Anna Dodson
“If you want something badly enough, you’ll get it in time” –Bill Blass[1]
My mother has repeated this Bill Blass quote to me ever since I was a little girl; her motto implies hard work, determination and goal setting. If you are willing to put in the effort needed to acquire your heart’s desire, you will eventually get it because you have earned it. She usually uses the movie Flashdance to demonstrate her point; in it, a young dancer overcomes great adversity so that she can dance professionally. Although the movie is best known for its wild eighties fashion, to me it represents more than this, as I have learned from Jennifer Beals that “if you want something badly enough, you’ll get it in time.” Although the University of Texas at Austin was my first choice to go to school, I was placed in the Coordinated Admissions Program at UT and had to spend a year at the University of Texas at San Antonio studying and keeping a 4.0 GPA so that I could transfer at the end of the year. At first I resented the fact that I was not immediately accepted, but I was bound and determined to not only attend UT, but also excel there. I believe I have achieved that goal.
When I finally arrived at UT in August 2004, my first action was to audition for the Longhorn Band. I began playing the euphonium/baritone, which is somewhat like a baby tuba, in sixth grade and I had loved band in high school. I had always loved performing, but I was also aware of the hard work and dedication that band required. I had been in the concert band at UTSA, but I missed the feeling that comes from marching an awesome show for a pumped up football crowd. I knew that I belonged in LHB. Unfortunately, Fate again had decided that I was not ready. I contracted an awful stomach virus that left me vomiting outside the “Bubble” where we were practicing, and was unable to complete the audition process.
My roommate, who went to UTSA with me and didn’t play band in high school, likes to tell the story of Gone to Texas ’04, which took place only a week after my aborted audition. We watched the festivities, relishing our accomplishment in getting to UT, but as soon as the band came on the steps of the tower to play “The Eyes of Texas,” I began to cry. I don’t care what Ohio State’s motto is; the “Showband of the Southwest” is also the Best Damn Band in the Land. My heart swelled with emotion as I sang “The Eyes of Texas” and watched my new friends play without me; listening to them was heartbreaking.
From that moment, I hardened my resolve to keep playing the euphonium and audition again the following August. Unlike many in LHB, I was less interested in free football tickets and more enamored with the camaraderie and the pride that comes with being a member of such a prestigious organization. I wanted to be a part of the rich tradition of LHB, which is proudly shown in a display case in the music building. Hanging up in it are all of the old styles of marching uniforms along with plaques dedicated to the “Showband of the Southwest” and other memorabilia. Passing it everyday on my way to Volleyball and Basketball band in the fall gave me encouragement. Making the top Concert band in the spring also gave me confidence; I was ready to try my luck again.
After practicing throughout the summer, I again tried out for LHB in the fall of 2005 and finally made the cut. The audition process is arduous; the Wednesday before school starts, all the prospective members meet in the “Bubble” to learn how to march LHB style. On Thursday, the Old Men return to practice marching and the Prospective members continue to learn basic drills to demonstrate their marching ability. Friday morning are auditions, and both Old Men and Prospective members must try out for only three hundred and fifty spots in the band. The results are posted Friday night, and Saturday morning the new Longhorn Band meets and practices together for the first time. From 9 am to 9 pm we learn Pre-Game, and return Sunday afternoon and all day Monday to rehearse. By the time that UT has its first football game, usually the Saturday after the first week of school, LHB will have learned, memorized and rehersed Pre-Game and the Halftime show innumerable times.
Being a member of LHB was even better than I imagined it; I made so many new friends, and I became a member of the coolest section in band. The S.O.B.s as they are known (baritones are called S.O.B.’s in the band, short for the Society of Baritones) have been “making the Fringe look cool since 1973” as one of our shirts proclaimed. It was like joining a new family; we new men were even assigned “Big People” to make our reception welcome. There are so many fun (and vulgar) traditions that make our section unique; in addition to our ambiguous name, we publish a humor magazine called the “Sobrietor” for every “away” game. There are also many secret traditions that are always explained to the new members during initiation in August and during OU Weekend in Dallas.
