Pride of the Mountains Marching Band | |
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School | Western Carolina University |
Location | Cullowhee, North Carolina, U.S. |
Conference | Southern Conference |
Founded | 1938 |
Director | Dr. Jack Eaddy Jr. [1] |
Members | 450 (Fall 2023) |
Website | http://www.prideofthemountains.com/ |
The Pride of the Mountains Marching Band is the marching band which represents Western Carolina University. The band performs pre-game, halftime, and post-game shows at all Catamounts Football home games and routinely provides exhibition performances throughout the Southeast. Unlike most college marching bands, the Pride of the Mountains designs, creates, and performs one perfected halftime show other than doing different performances every week.
The Pride of the Mountains Marching Band was founded in 1938 and had just 23 students. By 1991, the band had 88 total members, including 18 dancers. Since that time, the band has experienced a steady growth to its present membership level of over 400 members. Today, the marching band is open to all Western Carolina University, Southwestern Community College, and Haywood Community College students, regardless of class or major, with approximately 60% of its members being non-music majors.
In 1998, 2003, 2008, 2012, 2015, and 2022, the Pride of the Mountains were invited to travel to Indianapolis, Indiana to put on an exhibition performance at the Bands of America (BOA) Grand National Championships in Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Pride of the Mountains won the Sudler Trophy in 2009. This award is given to a marching band which has exhibited continued success for many years, and is often referred to as the "Heisman Trophy of collegiate marching bands". Western Carolina is the only institution in the state of North Carolina and the first member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) to be selected for this prestigious award. [2]
In 2011, the Pride of the Mountains were invited to participate in the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, California. The band was given national attention for both their performance in the parade as well as their performance at the annual BandFest, during which they performed their halftime show. They were voted as the best band in the 2011 Rose Parade poll created by KTLA. [3]
In 2014, the Pride of the Mountains performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. The band performed with 510 members participating, and announcers applauded their performance, saying "This is the largest band this parade has seen in decades", "This is the best of the best", and "They don't mess around at Western Carolina". [4] [5] [6]
In 2019, the Pride of the Mountains performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade again. [7]
The "Cathouse Band" pep band plays at home basketball games during basketball season. The band, with over 100 members, plays at both men's and women's basketball games and is open to join by all students at WCU, SWCC, and HCC. The pep band travels with the WCU basketball teams to the SoCon Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.
"Purple Thunder" is an indoor drumline that performs during halftime at select home basketball games. The group is chosen through an audition process. In addition to the drums, the group also includes the WCU Cheer and Dance Teams, as well as an electronic sound system that provides a backing track of pop music that accompanies the drumline. [8] [9] The group made their debut performance in the spring of 2008.
Approximately one hour prior to the start of home Catamount Football games, the Pride lines up for their march to the stadium. The band lines up in the street between “The Rocks” resident halls and the dining hall and marches down the road past the Fine and Performing Arts Center and halts in front of the stadium to perform the fight song for the crowd of tailgating fans.
The singing of the Alma Mater occurs during the pregame show. It is sung right before the band plays the National Anthem, which marks the beginning of their "spirit sequence", in which the band spells out different variations of the university's mascot. The Alma Mater is also sung after the band's post game performance.
The Pride of the Mountain's Tournament of Champions (TOC) is an annual invitational marching band competition, to which the Pride invites 25 of the Southeast's top high school marching bands to WCU's Cullowhee campus. This event attracts nearly 10,000 musicians and spectators each year. The Pride of the Mountains also perform twice at the TOC.
Western Carolina University (WCU) is a public university in Cullowhee, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system.
The Cavalier Marching Band (CMB) is the marching band at the University of Virginia. The band's original director, William "Bill" Pease, was the first full-time marching band director in the history of the University of Virginia. The Cavalier Marching Band made its debut on September 11, 2004, after a considerable donation was made by University of Virginia benefactors Carl and Hunter Smith to found the band in 2003. The CMB uses a mixture of both DCI-style glide step and Big Ten-style high step in its performances. Of its 200 members, all seven undergraduate schools at the University of Virginia are represented.
The Marching Illini is the marching band of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The Marching Illini is an organization which annually includes approximately 400 students enrolled in the University of Illinois, and Parkland College. It was founded in 1867 and primarily performs at Illini football games as well as other events around campus.
The University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band (UMMB) is the marching band for the University of Massachusetts Amherst known for its drum corps style and nationally renowned percussion section. The Minuteman Band is also known for its use of dance routines, vocalists, electronics, and overall showmanship.
The University of Minnesota Marching Band is the marching band of the University of Minnesota and the flagship university band for the state of Minnesota. The Pride of Minnesota serves as an ambassador for the university, representing the school at major events both on and off campus. The band performs before, during, and after all home Golden Gopher football games and bowl games, occasional away games, local parades, numerous pepfests, exhibition performances, as well as a series of indoor concerts toward the end of the regular football season. Members of the band, along with non-member students, also participate in smaller athletic pep bands that perform at other major sporting events, including men's hockey, men's basketball, women's hockey, women's basketball, and women's volleyball.
