Interesting that Cal Performances announced director instead of UC Auxiliary. Maybe some much needed reorganization . Coming from Univ of Georgia seems like strange fit. They need to recruit and expand band numbers and skill level to to keep up with bands that have passed them by. I hope he can bring the tradition and discipline that Calonico lacked.
Cal Band Great! Loved seeing and hearing this band at CMS when I was a kid in the '60's, 70's and '80's. Total class act always. Hopefully Sadowski can continue the fine tradition I remember back then.
I'd like to see a larger marching band. It is inspiring for the fans, alumni, students, and team. Small investment and worth it.
They would seem a lot larger if they could swap out 25-30 woodwind players for the same number of decent quality brass players. Easier said than done, though. (The Cal Band has been trying to attract more brass players since forever. It's problematic at Cal for a number of reasons.)
I'd like to see a larger marching band. It is inspiring for the fans, alumni, students, and team. Small investment and worth it.
They would seem a lot larger if they could swap out 25-30 woodwind players for the same number of decent quality brass players. Easier said than done, though. (The Cal Band has been trying to attract more brass players since forever. It's problematic at Cal for a number of reasons.)
One reason Calonico was a weak and lazy recruiter, but more brass would solve a ton of issues!
I'd like to see a larger marching band. It is inspiring for the fans, alumni, students, and team. Small investment and worth it.
Most of the band alumni would love to see a larger marching band.
The problem back when I was a member had more to do with the way the band is incorporated and the level of support they received from the university itself. Unlike many university bands, when I joined the band was effectively an all volunteer organization. The band did receive very limited financial support (pay for the director and a secretary) and an area for practices and storage of instruments and uniforms, but that was almost all they received.
There was no college credit for being a member. There is no class called "band" you can join for even a 0.5 credits per semester, which is available for most sports.
There was no priority in class scheduling. The band needs a large amount of time during football season, but the members have to wait for their usual time period to request classes for each semester. This can make it very difficult to put together a schedule that allows the most time for studying and band. It becomes a huge reason why 60-70% of the band members are freshmen and sophomores. When I was a member fewer than 20 members each year would be seniors, and I can think of only one grad student who asked to join.
Those two factors, greatly reduce the amount of students who are interested in joining.
As for recruiting. I was a member during the tenure of Robert Briggs, but the director was not a major factor in recruiting back then. Most of the recruiting was conducted by members of the band who volunteered their time. However, that can work against them because band practice normally starts the week before classes, which means that unless incoming freshmen ask around or are from a school visited by someone recruiting for the band some potential members won't find out about the band until after the most important week of band practice is over.
Its like so many other things involving the university and athletics. Unless the university administration shows more interest and support, it will be hard to see the level of improvement we as fans would like to see.
I'd like to see a larger marching band. It is inspiring for the fans, alumni, students, and team. Small investment and worth it.
They would seem a lot larger if they could swap out 25-30 woodwind players for the same number of decent quality brass players. Easier said than done, though. (The Cal Band has been trying to attract more brass players since forever. It's problematic at Cal for a number of reasons.)
One reason Calonico was a weak and lazy recruiter, but more brass would solve a ton of issues!
I expect that Calonico wasn't really expected to do much recruiting for the band. When I was a member (during Robert Briggs time as director), it was current members of the band who handled all the recruiting tasks.
The Cal band is not that great. You can barely hear them at games. If he can make them as loud as the visiting bands, he'll deserve a statue.
Respectfully, I disagree that the Cal Band "is not that great." (Not starting a "what is a great band" debate, just expressing appreciation).
I'm not a Band insider, just a Cal grad who really enjoys seeing the Cal Band at games. Nothing beats the script Cal just before kickoff. I hope the new Director brings just what Band members and alums want & need.
Several years ago, my 3 year old grandson went up to a Cal Band member during a game to say "Go Bears!" and the next thing we knew he was "recruited" to join the Band on the spot to perform!
Incredibly kind, classy & fun. Made another Cal fan for life.
The Cal band is not that great. You can barely hear them at games. If he can make them as loud as the visiting bands, he'll deserve a statue.
