The Iowa State University Cyclone Marching Band is the marching band of Iowa State University. Composed of two ensembles, the Iowa State University Cyclone Football 'Varsity' Marching Band (ISUCF'V'MB) and State Storm, the band performs in support of the Iowa State Cyclones football team at all home games (at the Jack Trice Stadium) and at some away games versus Big 12 Conference rivals. Nicknamed the "Pride of Iowa State", the "Best of the Midwest", and the "Varsity Band," the band plays at high school band festivals, indoor concerts, and post-season bowl games.
Pep bands drawn from the membership of the ISUCF'V'MB perform for home volleyball and basketball games at Hilton Coliseum as well as the Big 12 tournament, National Invitation Tournament, and NCAA tournament. The band makes appearances at pep rallies, special occasions, and formerly in the annual spring VEISHEA celebration parade.
In addition to augmenting the Varsity Band at home football games, State Storm is the official athletic band for home soccer, wrestling, and gymnastics.
History The first evidence of a marching band at Iowa State can be found in a newspaper article mentioning the reorganization of the band in 1881. In 1886, a drum major first performed alongside the band for a halftime show. The band competed in a band contest held in connection with the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa in 1928 and made its first appearance at an away football game in 1936. The band appeared in Pigskin Pageants, a college-produced documentary movie, in 1947.
Women were first allowed to march in the band in a limited capacity, as majorettes and percussionists, during World War II. Alvin Edgar first instituted "floating" marching formations in the 1940s, which have become a standard of the band's halftime and pregame performances. Basketball pep bands first made their appearance at Iowa State in 1951, and in 1953, the school hosted its first "Band Day". That same year, Mason City, Iowa native Meredith Willson, composer of The Music Man, composed "For I, For S", first played at the annual football game against the Kansas State Wildcats. The Cyclones and the marching band made their first appearance at a bowl game at the 1971 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, and appeared the next year at the 1972 Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee. As a part of a national movement by college bands to open their ranks to female members, women joined the band in 1972.
In 1973, composer Jerry Bilik arranged a new version of the pregame "ISU Fanfare". The band performed along with Maynard Ferguson in front of President Gerald Ford during a halftime show in 1976. The band added a 'V' to its acronym in 1979 when members were using the varsity football team's showers after a game in preparation for a trip to perform for the Kansas City Chiefs. When confronted by head football coach Earl Bruce, a bass drum player responded that they were the "Varsity Band". The Alumni Band, a collection of former band members, made its first annual appearance at the 1980 Homecoming, the same year the marching band began to perform at the annual Band Extravaganza with other Iowa State band ensembles. The ISUCF'V'MB was the first college band to play the new Pepsi jingle composed by Ray Charles. In 1995 the band recorded the theme song to the ABC sitcom Coach and appeared in the introductory sequence. They performed in London for the millennium New Year's Eve.
Student musician interest in marching band has consistently exceeded the marching band's capacity. With as many as 600 students auditioning for the approximately 365 marching band spots, membership in the band is highly competitive. For the 2015 season, the band was expanded to include an additional 60-member marching ensemble, "State Storm." In addition to playing alongside the Varsity Band during football games at Jack Trice Stadium, State Storm is the athletic pep band for Iowa State University soccer, wrestling, and gymnastics.
Recent developments
Previous Appearances As success returned to the Cyclone football squad, the band accompanied the team to five bowl games in six years (including twice to the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana. Pep bands made appearances at the 2000 men's Elite Eight and 2004 National Invitational Tournament semifinals in New York. Over 300 alumni and five former ISUCF'V'MB directors (including Roger Cichy) joined the band on the field at Homecoming 2005 for a performance of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture", complete with artillery from the Iowa Army National Guard. The 2007 ISUCF'V'MB made its first appearance at an away conference football game in a decade against the Kansas Jayhawks in Lawrence, Kansas. The band biannually travels to the rivalry game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.
Recent Bowl Games The ISUCF'V'MB has made recent appearances at 4 bowl games. In 2017 they accompanied the football team on a trip to the Liberty Bowl, in Memphis, Tennessee for a cyclone victory. The next year, they marched in the Alamo Stadium in San Antonio, Texas. In 2019, the band accompanied the football team to Camping World Stadium for the Camping World Bowl in Orlando, Florida. In 2021, they returned to Orlando for the Cheez-It Bowl. The band will continue to accompany the football team on any future trips to the Big 12 Championship Game, College Football Playoff, or any other times when the Cyclones appear at an NCAA Bowl Game.
