Why does HOT Band suck this year?!?!

[USF_Grouper]

Back in the old days they break into a Queen trilogy...what has happened?

I don't know, maybe I am the only one, but I could not stand that foolishness.  Students would be singing the words "We don't need no education..."  really?  The get the hell out of here!

I wouldn't be able to tell if we had a good band, to be honest.  But at least these guys are disparaging education!

[Skingraft]

Major drop off over the years...the band use to set the tone, now they are an afterthought.....and someone shut that pre game  announcer up...it's embarrassing...

[TheEdgeUSF]

I don't remember the Hurry up offense ever being a problem from downs cheers, but things change.

I have heard a few things that the School of Music has done that makes the HOT Director position not very attractive, as far as pay and advancement. 

Keep in mind too, that HOT is told when they can and cannot play and how long they have to play by the Sports Programming folks up in box.  There is usually someone down front by the Drum Major wearing a headset.

Ok, gonna give it to you straight.

Those of you that remember when the band was good, it was under different leadership.  The previous director left a few years ago because of the reason stated above.  Pay advancement sucks in the music department and obtaining tenure is ludicrous in the USF music department.  He ended up going to UGA.

What you've seen the past 2 years were the remnants of "his kids".  This is the 3rd year of this new director and most people in the band were not around for the previous director, so you're finally seeing the effects of this new director.  The current director of HOT was given the job because he's a former student of music faculty professor John Carmichael, and they are friends.  He had just graduated from FSU and needed a job.  He has told the band numerous times he never wanted to work with a marching band again once he graduated, but he needed a job and had the right connections, so here he is.  What's really terrible is that some great talent applied for the job, including UCF's former director of the Marching Knights.

You are wrong about how the headset works.  The headset is only used to coordinate when the band can play during a time out and when they are going to run advertisements.  It is up to the Director of HOT, Matthew McCutchen,  when the band plays after 1st downs, 2nd downs, defense, TD, etc.  It's called not knowing how to run a college program.

[Southshore26]

.and someone shut that pre game  announcer up...it's embarrassing...

Exactly a HUGE portion of the problem.

Ok, gonna give it to you straight.

Those of you that remember when the band was good, it was under different leadership.  The previous director left a few years ago because of the reason stated above.  Pay advancement ***** in the music department and obtaining tenure is ludicrous in the USF music department.  He ended up going to UGA.

What you've seen the past 2 years were the remnants of "his kids".  This is the 3rd year of this new director and most people in the band were not around for the previous director, so you're finally seeing the effects of this new director.  The current director of HOT was given the job because he's a former student of music faculty professor John Carmichael, and they are friends.  He had just graduated from FSU and needed a job.  He has told the band numerous times he never wanted to work with a marching band again once he graduated, but he needed a job and had the right connections, so here he is.  What's really terrible is that some great talent applied for the job, including UCF's former director of the Marching Knights.

You are wrong about how the headset works.  The headset is only used to coordinate when the band can play during a time out and when they are going to run advertisements.  It is up to the Director of HOT, Matthew McCutchen,  when the band plays after 1st downs, 2nd downs, defense, TD, etc.  It's called not knowing how to run a college program.

I had heard rumors that this was the case but didn't want to admit it. Sad to hear.

[TheEdgeUSF]

Yeah...the sound has been a problem forever. But alot of those issues cannot be addressed. The stadium is not made for a band to be audibly heard without amplification.

I've been to most of our conference mates stadiums and they all have around the same size band as us...BUT...they all mic their bands.

Hell...even Notre Dame's band was mic'd at certain points for TV purposes. lol

This is not true.

Only bad bands get mic'd and blasted over the stadium sound system (hi Miami). Miami's band gets ripped on all the time because they have to resort to that. It's like making fun of someone that can't bench their own weight. It's just weakness. If a 300 member marching band, such as HOT, isn't being heard it is because they are not being taught correctly.

There isn't a stadium around that has been built to facilitate the needs of a marching band. That's why you march with 150 of those shiny things called brass instruments and you have giant drumlines that can shake buildings.

USF, just like Norte Dame, gets their band mic'd for TV purposes, not for stadium broadcast. Leave the water-wings to those that can't hang.

Tell me after next week that FAMU needs to be mic'd. :

[gibbsak]

The current director of HOT was given the job because he's a former student of music faculty professor John Carmichael, and they are friends.  He had just graduated from FSU and needed a job. 

Thought he went to UCF, or was he before the FSU guy? 

You are wrong about how the headset works.  The headset is only used to coordinate when the band can play during a time out and when they are going to run advertisements.  It is up to the Director of HOT, Matthew McCutchen,  when the band plays after 1st downs, 2nd downs, defense, TD, etc.  It's called not knowing how to run a college program.

Wasn't sure about the downs cheers. 

[TheEdgeUSF]

The current director of HOT was given the job because he's a former student of music faculty professor John Carmichael, and they are friends. He had just graduated from FSU and needed a job.

