Holding my mallets up in a salute stance, I am honored to say that I am trying out for the Florida State Marching Chiefs. After long and hard consideration, I’ve decided to face the challenges such as physical rigor and extreme time crunches, in order to achieve one common goal. Along with the other Marching Chiefs, I’m going to get another chance to walk into Doak Campbell Stadium. This time though (unlike in high school), the stadium will be filled with a crowd cheering not only for the football team, but also for our extremely talented band.
The road to making this decision was long and hard. I first set out to find the Orientation Leaders I had heard say that they were a part of this organization. I needed to know what the path for an incoming freshman percussionist was going to be like. My first interview was with former rookie Angel Purganan. Purganan made sure to give me a full crash course of what to expect during the season, making sure to mention that “we move-in about two weeks before classes start for preseason training” and that “that would be considered our "band camp.”” This was valuable information to know, as it gives me a time-table of how long I have to achieve the objectives that have been set in front of me by the percussion section. With the camp itself fast approaching, I felt the need to also ask how a current member of the band felt about their time management skills, once they were officially in the organization. Purganan went on to only confirm my thoughts about the nerve-wracking system by saying that “Chiefs is a SUPER big-time commitment,” but that “it definitely prepares you to be able to successfully function in such a tight-schedule.” While the information I learned might be discouraging to the average person, if anything it ignites my motivation more. I’ve lived through the late night practices in high school, and I know that the reward is worth the risk.
After my interview with Angel Purganan, I ran into Katie Olney, who is a member of the leadership community in the Marching Chiefs. She is currently helping organize a camp for high schoolers that further develops their leadership skills for the years to come. Olney was a great help with me get over my anxiety for the audition. She assured me that “it's a pretty rigorous process but once you make it through, it's SO much fun! It's such a great community to be a part of and it has so many great traditions too.” Being able to talk to someone who not only has connections to the percussion section, but also the leadership community, was very reassuring. Going through the process with someone is always better than going through it alone. One other thing that was eating at me was the thought that maybe I wouldn’t have a high chance of getting into the program because I wasn’t a music major. Once again, Olney had all the answers, and she said that I need not worry because “over seventy percent our members are non-music majors, so the numbers speak for themselves.” After listening to this, a giant weight was lifted off my shoulders. It was always a fear of mine that pursuing a major in Cyber Criminology would get in the way of my music career. Without even asking Olney also gave me a piece of advice that sealed my fate for joining the Marching Chiefs. Her wise words for my audition were to keep “an open mind and a positive attitude. Confidence is key to success.” I have not heard any truer words when it comes to any audition process. We all get ourselves so riled up, when in the end all that matters, much like once you’re marching on the field at Doak Campbell stadium, is that you give it your all.
After my interviews were concluded, my teacher, Mat Wenzel, brought us to our school library, where the librarian taught us about an online program called FSU One Search that would allow us to find more scholarly sources. I was able to find a few valuable websites that taught me a little more about what the season itself entailed. One of the websites was very simple and straightforward visually, in the fact that it dozens videos from almost every year that the band has performed during the 21st century. Going down further on the list I found some more textual information, and one particular article from the NCAA caught my eye. In their article, they mentioned that in 2015, “the Marching Chiefs took the field as zombies and then performed Michael Jackson's "Thriller" at halftime of the Seminoles' Week 9 game against Syracuse,” (Richmond). Learning this was very exciting to hear, since Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I had always wanted to do an off-season event like this.
That being said, while I like hearing that the band participates in fun activities, it was also nice to hear that they have a zero tolerance hazing policy. With FSU being a well-respected university “infractions would be a good deal harsher than previously: infringements would be met with a suspension of the entire Marching Chiefs organization for one game,” (Faucett 175). After the greek-life hazing incident in 2017 at FSU, it was very reassuring to hear that the Marching Chiefs were held up to just as high of a standard. Nobody wants to the one responsible for the band not being able to play at a football game. And to my surprise, the good intentions of the Band did not stop there. The Marching Chiefs encourage work to be put-in during the off-season to help out the community, and in 2015, three of its members “showed their courage by donating stem cells through the “Be the Match” organization,” (Florida State University News). One might think that this isn’t a big deal, but Stem Cells are the future, and with not only one, but three band members joining the fight, I think that’s pretty amazing. Being a part of an organization that encourages such selflessness is very inspiring.
Hearing all this information makes me even more reluctant to join the Marching Chiefs. I wanted to be a part of an organization at FSU that had good morals and that would introduce me to a fantastic group of people. Through my research, I am glad to say that I have accomplished both. Whether or not I am successful this time around in my audition will not determine my future. Much like how in my interview I felt reborn walking into the stadium with Purganan and Olney, I will walk through those gates again one day, as a Marching Chief.
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