New Uniforms In the beginning of the 2019 NCAA regular season, the Varsity Marching Band debuted their brand new uniforms. Notable changes to these new uniforms include a collar with the letters "ISUCF V MB" embroidered onto them; a modern, half-cardinal and half-white-to-gold design, shakos with an embroidered cardinal logo, longer plumes with gold trim, custom gauntlets, and most notably, a cape spelling "CYCLONES" on the back of the right shoulder.
Band organization
Auxiliary
6 Student staff 1 to 3 Featured Baton twirlers 3 Drum Majors 30 Color guard
Brass 36 Trombones 9 Bass Trombones 18 Baritones 54 Trumpets 27 Mellophones 36 Sousaphones
Drumline
8 to 10 snare drums 7 bass drums 4 to 6 tenor drums 8 to 10 cymbals
Woodwinds 23 alto saxophones 18 tenor saxophones 27 clarinets 18 piccolos
Auditions Students seeking to join the ISUCF'V'MB on a wind instrument audition during the first two days of band camp. The audition consists of the fight song (played memorized), a prepared etude, and a marching evaluation. During the first day of band camp (rookie camp), the prospective members are taught basic marching techniques used within the ISUCF'V'MB. The marching portion of the audition is an evaluation of these learned techniques. Twirler, flag, and drumline auditions are held at different times during the summer. Flag auditions take place in the spring, and the drumline auditions take place on the Saturday before the whole band reports to camp in August. Candidates for the twirler positions perform a routine of songs of performance caliber showcasing their skills in front of the director, followed by an interview.
Rehearsals Rehearsals for the ISUCF'V'MB begin the week before fall classes, with Band Camp. Band members move into their residencies early and then report to a five- to seven-day camp that serves as an introduction for new members and stresses marching fundamentals and group unity. It is also an opportunity to begin learning pregame and halftime music and shows. The band practices on a field west of the Communications Building. After this period, they enter a regular practice schedule consisting of a one hour and thirty minute rehearsal every regular school day. Other longer rehearsals may be scheduled on holidays.
Rehearsals consist of musical and marching warm-ups, sectional rehearsals of difficult pieces of music, periodic reviews of the pregame routine, learning new formations, and the execution of halftime shows. The ISUCF'V'MB learns around six shows a year that include a wide variety of music and marching styles. Students in the ISUCF'V'MB are required to register for a music class in the fall semester, and receive a letter grade based on their attendance and punctuality to rehearsals and games.
Administration
Directors
The marching band was originally under the instruction of the director of bands at Iowa State, but since 1972 has been under the direction of the Associate Director of bands and the Assistant Director of bands. The directors are responsible for organizing the band, auditioning new members, selecting and leading the student staff and leadership, making travel arrangements, writing or commissioning marching drill, selecting music, running rehearsals, directing the basketball pep bands, and communicating with the Athletic Director and university. The current director of the ISUCF'V'MB is Christian Carichner. The current director of State Storm is Javan Shields.
Student staff Six student staff members are annually selected through an application/interview process from the current membership of the ISUCF'V'MB. These students are usually senior members with past experience in administration and have marching band experience. They assist the directors with band logistics and help the band's librarians with the copying and distribution of music. Staff members assist the directors and drum majors during practices in improving marching technique and discipline. Staff members with conducting experience help the drum majors lead the band to provide better coverage on the field or in the stands.
Drum Majors Drum major candidates audition at the conclusion of each season for the position for the next season. Their audition includes aspects of field marching, conducting, and leadership in front of the directors and the entire band. The main responsibility of an ISUCF'V'MB drum major is as a field commander who conducts and calls songs during rehearsals, games, and special performances, though they have other roles as instructors and leaders. They teach fundamental marching and playing techniques during Band Camp, and themselves briefly march on the field at the beginning of every pregame show.
Captains Each instrument's section has a designated captain who is responsible for the musical output of the section. The captains are selected by application, and are generally very senior members or have special expertise in music (they are commonly music majors). Captains rehearse their sections during special sectional practices during normal rehearsals, special practices organized by the captain themselves, and occasionally coordinate the section's group travel plans and unofficial and traditional activities.
Guides The wind instruments are divided into 28 ranks (designated A through Z with the additional "super-A" as @, and DD (Double-D) rank for Bass Trombones), each with two guides. Flags have their own system of guides, and the drum line has a single guide for each instrument. Guides are selected from a section's membership based on experience and teaching ability. Guides serve as leaders for each rank and are charged with perfecting their marching performance.
Star Rank system Every rank marches pregame with eight members at a time (designated by the Arabic numerals '1' through '8'), though there are usually nine members per rank. Therefore, one member of each rank (typically a first year marcher) marches in the back of the field in "Star Rank". There is also a much smaller Star Rank for each halftime show. This system replaces the alternate system by providing replacement players while guaranteeing every member a spot to march on the field.
Marching style