p. 45 The 70-second selection the band plays as it takes the field for the halftime show (it’s called, naturally, “Take the Field”) is created fresh each season by Hannum and Preece, the drumline instructor. In each new version, they sneak in snippets from OSU fight songs. During early rehearsals, the two challenge band members to identify the hidden Easter eggs; Dutch Bros gift cards go to students who get it right. Tonight, the band is performing — for the first and only time — a tribute to Dolly Parton. The idea surprised Hannum when it first surfaced. The process of creating the band’s three or four halftime shows each season starts months beforehand, when students and others are invited to suggest themes for new shows. That session typically yields about 50 ideas, Hannum says, which eventually get whittled down to three or four actual shows. “We’re looking for shows that are going to be interesting, not only to the audience that’s experiencing it, but also to the students who are working on it,” Hannum says. “We’re looking for things that are in the tempos that work well for step sizes and for marching to those pieces of music. We’re looking for interesting concepts that haven’t been done before — or haven’t been done a lot. There are certain cliches in marching bands.” So, for example, you won’t hear the OSU Marching Band doing an Earth, Wind & Fire show any time soon, even though Hannum is an EW&F fan. “It’s been done,” he says. “It’s been done a million times. The Beatles have been done a million times. What are the shows that haven’t been done a million times?” He says he’s constantly surprised by the suggestions he gets from the students. “I get exposed to all kinds of weird cool stuff,” he says, like certain genres of Korean pop. (A song by the K-pop band Blackpink worked its way into the band’s tribute to girl groups. Another show featured music from Avatar: The Last Airbender.) And, as Hannum learned, students these days are very much into the music of Dolly Parton. “I wouldn’t have predicted that,” he says. The Parton show features four well-known tunes: “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene,” “Why’d You Come in Here Lookin’ Like That” and “Nine to Five.” Once 7:35 p.m. (next page) 8:20 p.m. Associate Director of Bands Olin Hannum signals to the musicians. “IT’S AN AUTOMATIC WAY TO HAVE A GIANT GROUP OF FRIENDS.” {
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