It's amazing that this embarrassing truth is virtually ignored by a great majority of Cal fans. The Cal Band is mediocre. It could be great, but like so many bureaucratic things, change comes at the speed of a glacier and takes a Herculean effort. In regards to recruiting, Calonico used snail mail and was not proactive. With a plan and execution, the Cal Band could be great, but it is currently far from great. Calonico was hired because they didn't want to spend the money to land a tremendous candidate who would have taken the job for fair compensation. The way the Band is run and treated is 40 years behind the times. Maybe, with a dynamic leader like Carol Christ change is possible.
Cal Band is, at least right now, the class of the Pac 12. What other band would you rather see representing Cal? The only other band that comes at all close is the Husky Marching Band. But UW doesn't have the wealth of songs, the traditions, nor the great uniforms that Cal Band has. So for now, Cal Band is the class of the Pac.
Some on BI say Cal Band needs more brass. Well, it does! But not at the expense of woodwinds and glockenspiel players. It isn't an issue of trading woodwinds (or glock players) for brass, it is simply that Cal Band needs to be bigger.
I need to point out that it is because of the woodwinds that the Cal songs sound as good as they do. The people who wrote the Cal Songs did so with prominent parts for the woodwinds and glockenspiel players. Without them, the songs would sound much less balanced and would lack their character. I'm not an insider so I don't know what Cal Band does to recruit band members graduating from high school, but if they are not aggressively doing that, they should begin that immediately. Frankly, they should take the approach football and rugby do and pursue those who fit the model and can fill the needs. Weekly visits to local high school bands should be the norm, and they should have tours for prospective players and designated people working with recruits. Now, for all I know, they may be doing that already. But if they aren't, they need to look at how they gain members and address that soon.
For those who don't know, being a member of Cal Band is a labor of love. These young men and women truly love what they do, and they care about the "California Spirit". They do what they do while working around classes, study time, work, and all the other assorted things every student has to deal with. But they get no credit for participating. And there is very little financial support from the university. And you might be surprised how much work goes into putting a performance together from week to week. The Band is student run, and as such, is very different than most of the college marching bands in the nation. The challenges Cal Band deals with, while still being as good as they are, are difficult and very time consuming. And believe it or not, you have to be in pretty darn good shape to march at the speed they do, doing a "high step" and still sounding good. So a great deal of appreciation is deserved by Cal Band.
Having said that, I do agree that they don't seem to be as good as they once were. They've compromised a lot of things, some big, some small. People who love college marching bands (and especially those who love Cal Band) can see the erosion. Here are some examples of where I see them declining (in no particular order of importance): Bass drum sticking is non-existent. It used to be you could see the bass drummers sticking all the way at the top of the stadium. When i was a kid, that was what made me want to be a member of Cal Band (something I never accomplished). Here is what I'm talking about. Watch this video and notice the bass drummer on the left and how he uses his sticks. He twirls them way above the drum, and in such a way that he can't be missed. All the other drummers are boring compared to him. It used to be all Cal bass drummers had this fluorish. Not any more. Watch: See how much more interesting it is to watch the player on the left as opposed to the others? Cal Band used to be the ONLY band in the west that did that. They don't even know how to do that anymore. Similarly you no longer see the snare drum sticking either because Cal Band gave up on the "high steppers" that made sticking above the shoulders visible to everyone in the stadium. Now, with lower drums, and white vests, the "sticking" (such as it is) is hardly visible at all. Cal Band also took away some of the decorative aspects of their uniforms when they gave up wearing the epaulets, (part of what gave the uniform it's distinction). Spats are inconsistent at best (something that is not tolerated by bands such as Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan etc). And sadly, Cal Band is often out of tune when they play at events outside of football and basketball. That comes from a lack of attention to detail, or (dare I say it) a lack of pride. Cal Band bass drums are much less visible than they once were because the band chose to darken the drum heads, which previously were white and easier to see from a distance. So yes, I do think the band has degraded itself compared to what it was, and what it could be.
But what other band in the Pac would you rather have? Right now, with the possible exception of the University of Washington Band, there isn't anyone close to the quality of Cal Band. UW Band is closer than the others only because they pay more attention to detail in their (less classy) uniforms and they seem a bit more cohesive in their high step. But they don't have the number of songs, nor do they have the pregame entrance that Cal Band has, and they never will because they only have one or two school songs.
The rest of the Pac bands? There isn't one I'd rather have by a long shot.
