UNH Wildcat Marching Band
Encyclopedia
The University of New Hampshire Wildcat Marching Band (UNHWMB), "The Beast of the East," is the official marching band
of the University of New Hampshire
. The UNHWMB plays at the home football games, typically one away game, the Dover
and Salem
band shows, and various parades across New England
. The band has traditionally had an equal mix of music and non-music majors and claims to have an average GPA consistently above the University average. The WMB usually marches between 80-100 members, depending on the year. Its largest roster in the past decade was approximately 125.
In 2001, the UNHWMB was invited to perform for Prince Rainier in Monaco
as part of a nine-day tour through Italy
and France
.
(DCI), and has in some capacity since 1965. The WMB's instrumentation comprises piccolo
s, flute
s, clarinet
s, saxophone
s (alto and tenor, occasionally also baritone), trumpet
s, mellophone
s, trombone
s, marching baritones, sousaphone
s, and a battery
consisting of snare
, tenors
(sextet), and 5 pitched bass drum
s, as well as cymbal
s. The WMB has used a pit (front ensemble
) in the past, but since 1997, it is no longer standard. The Wildcat Marching Band also fields a color guard that primarily uses flags, but sabres and rifles are often used in feature. A featured twirler is sometimes also used.
and Graduate Assistant. As Director of Athletic Bands, Goodwin is also the director of the UNH Pep Band, a separate organization that performs for men's and women's hockey and basketball games, and the UNH Concert Band. She also teaches undergraduate courses in the areas of conducting
and music education
. Prior to her appointment at UNH, Goodwin was the Director of Instrumental Music at Marshwood High School in South Berwick, ME.
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
of the University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
. The UNHWMB plays at the home football games, typically one away game, the Dover
Dover, New Hampshire
Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, in the United States of America. The population was 29,987 at the 2010 census, the largest in the New Hampshire Seacoast region...
and Salem
Salem, New Hampshire
Salem is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 28,776 at the 2010 census. Salem is a marketing and distributing center north of Boston, with a major amusement attraction, Canobie Lake Park, and a large shopping mall, the Mall at Rockingham Park.- History :The...
band shows, and various parades across New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. The band has traditionally had an equal mix of music and non-music majors and claims to have an average GPA consistently above the University average. The WMB usually marches between 80-100 members, depending on the year. Its largest roster in the past decade was approximately 125.
In 2001, the UNHWMB was invited to perform for Prince Rainier in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
as part of a nine-day tour through Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Performance style and instrumentation
The Wildcat Marching Band is a corps-style band, which means it employs a roll step and other drill techniques taken from the tradition of Drum Corps InternationalDrum Corps International
Drum Corps International , formed in 1972, is the non-profit governing body operating the North American drum and bugle corps circuit for junior corps, whose members are between the ages of 14 and 21. It is the counterpart of Drum Corps Associates which governs senior or all-age drum corps...
(DCI), and has in some capacity since 1965. The WMB's instrumentation comprises piccolo
Piccolo
The piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
s, flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s, saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
s (alto and tenor, occasionally also baritone), trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s, mellophone
Mellophone
The mellophone is a brass instrument that is typically used in place of the horn in marching bands or drum and bugle corps....
s, trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
s, marching baritones, sousaphone
Sousaphone
The sousaphone is a type of tuba that is widely employed in marching bands. Designed so that it fits around the body of the musician and is supported by the left shoulder, the sousaphone may be readily played while being carried...
s, and a battery
Drumline
A drumline is a section of percussion instruments usually played as part of a musical marching ensemble. High school and college marching bands, drill and drum corps, drum and bugle corps, indoor percussion ensembles, and pipe bands usually incorporate drumlines; however, drumlines can exist...
consisting of snare
Snare drum
The snare drum or side drum is a melodic percussion instrument with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the drumhead, typically the bottom. Pipe and tabor and some military snare drums often have a second set of snares on the bottom...
, tenors
Tenor drum
A tenor drum is a cylindrical drum that is higher pitched than a bass drum.In a symphony orchestra's percussion section, a tenor drum is a low-pitched drum, similar in size to a field snare, but without snares and played with soft mallets or hard sticks. Under various names, the drum has been used...
