- Fall means football, and with it comes marching bands.
- One of the oldest student groups at MSU, the Spartan Marching Band is getting ready for another season of entertaining fans on gameday.
- Video shows portions of Thursday's rehearsal with the SMB, as well as what fans can expect to see when the band hits the field next week.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Kickoff for Spartan Football is inching closer each day, and as a new era for the football team begins next week, one student group has remained a constant part of gamedays for over a century.
Just west of Spartan Stadium, the Spartan Marching Band has been hard at work preparing for next week's opener.
"The students are working from 8:30 in the morning until 10 o'clock at night, some of them," SMB Director David Thornton said.
Long days heading into their 155th year. Alto Saxophone Section Leader Gabby Richmond knows the group has a rich history with many traditions.
"I've learned a lot about the history this year," Richmond said. "So I think bringing that into this year and bringing it to Spartan Stadium is important to us."
Like the band's "kickstep" entrance during their pregame show. As Gabby enters her final season with the SMB, she says that first entrance will be a special moment.
"It's an indescribable feeling," Richmond said. "Like you hear the cheers, and you feel the lights on you, too, because this one will be later at night. It's just an amazing feeling. It's hard to put into words, honestly."
A new year can bring some new surprises for fans, and Director Dr. David Thornton tells me there are some fun halftime shows planned for fans this fall.
"This first halftime show is going to be all Latin jazz music," Thornton said. "For Ohio State, we're having the Boston Brass Quintet come solo with us. We've got some other surprises too. Some karaoke, if you're a fan of Pixar movies. So there are a couple of things, but we won't share too much quite too soon."
Want to see more local news? Visit the FOX47News Website.
For more news about MSU, go to the MSU Campus neighborhood page on our website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Neighborhood News, Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines, and Daily Forecasts.