I was fortunate to be a member during Big Bertha’s 50th anniversary. Big Bertha is the giant drum that symbolizes the band and always precedes the band during the Pre-Game show. Vincent R. Denino, one of the most important band directors in our school’s history, brought it to the University in 1955. He created many of the marching traditions that the band still carries on today, and he and his wife still actively participate in band activities. For one of our shows, we paid our salute to Big Bertha by creating a huge representation of her on the field, even though it was essentially a giant circle. At the Rice game, the MOB, or the Mighty Owl Band, parodied our show to great success. During 1955, a UT cheerleader introduced another important tradition for the school during a pep rally: the “Hook ‘Em” hand sign. We celebrated the occasion by spelling out “Hook ‘Em” on the field with a giant “Hook ‘Em” hand sign:
LHB performs many shows each year, and last year was no exception. The two most memorable shows we performed last year were the “Spy” show, where we played the themes from James Bond, Inspector Gadget, and Austin Powers, and the “Beatles” show that included “She Loves You” and “Hey Jude.” For the grand finale of the “Beatles” show, we created a star, the state of Texas and a big T for UT, and we received a standing ovation at the Saints pro-football game we played at in San Antonio. Although I do not have a video of the “Spy” show or the “Beatles” half time show, our marching performance for the Big 12 Championship game against Colorado University in Houston was posted on YouTube. We performed “Wall to Wall” and “Shotgun Texas,” two traditional shows: <a href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vfsg06o1yU"> Traditional Show</a>. By the way, when we pause in the middle of “Wall to Wall,” also known as “March Grandioso,” we are yelling “Beat the Hell Outta CU!” Now you’ll know what to yell during the middle of “March Grandioso” during the OU game or during a championship game!
During my time in band, the Longhorns had another important achievement: winning the Rose Bowl and earning the National Championship title. LHB went to Pasadena and represented the school by marching in the Rose Bowl parade and playing at the game. Almost as exciting, we got to march in the Disneyland parade too! It wasn’t always fun and games though. Here, my boyfriend and I desperately try to stay awake in the early morning hours while waiting for our plane to arrive:
Once we got there, California unleashed a torrential rain to welcome us. LHB marched in the middle of one of the worst rainstorms I have ever been in for five miles as part of the Rose Bowl Parade. Still, there were Texas fans lining the entire parade route and I was proud to play my heart out for them. Getting on local and national television was cool too! Despite the hard work, LHB was always fun. After the Horns won, the S.O.B.’s gathered on the Rose to take a picture so that we would always remember that day:
As you can tell, there are quite
a few of us, 18 to be exact. I am in
the lower right hand corner.
During the summer, I decided that I wanted to get my PhD and I realized that the time commitment that band required would interfere with studying, applying to graduate schools, and writing my thesis in the fall semester. After all, being in LHB means a commitment of six hours a week during the school year for practice and all day Saturday for games, plus any away games. Although it was a difficult choice, I decided to quit band after a year in order to focus on my studies. I resolved to not play in the marching band during the fall and would return in the spring for basketball and concert season when my schedule was less hectic. That still did not stop me from marching in the Longhorn Alumni Band. I did not think that I would have the emotions that I experienced, but to my surprise, all the joy I felt came rushing back to me, “a single sharp impression...a relic more or less fleeting, of such moments gone by...”[5] When you march through the tunnel; when you play Texas Fight; when you look up and see eighty thousand enthusiastic fans cheering for you as you spell out “Texas” on the field-no other experience in the world compares to it. I am still close to the friends I made in band and during games I try to find them so that we can share the experience together. These are my two good friends Athena Hobbs and Dawn Ishmael during the first game of the season:
LHB has taught me many important lessons in life. The first is responsibility: every individual must work hard and be accurate. It depends on everybody doing his or her job to make the band a success. If even one person is out of step or in the wrong place, the entire formation is wrong. Tradition is also an important part of the band. At LHAB, I sat next to a Society member who started band in 1973, the year that the S.O.B.’s began. He was there with his brother, and many of the traditions they started we carry on. Most importantly, LHB has taught me about enjoying life. When things seem hard or tough, “we may well grasp at any exquisite passion, or any contribution to knowledge that seems by a lifted horizon to set the spirit free for a moment, or any stirring of the sense...”[7] LHB has allowed me to express myself through music, to relax in and amongst friends, and to be a part of the rich tradition of UT that is passed on from generation to generation.
Quote Count: 54
Word Count: 1907-54=1853
Total Word Count: 1853
Added words: 360