(sextet), and 5 pitched bass drum
Bass drum
Bass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
s, as well as cymbal
Cymbal
Cymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
s. The WMB has used a pit (front ensemble
Front ensemble
In a marching band or drum corps, the front ensemble or pit is the stationary percussion ensemble. This ensemble is typically placed in front of the football field, though some groups will work the front ensemble into a tight pod onto the marching field...
) in the past, but since 1997, it is no longer standard. The Wildcat Marching Band also fields a color guard that primarily uses flags, but sabres and rifles are often used in feature. A featured twirler is sometimes also used.
Directors
The director of the Wildcat Marching Band is Casey Goodwin, a UNH alumna and former WMB Drum MajorDrum Major
A drum major is the leader of a marching band, drum and bugle corps, or pipe band, usually positioned at the head of the band or corps. The drum major, who is often dressed in more ornate clothing than the rest of the band or corps, is responsible for providing commands to the ensemble regarding...
and Graduate Assistant. As Director of Athletic Bands, Goodwin is also the director of the UNH Pep Band, a separate organization that performs for men's and women's hockey and basketball games, and the UNH Concert Band. She also teaches undergraduate courses in the areas of conducting
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
and music education
Music education
Music education is a field of study associated with the teaching and learning of music. It touches on all domains of learning, including the psychomotor domain , the cognitive domain , and, in particular and significant ways,the affective domain, including music appreciation and sensitivity...
. Prior to her appointment at UNH, Goodwin was the Director of Instrumental Music at Marshwood High School in South Berwick, ME.
Recent directors
- 2006–Present Casey Goodwin
- 2003-2006 Erika Svanoe
- 1998-2003 Thomas Keck
- 1997-1998 Jeff Bolduc
- 1987-1997 Christopher Humphrey
- 1983-1987 Bill Reeve
- 1982-1983 Larry Lang
- 1965-1979 Stanley Hettinger
- 1961-1964 Donald Mattran
- 1959-1961 Alan Owen
Instructors and graduate assistants
Working directly under the director are a Percussion Instructor and a Color Guard Instructor. In addition, the Wildcat Marching Band typically fields a staff of Graduate assistants—graduate students from the UNH Department of Music who help as drill technicians, arrange music for halftime shows, and assist with rehearsals and performances.Student leadership
The WMB typically fields three Drum Majors of equal rank. Additionally, each section has one or two Section Leaders, who are responsible for teaching music, running warm-up and drill block sessions, and generally serving as an example to the rest of their section.WMB Council
The WMB Council was formed in 2007, made up of the student leaders and three at-large members. The WMB Council is responsible for assisting with recruiting, events, organization, alumni relations, and band camp. The members also serve as a representative voice for the general membership of the WMB.Trivia
- The UNHWMB began as an offshoot of the ROTC in the early 1900s and became part of the Department of Music later on. Because no official records were kept, the exact date remains unknown.
- Chuck Winfield of Blood, Sweat & TearsBlood, Sweat & TearsBlood, Sweat & Tears is an American music group, originally formed in 1967 in New York City. Since its beginnings in 1967, the band has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a multitude of musical styles...
was a guest soloist on the UNHWMB recording of the 1986 BS&T halftime show. - In the late 1960s, Arthur FiedlerArthur FiedlerArthur Fiedler was a long-time conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a symphony orchestra that specializes in popular and light classical music. With a combination of musicianship and showmanship, he made the Boston Pops one of the best-known orchestras in the country...
was a guest conductor for UNH Band Day. - Stanley Hettinger first introduced the Corps style of marching at UNH in 1965. Prior to that UNH had used the Big Ten style complete with high stepping and 270 degree turns.
- In 1971, there was no UNH Marching Band due to funding issues
- The UNHWMB marched a halftime show at a New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
game in 1985. - The UNHWMB performed at a Montreal AlouettesMontreal AlouettesThe Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
game in November 2000. - The UNHWMB performed for Rainier III, Prince of MonacoRainier III, Prince of MonacoRainier III, Prince of Monaco , styled His Serene Highness The Sovereign Prince of Monaco, ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest ruling monarchs of the 20th century.Though he was best known outside of Europe for having married American...
in December 2001. - The band marched at Walt Disney World's "Magic Kingdom" on December 31, 2009.