The University of Pittsburgh Varsity Marching Band, or Pitt Band, is the college marching band at the University of Pittsburgh. The band numbers over 300 students consisting of instrumentalists, a majorette squad known as the Golden Girls, a color guard, and the drumline. The band was founded in 1911 and has won numerous awards over the years. All members of the band must pass an audition in order to join. The band is currently housed in Trees Hall; however, in 2020, the Pitt Athletic Department announced its "Victory Heights" initiative, part of the campus master plan which includes a new marching band facility slated to open in spring 2027.
The Iowa State University Cyclone Football 'Varsity' Marching Band (ISUCF'V'MB) is the marching band of Iowa State University. Also known as the Cyclone Marching Band (CMB), it is nicknamed the "Pride of Iowa State", the "Best of the Midwest", and the "Varsity Band". The band performs in support of the Iowa State Cyclones football team at all home games and at some away games versus Big 12 Conference rivals. The band plays at high school band festivals, indoor concerts, and post-season bowl games.
The Herd of Thunder is the name for the athletic bands of the University of South Florida, which includes the show band, "Rumble" pep band, and marching band ensembles, although it is often used to refer simply to the Marching Band. The Herd of Thunder was founded in 1999, two years after USF fielded its first football team.
The Thunder of the East is the marching band of the University at Buffalo in the State University of New York system. UB's first marching band was created in 1920, and disbanded in 1927. It was revived in 1946, increasing in size and reputation until about 1970. It was known as "The Pride of the East." At that time, it was dissolved upon UB's departure from Division I athletics. In 1981, some UB students continued the tradition of playing music at UB's home football and basketball games by forming UB's Pep Band. In anticipation of UB's return to Division I athletics, a marching band was formed in 1999 and named, "Thunder of the East." The band debuted at the University at Buffalo Stadium on September 11, 1999. The Thunder of the East is currently led by James E. Mauck; and performs at UB's Buffalo Bulls home football games, as well as in other musical venues.
The Tulane University Marching Band (TUMB) is the marching band of Tulane University. It performs at every Tulane Green Wave football home game in Yulman Stadium, bowl games, and some away games. It is also marches in New Orleans Mardi Gras parades each year, having appeared in Le Krewe d'Etat, the Krewe of Thoth, the Krewe of Bacchus, and the Krewe of Rex, among others.
The Western Carolina Catamounts are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent Western Carolina University. The Catamounts compete in the NCAA Division I as members of the Southern Conference. Western Carolina fields 16 varsity sports teams. The men's and women's teams are called the Catamounts.
The Pride of Acadiana is the marching band at the University of Louisiana. The band plays pregame and halftime shows for all home games of the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team.
The Carolina Band, or the Mighty Sound of the Southeast, is the official marching band of the University of South Carolina. With an average membership of 360, it is the largest ensemble associated with the university's School of Music. The marching band performs at all South Carolina Gamecocks football home games played at Williams-Brice Stadium, as well as neutral site games, bowl games, and all games against Clemson, where both the Carolina Band and Clemson's Tiger Band both perform at half time regardless of which school is hosting on a given year.
The Marching Royal Dukes (MRDs), nicknamed "Virginia's Finest", is James Madison University's official marching band. Formed in 1972 alongside the football team, the band performs a pre-game, halftime and post-game show at all home football games. In 1994, the MRDs were the recipients of the Sudler Trophy, the highest honor available for a college marching band.
The Mountaineer Marching Band, known as The Pride of West Virginia, is the marching band of West Virginia University located in Morgantown, West Virginia. The band was awarded the prestigious Sudler Trophy by the John Philip Sousa Foundation in 1997.
The Ohio State University Athletic Band is a non-audition band for any student, faculty, or staff of Ohio State University with prior instrumental experience. Many students who perform in the Athletic Band also perform in the Ohio State University Marching Band. Each Athletic Band features full contemporary concert band instrumentation, including woodwinds. It performs throughout the year at various athletic and goodwill functions across campus. Members of the Athletic Band receive course credit for their band participation.
BYU has a broad array of bands and ensembles. Most of which are a part of the programs of the School of Music in the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications, primarily either in the Department of Bands or the Jazz Studies Department.
The Blue and Gold Marching Machine is the official marching band of North Carolina A&T State University. The Blue and Gold Marching Machine performs pre-game and halftime shows at all North Carolina A&T Aggies football home games and travels to most away games.
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band, also known as The Pride of Niner Nation, and PNNMB is the official marching band for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. They perform at every Charlotte 49ers home football game at Jerry Richardson Stadium and also at various other events such as away football games, pep rallies, parades, and special observances. A partial band usually travels to at least one away game a year. The band includes a color guard and a baton twirler. Members of the PNNMB also participate in Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensemble, and the 49ers Basketball Band.