On a football game day, Amber Moore arrives at the stadium at 9 a.m. and stays until 10 p.m. or later. Most people would say she’s a very dedicated fan. But it’s more than that.
As a member of the drum line for the Sound of Today marching band, Moore spends most of the day rehearsing before she marches through the Grove and into Malone stadium to cheer for the Warhawks.
The other 121 band members are right there beside her.
Before the school year even begins, the Sound of Today holds a week of pre-band camp to prepare for the upcoming season. For five days, the band members rehearse music and learn formations for nearly 12 hours straight.
During the semester, members of the Sound of Today practice four days a week for an hour and a half each day.
That’s on top of their class loads, which, for music majors, can reach up to 20 hours per semester.
“We’re more than just band people. We’re students too,” Moore said. “We have a lot going on, but we take pride in our program.”
Not all band members are music majors. Drum major Philip Petit is a senior atmospheric science major, yet he leads the band.
“This is my senior year, and I’m taking a lot of tough classes, so it requires time management,” Petit said. “But it’s no different than participating in SGA, CAB or a fraternity. This is the organization I choose to give my time to.”
In addition to being an “unofficial spirit group,” as the band members call it, the Sound of Today also participates in a large number of community outreach programs to assist local high schools.
Moore learned about the ULM marching band while growing up in Monroe. Now, as a member of the Sound of Today, she uses her talent to give back to local high school programs by volunteering for high school band camps and competitions that ULM hosts.
Petit volunteers for the music fraternity’s Rent-A-Band program which sends ULM band members to play at local high school football games for schools that don’t have music programs.
The Sound of Today also performs at Lakeshore Elementary’s drug-free pep rally every year to help encourage younger students.
Jason Rinehart, the band’s director, said programs like this have a positive impact on both the community and the university.
“We are reminding people that ULM as a whole is here and we are to be used as a resource for whatever needs the people of our community have,” Rinehart said.
Rinehart said while band members devote their time to creating the game day atmosphere, they are also learning leadership, responsibility and time management skills on top of the music.
The band makes its 2012 debut on Sept. 21 for the ULM vs. Baylor game in Malone Stadium.
