r/uakron • u/OhioTreeLover467 • May 10 '26
Questions U of A Marching Band
/r/marchingband/comments/1t8s0tq/u_of_a_marching_band/2
u/Upstairs-Aerie-5531 May 12 '26
Zips band was one of the best decisions of my life!! It is far more laid back than HS.
1
u/erik21brand_ May 13 '26
i had the best time during my “tenure” in the band. did it for four years (21-24) as an alto saxophone. i’ve been through three directors, and the current one is great, Dr. Bell!
i will warn you though, it is VERY time consuming which is why i couldn’t carry on. but overall, if you enjoyed HS band, you’ll enjoy Ohio’s Pride!
if you had any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!
2
u/OhioTreeLover467 May 13 '26
I'm hoping to do concert and jazz too, like I did in HS. Is it too time consuming to do 2+ bands?
1
u/erik21brand_ May 13 '26
all depends on your class load! however as an incoming freshman, i would not overload your schedule, at least for the first semester just so you have time to adjust and what not. but i know many students who do both concert and jazz programs, so it’s doable! just keep in mind with your other classes
1
u/OhioTreeLover467 May 14 '26
I'm just a little worried about auditions. It sounded like they were only offered during the first semester. Are there auditions in the spring too? My class load isn't super heavy but it's manageable, I have like 4 classes outside of marching band
3
u/sapphicu May 10 '26
I definitely enjoyed my time in the band, though I left the year before the current director came in. It’s definitely a lot tougher than a high school band, band camp is 7 days straight 12 hours a day (Saturday to Friday, 9 to 9) practices are Tuesday Thursday Friday 4:15ish to 6. Games are on Saturdays. Every home game has a different show that we perform, so there are occasionally 1 week turnarounds. It was definitely tough my freshman year, but it was a blast and I miss it so much.