2026 Marching Band Student Matinee Pre-Event Video Transcript

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Did you know?

Exposure to the arts help K-12 students perform higher on standardized tests and achieve higher GPAs.

In Minnesota it is the law that K-12 schools provide arts education to students for a more well-rounded education.

We welcome the University of Minnesota Marching Band to the Northrop Stage!

About the UMN Marching Band

The Marching Band is also known as The Pride of Minnesota!

For over 125 years, the UMN Marching Band has shown school spirit and pride through their music, cheers, chants, parades and performances all throughout the year. 

The Marching Band is known for their support of athletic teams at the UMN and incredible halftime shows on the football field!

School Spirit and Pride

The University of Minnesota athletic teams are known as the Golden Gophers, and the mascot, Goldy, is a fan favorite!

About the UMN Marching Band

The first UMN Marching Band had 29 members when it began in 1892. Today, there are more than 300 members!

Did you know…

You don't have to be a music major to play in marching band. Members of the UMN Marching Band are students who study all sorts of different subjects. 

About the Marching Band Director

Dr. Betsy McCann is the director of marching and athletic Bands. She is the first woman to head a Big Ten marching band and athletic bands program.

Dr. Emmanuel Rodriguez is the assistant director of marching and athletic bands.

Notable Performances

The UMN Marching Band performed at the Super Bowl LII halftime show with Justin Timberlake.

The Marching Band performed at the World Expo 2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as Minnesota’s invited representatives for the U.S. Specialized Expo 2027 bid.

Thirty members of the Marching Band went on the trip, in which they were a featured ensemble in the U.S. National Day celebrations.

The ensemble led a special parade through the U.S. Expo Pavilion, viewed by an international audience.

In December 2024, the Marching Band got a special surprise from Academy Award-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet as he visited Minnesota to promote his movie about Bob Dylan, “A Complete Unknown.”

During Homecoming 2025, the Pride of Minnesota was honored to welcome to the field Minnesotan and Grammy-winning Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. 

Chad’s parents, Curtis and Joan Smith, are proud University alums. In their honor, the Chad Smith Foundation has established the Curtis and Joan Smith scholarship for the School of Music to provide support for aspiring young musicians. 

Meet the Band!

Let's meet some members and learn more about the Marching Band!

The drum major is the heartbeat of the UMN Marching Band and is a musician, conductor, leader, performer and role model.

Meet UMN Marching Band Drum Major Nathan Orcutt.

Meet Block Captain Brennen Lishman, the second in command to the drum major who serves as a performer and teacher. 

The UMN has three Baton Twirlers: Sydney Nikodem, Greta Gordon and Elliot Kershaw.

The color guard is part of the UMN Marching Band. They use a variety of flags, rifles and dance in pregame and halftime performances with the band.

Fun Fact 

Marching Band students dedicate approximately 500 hours each year to Marching Band.

On game days, Marching Band members often log enough steps to complete a half marathon!

Every August, Marching Band members attend Spat Camp. 

Spat Camp is an intensive, on-campus preparation camp where students learn music and marching fundamentals. Spat Camp marks the official start of marching band season.

Instruments in the UMN Marching Band

The UMN Marching Band consists of brass, woodwinds and percussion instruments.

Woodwind Instruments

All woodwinds produce sound by splitting the air blown into them on a sharp edge, such as a reed.

Flute

A flute sounds very bright and cheerful playing high notes.

Piccolo

The piccolo is a small flute that plays one octave higher than the normal flute and plays the highest notes.

Clarinet

The clarinet has a single-reed mouthpiece, a cylindrical tube with a flared end, and holes stopped by keys.

Saxophone

The saxophone was developed from the clarinet and shares many similarities. The player blows into a reed fitted in a mouthpiece of the instrument.

Brass Instruments

A brass instrument is played by blowing through and buzzing lips against a metal cup-shaped mouthpiece to make sound and change the pitch or note.

Trumpet

The trumpet is played by blowing into the mouthpiece and making a “buzzing” sound. The player can press three keys called valves to change the pitch.

Mellophone

The medium-range mellophone typically replaces the French horn in marching bands. It looks like a trumpet except for more tubing and a much larger bell.

Trombone

The trombone is like a large trumpet, but the player pushes and pulls the slide to change tube length. It plays a range of notes with the slide and lip vibrations.

Baritone

The low-range baritone marching horn replaces the euphonium in marching bands. It is held like the trumpet but is much larger and lower pitched.

Sousaphone

The sousaphone is the biggest brass instrument, weighing 28 pounds with about 18 feet of tubing, and requires a lot of breath to play. 

Percussion Instruments 

Percussion instruments are played by shaking or hitting. The UMN Marching Band has a drumline with four different percussion instruments.

Snare drum

The snare drum is constructed of two heads — both usually made of plastic — along with a rattle of metal wires on the bottom head called the snares.

Tenor Drums

The UMN tenor drums are mounted sets of five drums, allowing one person to carry and play multiple drums simultaneously.

Bass Drum

The bass drum is a large drum with two heads and a booming sound of low indefinite pitch. They have six bass drums of all different sizes.

Cymbals

Cymbals are discs usually made of copper and bronze that are played by crashing them together in different ways to create many varied sounds.

Join the Band!

Interested in joining The Marching Band? Stick with it! Join your school's band, keep practicing and performing, and one day you can be part of The Pride of Minnesota!

Join us for more exciting dance and music!

Ballet Folklórico de México

Friday, March 5, 10:30 a.m.

Complexions Contemporary Ballet

Friday, March 19, 10:30 a.m.

We gratefully acknowledge the support from: 

Northrop activities are made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

RBC Wealth Management

Graduate by Hilton 

PNC Bank 

Enjoy the Show!