The Ole Miss marching band brings pageantry and spirit to the fans and the football field.
Written by Eugene Stockstill | Photographed by Carleigh Harbin
Imagine for a moment your favorite movie. Now, imagine that movie without a soundtrack. “Jaws” and “Star Wars” would never have hit the big-time without John Williams’ music. The same applies to college football.
“There is much more to college football than just the game of football,” Randy Dale, director of athletic bands at the university, said. “There is so much pageantry that surrounds the game, and the band is a big part of that. The atmosphere at a college football game is unlike anything else.”
Dale, who attended Ole Miss and was in the band in the late 1990s, has been on the band staff since 2010. He became the director in 2018.
The Ole Miss Marching Band came into existence in 1928. Today, the Ole Miss band has 328 members. They begin preparing for the football season in August before classes begin, spending a week and half in three 2½-hour rehearsals per day held in the music building and at their outdoor practice facility. “We work extremely hard to prepare for football season,” Dale said.
“There is incredible power in music,” Dale said. “It can absolutely bring people together. We like to think that we are the center of game day spirit, and we play a huge role in connecting fans to the game.”
With that in mind, we caught up with a few student-musicians to get their thoughts on the part they play during the season: drum major Paola Sofia Euyoque, from Philadelphia, Mississippi; trumpeter Alex Maria Hidalgo from Marietta, Mississippi; and section leader Ella Kate Nichols from Thaxton, Mississippi.
In the Broadway show “The Music Man,” a school band changes the attitude of a whole town. Based on these responses, the energy a marching band brings to football season is capable of the same.
Here’s what the students had to say.
Invitation: What are the various feelings that come with preparing for and taking part in an upcoming season?
Hidalgo: “Going into my first year in the Ole Miss band this past year was one of the most exhilarating times of my life. I had grown up as an Ole Miss fan and dreamed of one day being a member in the marching band. Every moment preparing our marching shows for the crowd was so adrenaline-pumping, knowing we would soon be in Vaught-Hemingway stadium with so many fans cheering us on. The atmosphere as you’re standing on the sideline waiting to take the field while all the fans are yelling is so immensely thrilling. The atmosphere in the Vaught while being in the Ole Miss band truthfully is one of a kind.”
Invitation: What do you feel like you contribute to the game on the field?
Euyoque: “I really believe that the band elevates the overall game day experience and boosts positive game day morale, particularly when we play ‘Rock and Roll’ and the whole stadium chants the ‘Hotty Toddy’ chant. The feeling of thousands of people chanting together, or when everyone says ‘we are Ole Miss!’ in the fourth quarter: (That) creates an overwhelming wave of positive energy.”
Invitation: What do you do to prepare before the school year starts?
Nichols: “While preparations take place all summer, the Ole Miss band has a two-week full band preparation with extra days builtin for color guard, drumline, leadership and new members. These preparations include anything from printing music and cleaning instruments to uniforming our marking style and learning music and drill. We practice long hours, but the results are worth it. The product we create is one we are proud of and love to share with our community.”
Invitation: What’s the hardest part of being in the band? Why?
Nichols: “Saying goodbye to graduating members is the hardest part of being in band. The Ole Miss band is a family. We celebrate each other’s victories and cry when another hurts. When it is time for a family member to go their own way, we are saddened by their leaving yet excited for their future.”
Invitation: How does the weather, especially the summer heat, impact the experience of being part of the band?
Hidalgo: “The toughest part of being in the band is the weather. With the weather, you feel like you’re cooking while marching outside on the turf in the August heat. On the other hand, the bowl games are freezing, and you’re constantly searching for the slightest bit of warmth in any way.”
Invitation: What’s your favorite part of being in the band? Why?
Euyoque: “My favorite part of being in the band is the friends and relationships you make along the way. They quickly become your family without you even realizing it. I am a music education major, planning for a future as a band director. Knowing that some of the members of the band will one day be my colleagues is just amazing. Being in the band at Ole Miss is one of the greatest and quickest ways to get involved on campus, so if anyone has the opportunity to join, they should.”
WE’VE GOT SPIRIT
The band isn’t alone in hyping up football fans on game day. The Ole Miss Rebelettes and the cheer teams are also integral parts of the experience.
Don’t think we forgot about the spirit squads! We asked Rachel Levetzow, director of Ole Miss’ athletic spirit groups and head coach of the Rebelettes, for a primer on the schools’ teams. Here’s what she told us:
Three teams make up the Ole Miss spirit squads: the Rebelettes (29 dancers); co-ed cheer (28 members); and all-girl cheer (35 members). They are all part of the university’s athletic department.
All three groups host an intense summer clinic in July for students from middle school to college.
All the teams have a short weekend practice in June and 8 to 10 days of practice in July.
All three teams participate at the football games. Cheer teams are also at volleyball games, with the Rebelettes performing at some volleyball games. All three teams rotate through the basketball season’s games.
The Rebelettes, now dancers, were first twirlers and part of the band.
Practice schedules are intense. Rebelettes: 4-7 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 4-6 p.m.Thursday-Friday, plus weightlifting two mornings a week; All-girl cheer: 1-3 p.m.Monday, Wednesday, Friday, with weight-lifting two mornings a week; Co-ed cheer: 3-5 p.m., Monday, Wednesday, Friday, with weightlifting two mornings a week.
All three squads have placed first or second in national competitions in recent years.
A few fun facts about the Rebelettes: Sara Beth Martin’s grandmother was a Rebelette; Ashley Duke is training to be a pilot; Sophia Berman’s first language is Spanish; Alexa Beaty’s father coaches wide receivers at Florida Atlantic University.
Fun facts from the cheerleaders: J.D. Hanbery has a piloting license and solo flying hours; the co-ed cheer team includes twins Caroline and Courtlynn Coats.
Other fun facts: 65 members of the spirit squads made at least one honor roll last spring semester; the coordinator of the spirit squads, Skylar Casey, and her husband were both members of the co-ed cheer team.
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