| WIU Marching Leathernecks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| School | Western Illinois University |
| Location | Macomb, IL |
| Conference | Missouri Valley Football |
| Founded | 1904 |
| Director | Dr. Matt Thomas (2010 - ) |
| Members | 160 |
| Fight song | "We're Marching On" |
| Uniform | |
| [[File:Purple and white with gold sash, purple pants, purple Aussie hat with new paw print emblem, white gloves, and black shoes. |frameless|upright=1.25|center]] | |
| Website | www |
The Western Illinois University Marching Leathernecks is the marching band for Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois.[1] The group was formed in 1904.[2][3]
This performing ensemble includes students from many different academic majors at the university. Membership is open to any student on the Macomb campus regardless of major and does not require an audition except for leadership positions like section leader, drum major, senior assistant, equipment manager, etc.
Performance Information
Their performances have included halftime shows for the Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Rams, Indianapolis Colts, and Chicago Bears of the National Football League, as well as exhibition performances at the Bands of America Regional Championships at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri and at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana.[4] Western Illinois University also hosts the Marching Band Classic, a high school marching band competition that attracts bands from Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. The Marching Leathernecks also perform for Leatherneck football games, both home and away, parades, exhibitions, and regional tours.[5] The full schedule may be viewed on the bands WIU band's website.
Traditions
The band has a rich history and many traditions.[6] The tradition of "Georgia On My Mind" has been in practice since 1982. At the end of every show the band plays its traditional closer, "Georgia on My Mind". This piece features a trumpet soloist and an interesting presentation of the band. For this tune the brass is packed against the fence, right next to the crowd. Halfway through, the brass turns as one to face the crowd while playing as loudly as possible.
After each performance, the band forms an inner facing circle to perform "You'll Never Walk Alone" from Carousel. This piece, which is performed for the group themselves instead of its audience, is used strengthen the commitment of the members to one another as individuals and helps to bond the group as a caring, compassionate family, both on and off the field. This has only been officially recorded once in the history of the group. That recording was made during a tribute to Dale Hopper who passed suddenly in the Fall of 2005.
Instrumentation
The Marching Leathernecks consist of four major components: wind instruments, percussion, color guard, and danceline.
The wind instrumentation consists of both woodwind and brass instruments.
Woodwind:
- Piccolo
- Flute
- Clarinet
- Alto and Tenor Saxophone
Brass:
- Trumpet
- Mellophone
- Trombone
- Baritone (Marching)
- Sousaphone
The Percussion instrumentation consists of a drumline. (Note: the percussion section did at one time also consist of a front "pit" ensemble as well, but was eliminated due to transportation and storage issues)
Drumline:
- Cymbal
- Snare (Marching)
- Toms (Marching)
- Bass Drum (Marching)
The last two major components are the color guard and danceline named Westernaires and Westernettes to keep with the WIU "Western" theme. Along with these two larger groups there is often one or two twirlers and three drum majors.
Color Guard (Westernaires):
- Flags/Rifles
Danceline (Westernettes):
- Dancers/Poms
Twirler
- Baton
Drum Major
Westernaires Color Guard
The Westernaires Color Guard is a subsection of the Western Illinois University Marching Leathernecks. The Westernaires, similarly to the Marching Band itself, is a performing group that is open to any student on the Macomb campus, regardless of academic major. There is no required audition to join, except for leadership positions including captains and co-captains.
History
The first recorded instance of a "Color Guard"-like entity being introduced to the Marching Leathernecks is in the Fall semester of 1972. A "Flag corps" with eight female members joined the Marching Leathernecks for their half-time performance for the first time. From then on, the Westernaires became a staple of the Marching Leathernecks band.
Instrumentation
The Westernaires performances consist of two main types of instruments.
- Flag
- Wooden Rifle
During the season, each performer is required to spin a six foot flag pole with accompanying silk during all performances. These flags are weighted specifically to suit the needs of their unique choreography, and have a variety of designs. The traditional design choice consists of a purple silk with golden paw prints. In addition to the flag, performers have the option to audition to perform a segment of the half-time show with a wooden rifle. These rifles are white taped all the way around, with a black bolt and accompanying black strap.
Choreography
Westernaires choreography is created and developed by the selected captains for each Marching Band season. These captains are given recordings of the show music, in which they must spend a select amount of time creating a routine using the flags and/or rifles. These routines consist of a variety of moves and work to interpret and complement the music of the Marching band ensemble.
Westernaires Traditions
In addition to performing the Marching Leatherneck traditions including Georgia On My Mind and You'll Never Walk Alone (song), the Westernaires have several of their own traditions. After every rehearsal, each member gathers into a circle where the captains provide information, praise their work during practice, and encourage the members of the team. Then, each member will insert either their right hand or the tip of their flag into the circle, where they all chant "Toss high, aim higher!" while simultaneously lowering their flag during "toss high" and raising it during "aim higher."
Another tradition of the Westernaires is their unofficial mascot, Ollie the blue whale. He is a stuffed whale used to recognise members for their accomplishments during the season. The members of the team nominate and vote other members to receive Ollie. During Band Camp, Ollie is given to a new member each of the five total days. During the season, Ollie is given to a new person each Friday. The Westernaires ensure each member is nominated once before allowing a nominee to receive Ollie a second time. However, a captain cannot be nominated to receive Ollie. The nominee will take Ollie home and take a selfie with him, which will then be posted on the social media pages for the WIU Westernaires to display the nominee's accomplishments. In past seasons, Ollie has been dressed up in many different costumes for these photos.
During games, when not performing the half-time show, the Westernaires can be found in the stands performing traditional choreography and chants that accompany the Marching Band's stand tunes set, which is played depending on situations in the game. Each member stands against the banisters for the entirety of the game's play-time, rallying on the Western Illinois Leathernecks Football team.
See also
References
- ↑ "WIU Marching Leathernecks". wiu.edu. Retrieved 2015-01-25.
- ↑ Hancks, Jeffrey W.; Carey, Adam J. (2009). Western Illinois University. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 51. ISBN 9780738561417. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
- ↑ Fansler, Michael James (2009). The History of the Western Illinois University Band from 1904--1942, and Its Evolution from Within the Illinois Normal School Movement. Ann Arbor, MI: Pro Quest LLC. p. 225. ISBN 9781109217759. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
- ↑ 2000 Indianapolis regional championship : Western Illinois University, RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana. worldcat.org. OCLC 868835933. Retrieved 2015-01-25.
- ↑ "Kewanee's 'Summer of Sound'". starcourier.com. Retrieved 2015-01-25.
- ↑ "Western Illinois University Marching Leathernecks". fightmusic.com. Retrieved 2015-01-25.