As for the new director, I hope he's going to work out. He comes from Georgia. SEC Bands are BORING to watch. But, they do sound good, mostly because they are huge. So, that particular aspect comes back to numbers. But SEC bands don't do high step (which is infinitely more exciting than the boring drum and bugle style done by most SEC (and for that matter, most PAC bands). There was , as I understand it, a committee that was formed to find the new conductor. Cal vs. Georgia is culture shock to begin with. High step vs. boring is another culture shock as well. I hope the committee got it right!
The Cal band is not that great. You can barely hear them at games. If he can make them as loud as the visiting bands, he'll deserve a statue.
It's amazing that this embarrassing truth is virtually ignored by a great majority of Cal fans. The Cal Band is mediocre. It could be great, but like so many bureaucratic things, change comes at the speed of a glacier and takes a Herculean effort. In regards to recruiting, Calonico used snail mail and was not proactive. With a plan and execution, the Cal Band could be great, but it is currently far from great. Calonico was hired because they didn't want to spend the money to land a tremendous candidate who would have taken the job for fair compensation. The way the Band is run and treated is 40 years behind the times. Maybe, with a dynamic leader like Carol Christ change is possible.
Funny, there is a long-time poster here that has always had it in for Bob Calonico, for some bizarre reason. His/her handle also starts with the letter "B" (No, it is absolutely not me.).
Unless you're that person, maybe the two of you could get together and commiserate or something.
Maybe more significant is that he went to Michigan State as an undergrad. Article doesn't say, but I hope he was in the MSU Marching Band. Big-10 marching band influence would be good, as the Cal Band's style has its roots in '50's 60's Ohio State and Michigan marching bands. I would love the Cal Band to learn the drill design/charting secrets of the Ohio State Band of recent years
@Bartoriv74: why all the Calonico bashing? Recruiting is done by students not the director. Cal Performnces oversees Student Musical Activities which oversees Cal Band. Makes perfect sense that Cal Performances made the announcement.
I want three things from the band: 1. At least 30 more members; 2. Much more brass, enough to drown out the Trojans when they come to CMS; 3. Ditch those uniforms, they are dorky. Get some color. Get modern. Get something.
Bear8 you must be nuts! Those uniforms are the class of the nation, next to Ohio State's. They were even better when they wore the epaulets. No way that uniform should be withdrawn!!!!
And forget Sweet Caroline. Cal doesn't need to copy other people's traditions. We have our own, and they serve very nicely!
Bear8 you must be nuts! Those uniforms are the class of the nation, next to Ohio State's. They were even better when they wore the epaulets. No way that uniform should be withdrawn!!!!
And forget Sweet Caroline. Cal doesn't need to copy other people's traditions. We have our own, and they serve very nicely!
Everybody's got an opinion, eh? I'm with you on this. It'd be nice to develop OUR OWN Sweet Caroline (or Hang on Sloopy).
I think we can all agree on the need for a bigger brass sound, but as I've outlined here before, it's problematic (but not insurmountable, which is why I'm hoping the new guy can provide some new ideas and energy).
Bear8 you must be nuts! Those uniforms are the class of the nation, next to Ohio State's. They were even better when they wore the epaulets. No way that uniform should be withdrawn!!!!
And forget Sweet Caroline. Cal doesn't need to copy other people's traditions. We have our own, and they serve very nicely!
My two cents. We are who we are, which is chair step marching band patterned after the TOSU band. That works well with a bigger band, and looks awful when done with smaller numbers. Cal needs to engage more students into the band. I agree that Cal needs to find its own thing. I don't have any problem looking at other bands for ideas, but there seems to be a tendency to exactly copy what other schools do. I mean the whole idea of shining one's phone at one game last year was a complete rip-off of Utah, down to the song that was played. Seriously, as 8Bears said, find something if you need to change. Just make it our own tradition.
We shouldn't go down the route of band comparisons. Practically every survey of college bands I see rates SC first. Yes, it is a big band, yes it plays loud, yes it plays the same darn song. Key the "overrated" chant.
I hate the SC band because it plays one song. The SC band does more to entertain its football program and engage fans *at* games than Cal band, by a wide margin. Not mutually exclusive points. If a neutral observer attends a Cal-SC game, they WILL remember the SC band's contributions to the game. They probably will not remember *** the Cal band did because you literally can't hear them.
With their current model, they're a mostly irrelevant factor at football games. They are far from great, in fact they're mediocre. History, peagentry and all.
