street mall and T street.
Fans attending the Cornhusker Marching Band exhibition concert should enter Memorial Stadium through Gate 3 (southwest entrance) and Gate 11 (northwest entrance). The gates will open at 6 p.m.
The Cornhusker Marching Band resides in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Glenn Korff School of Music.