Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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During halftime of the Homecoming game, K-State and Texas A M Universities ' bands pay tribute to the 100th anniversary of the piece Stars and Stripes Forever. Before the performance, the bands practiced together for 20 minutes. (Photo by Clif Palmberg) Sara Bidwell, junior in park resource management, plays trombone during halftime. K-State band members said different marching styles made the performance difficult. (Photo by Brandon White) 8. band day

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student life.7 Fake Fun Gemini Pankey, senior in speech, shows his appreciation for Bill McShane and the rest of the band Ultimate Fakebook, at the Welcome Back Concert. Ultimate Fakebook was one of four bands to play at the Welcome Back Concert in City Park, Aug. 23rd. (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

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together at halftime ' While K-State and Texas A M ' s football teams play against each other, their marching bands unite to celebrate 100 years of Stars and Stripes Forever. Saxophone player Amy Lilyhorn, freshman in agricultural economics, watches Texas A M University practice before the game at KSU Stadium. The performance was unique because of the bands ' different marching styles. (Photo by Clif Palmberg) When the Texas A M University Aggies came to Manhattan, the football teams battled, but the bands united. Frank Tracz, K-State Marching Band director, and Col. Ray Toller, Texas A M band director, brought the bands together at halftime Oct. 18 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of John Phillip Sousa ' s famous Stars and Stripes Forever. We ' re very pleased to be invited by Dr. Tracz to perform at Kansas State, Toller said. Dr. Tracz and I are good friends, and we were excited about the performance. Preparations for the show began in spring 1997. The bands finalized details two weeks before the performance and practiced together about 20 minutes before the game. The idea came about last spring when I heard the A M band was coming up for sure, Tracz said. I knew A M was a great band, and we would need to perform our best. After each band ' s separate performance, the bands combined. The more than 600 musicians stood together to play Stars and Stripes Forever as Tracz and Toller conducted. The different military style of Texas A M was difficult for K-State ' s band to adjust to, said Todd Bennett, senior in chemical engineering and clarinet section leader. The difficult part was the way they look at things and trying to work with their tempos and marching styles. Bennett said. Having another band perform at the game made the crowd more attentive, said Erin Irick, sophomore in apparel and textile marketing and piccolo player. It is a little intimidating when a band comes, but it makes us perform better, Irick said. I think we all did well, though, because we were so pumped for the game. by chris davis A Texas A M University band member plays the trumpet during halftime of the Oct. 18 game against K- State. The Cats defeated Texas A M with a final score of 36-17. (Photo by Brandon White) band day.9