Of course band members love it, there's no accountability for their mediocrity. Comparing them next to Ohio State is embarrassing.
Cal Band is okay but it needs some tweaks and financial backing. I don't how but yeah, being louder would help. You need to be able to hear the band coming from a mile away, just like a military band. Good pickup he was a MSU undergrad. Not tOSU but a Big Ten band.
The band that impressed me the most was (?) the Band of the Great Southwest aka Texas. Members stretched from one end of the field to the other. They had a huge drum and wore clothing relevant to their area of the country -- cowboy duds. I really don't care what Ohio State does and I respect their dotting the I, but that's them and not us. Tradition is a fine attribute, but I'd like to see something reminiscent of the 21 century.
The band that impressed me the most was (?) the Band of the Great Southwest aka Texas. Members stretched from one end of the field to the other. They had a huge drum and wore clothing relevant to their area of the country -- cowboy duds. I really don't care what Ohio State does and I respect their dotting the I, but that's them and not us. Tradition is a fine attribute, but I'd like to see something reminiscent of the 21 century.
If you want to see "something reminiscent of the 21st century", there is no marching band. Everybody is staring at their phone, sharing some sort of image or idea or feeling with the people around them and with their friends and followers throughout the world. It is all sponsored by some giant corporation that is taking people's personal information, for profit, but nobody cares.
The band that impressed me the most was (?) the Band of the Great Southwest aka Texas. Members stretched from one end of the field to the other. They had a huge drum and wore clothing relevant to their area of the country -- cowboy duds. I really don't care what Ohio State does and I respect their dotting the I, but that's them and not us. Tradition is a fine attribute, but I'd like to see something reminiscent of the 21 century.
If you want to see "something reminiscent of the 21st century", there is no marching band. Everybody is staring at their phone, sharing some sort of image or idea or feeling with the people around them and with their friends and followers throughout the world. It is all sponsored by some giant corporation that is taking people's personal information, for profit, but nobody cares.
Cal Band's assets: Tradition. Extensive repertoire of fight songs/alma maters/drinking songs. Vast storehouse of good will with students and alumni.
Cal Band's liabilities: Funding model. Inability to recruit. No course credit. No control over instrumentation mix. Muzzled during games by the marketing department. And they may have gotten lazy recently.
Low-hanging fruit for the new guy: work harder. Play more, whether marketing likes it or not. Bring back high-sticking!
Funding model. What would it take to modernize the band? What would it take to get more brass, more drummers, more band members? We've redone CMS, now let's work on making what happens there count. Anyone have an idea of cost? How have other universities handled it?
Funding model. What would it take to modernize the band? What would it take to get more brass, more drummers, more band members? We've redone CMS, now let's work on making what happens there count. Anyone have an idea of cost? How have other universities handled it?
offer course credit offer scholarships bring out from under Cal Performances and into another part of the University that's flush with money
Unfortunately, nothing is as simple as it seems. The band is about as big as it is going to get for now. The reason is facilities. The current band has reached the maximum size for the band room and uniform room. If the band were to get any larger they would not be able to fit in their current facilities. It is extremely tight right now. When I was in the band in the 80's we marched 140 members. They now have 240. They have turned away potential members for several seasons. The current band room in the basement of the Cesar Chavez Center was built decades ago and is seriously lacking. In order for the program to grow the university will need to address the facility. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but this is the reality.
Are there any Cal Band alumni who also happen to be billionaires or CEOs of firms that are doing well (like Kaboom)? Seems like it has to become someone's personal pet project to get funded and schollies because the unversity can't do it.
The band that impressed me the most was (?) the Band of the Great Southwest aka Texas. Members stretched from one end of the field to the other. They had a huge drum and wore clothing relevant to their area of the country -- cowboy duds. I really don't care what Ohio State does and I respect their dotting the I, but that's them and not us. Tradition is a fine attribute, but I'd like to see something reminiscent of the 21 century.
If you want to see "something reminiscent of the 21st century", there is no marching band. Everybody is staring at their phone, sharing some sort of image or idea or feeling with the people around them and with their friends and followers throughout the world. It is all sponsored by some giant corporation that is taking people's personal information, for profit, but nobody cares.
Then set up some app that plays along with the Cal band at halftime. 10,000 smart phones playing along in the background should be enough brass.