Thought he went to UCF, or was he before the FSU guy?

Dr. Robinson and John Schnettler were the previous director/assistant director of HoT. John Schnettler was a UCF alum so maybe that's where you got that from. Dr. Robinson went to UGA and Schnettler followed him there to work on his doctorate.

[bucbull70]

Needs to be much louder

Agreed, I spent the first half up on the Miller Lite deck in the south endzone.... you couldn't hear HOT at all.

Yeah...the sound has been a problem forever.  But alot of those issues cannot be addressed.  The stadium is not made for a band to be audibly heard without amplification. 

I've been to most of our conference mates stadiums and they all have around the same size band as us...BUT...they all mic their bands. 

Hell...even Notre Dame's band was mic'd at certain points for TV purposes.  lol 

Schools do this so the ENTIRE stadium can join in the cheers. 

Its just HARD to hear the band sometimes amidst the cheering and hootin' and hollering.  AND its especially hard in an NFL stadium that was not built to have a echoing marching band blowing down the bleachers. 

But the main point of this post is to address the severe lack of BAND participation in the game!

Why even have them there if they aren't going to lead the stadium in the first down cheer?!  or ANY other school related songs. 

GO BULLS!!!

8va

Sounds like we need to build a new stadium so the band can be heard.

[Bulls 8_va]

I don't remember the Hurry up offense ever being a problem from downs cheers, but things change.

I have heard a few things that the School of Music has done that makes the HOT Director position not very attractive, as far as pay and advancement. 

Keep in mind too, that HOT is told when they can and cannot play and how long they have to play by the Sports Programming folks up in box.  There is usually someone down front by the Drum Major wearing a headset.

Ok, gonna give it to you straight.

Those of you that remember when the band was good, it was under different leadership.  The previous director left a few years ago because of the reason stated above.  Pay advancement ***** in the music department and obtaining tenure is ludicrous in the USF music department.  He ended up going to UGA.

What you've seen the past 2 years were the remnants of "his kids".  This is the 3rd year of this new director and most people in the band were not around for the previous director, so you're finally seeing the effects of this new director.  The current director of HOT was given the job because he's a former student of music faculty professor John Carmichael, and they are friends.  He had just graduated from FSU and needed a job.  He has told the band numerous times he never wanted to work with a marching band again once he graduated, but he needed a job and had the right connections, so here he is.  What's really terrible is that some great talent applied for the job, including UCF's former director of the Marching Knights.

You are wrong about how the headset works.  The headset is only used to coordinate when the band can play during a time out and when they are going to run advertisements.  It is up to the Director of HOT, Matthew McCutchen,  when the band plays after 1st downs, 2nd downs, defense, TD, etc.  It's called not knowing how to run a college program.

THIS!!!

8va

[Bulls 8_va]

Yeah...the sound has been a problem forever.  But alot of those issues cannot be addressed.  The stadium is not made for a band to be audibly heard without amplification. 

I've been to most of our conference mates stadiums and they all have around the same size band as us...BUT...they all mic their bands. 

Hell...even Notre Dame's band was mic'd at certain points for TV purposes.  lol 

This is not true.  

Only bad bands get mic'd and blasted over the stadium sound system (hi Miami).  Miami's band gets ripped on all the time because they have to resort to that.  It's like making fun of someone that can't bench their own weight.  It's just weakness.  If a 300 member marching band, such as HOT, isn't being heard it is because they are not being taught correctly.

There isn't a stadium around that has been built to facilitate the needs of a marching band.  That's why you march with 150 of those shiny things called brass instruments and you have giant drumlines that can shake buildings.  

USF, just like Norte Dame, gets their band mic'd for TV purposes, not for stadium broadcast.  Leave the water-wings to those that can't hang.  

Tell me after next week that FAMU needs to be mic'd.   :

TheEdgeUSF

Have you ever been to an away game?!

I've been to MANY...and what i say IS true very. 

Miami is mic'd...yeah...they're small.  But thats not the only reason schools mic bands.  Sometimes...its right to do.

Boston College does it, UConn does it, Rutgers does it, hell...Louisville mic's parts of its pregame so the entire stadium can hear it...and I believe they mic their band now too. (haven't been to a game there in 6 years) Tell me if you can HEAR the USF Trumpet Sections "Call of the Bulls" before pregame starts?  YOU CAN'T!!! Theres too much WHITE NOISE IN THE STADIUM.

I'm telling you right now...Mic'ing the band IS the answer. 

Can the kids in the band play louder?  Sure...

But before you bring (big MEAC school bands into this) let me also tell you something about FAMU...they'll come in here with about 350-450 kids and they ALL blast their asses off and beat drumheads so hard, that they BREAK!!!...VERY unmusical.  If THATS the kind of band you want...then so be it.

Sure FAMU is fun, and they have won the Sudler...but thats not what USF is.  The bands USF should strive to emulate the likes of Texas Tech, or LSU. 

GO BULLS!!!

8va