Northwestern university marching band
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The Northwestern University Wildcat Marching Band is the marching band of Northwestern University. The Northwestern University Marching Band (NUMB) provides pre-game, halftime, and postgame field performances at all home games while school is in session and at one Big Ten away game per season. At home games, NUMB also performs in various pep bands and at "Wildcat Alley" before the game. Other NUMB performances include "Kids fare: March with the Band" in late September, the Homecoming parade, and any post-season football games.
NUMB's pregame consists of Northwestern's traditional "Pre-game Fanfare", "Downfield", and "Push on" fight songs. After a "Patrotic Medley", NUMB performs "Go U Northwestern!" while forming a sculpted 'N', and the pre-game show ends with the band forming a tunnel for the football team to run through as it enters the field. The pre-game show is done using the traditional high chair-step marching style instead of modern DCI-style glide-step.
The halftime show uses glide-step and curvilinear drills. Several different drills and musical selections are played during the season, with music generally including various rock, jazz, and pop selections.
History
In 1911, Northwestern's first University-sanctioned marching band was organized to play at football games. Under student leadership, their numbers rose and fell before in 1926, they were put under the supervision of the School of Music. Under the leadership of their first full-time director, Glenn Cliffe Bainum, they garnered fame for Bainum's innovative half-time drills. In the early 1940's, with Bainum serving in the military, Harold Finch took over as band director until 1945, when the band was disbanded due to lack of personnel. Bainum restarted the marching band program in 1947 and continued as director until falling ill in 1950.
John P. Paynter became acting director in 1950-1951 while working on his master's degree and then in 1953, became the official director. During the next forty-three years of his leadership, NUMB developed most of the traditions and culture it still has today. Among his accomplishments are NUMB's incorporation of women in the 1970's, their innovative use of drill charts to develop marching shows, and in 1992 the prestigious Sudler Trophy for marching excellence.
After Paynter's death following Northwestern's Rose Bowl season of 1996, Mallory Thompson took over as Director of Bands. NUMB itself has been under the direction of Mr. Daniel J. Farris since 2000.