Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
How Rowan University Built a College Marching Band (and Survived Bandtober)
0 Plays2 seconds ago
This week, Stephen McCarrick is joined by Neil, Art Grossman, and guest Megan Cooney, Associate Director of Bands & Director of Athletic Bands at Rowan University, to talk about the rapid rise of the Pride of the Profs Marching Band and the realities of surviving Bandtober.
🎺 Discover how Rowan’s program expanded from 130 to 180 members in just three years, what it takes to build a college band culture from scratch, and how joy, trust, and community keep musicians coming back through the busiest month of the season.
🗞️ NEWS
• Wisconsin State Championships – Baldwin-Woodville, Greendale, River Falls & Oak Creek take top honors.
• HBCU Red Lobster Band of the Year – Florida A&M’s Marching 100 lands #1.
• Minnesota Youth & Music Championships – Rosemont High School wins gold.
Plus, big shoutouts to every band wrapping up state finals weekend!
💼 Peak Group Travel Tip – @peak.group.travel | Lock in your early-bird fares before finals season hits full stride.
⚙️ 60-Second Tech Block
Neil fires up the field with a pep talk on staying motivated — from Halloween rehearsals to senior night celebrations.
💦 Water We Doing?!
Stephen questions why “bad” college bass lines still exist,
Megan vents about practice-room noise complaints,
Art calls out Bandtober burnout,
and Neil just wants one Saturday for pumpkin patch season.
🌟 Gush & Go
Neil’s band heads to the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade,
Megan’s students earn a 2026 Philly Thanksgiving Parade invite,
Stephen performs with the Eagles Drumline Kelly Green Game,
and Art celebrates how the marching arts are thriving nationwide.
👥 This Week’s Panel
Stephen McCarrick – @yeah_bass
Neil – @neildrums1
Art Grossman – @arthurjuhl
Guest Megan Cooney – @prideoftheprofs | Rowan University
💧 Find On A Water Break
🌐 onawaterbreakpodcast.com
🔗 linktr.ee/onawaterbreak
📧 onawaterbreakpodcast@gmail.com
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.
🏆 Sponsors
🥇 Peak Group Travel – @peak.group.travel | peakgrouptravel.com
🛍 Guard Closet – @guardcloset | guardcloset.com
🎙 A Podcast for Marching Arts Enthusiasts — On the Field, In the Stands & Behind the Scenes.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Guest Lineup
00:00:00
Speaker
Everyone and welcome back to on a water break the podcast where we talk about everything you and your friends are talking about at rehearsal on a water break. ah This week we are going to be talking marching band state finals and we'll see how everyone is rounding out this band tober.
00:00:13
Speaker
We'll find out what made Neil say. So we spent more time of going for a while three years ago than we did at football game. So we're going to motivate by playing loud. And why Art said, but say i feel like you need to do a master class on how to function, like how to run a healthy program.
00:00:28
Speaker
All this and more on this week's episode of On a Water Break.
00:00:33
Speaker
Adolph the Met and go. Welcome to On a Water Break. The podcast where we talk everything marching arts.
00:00:46
Speaker
Everyone bring it in. It's time for a water break. Steven, and I hope everyone is surviving band-tober. I'm finally getting to the end of my marching band season, so I've got a very special guest from my marching band season here to join us today.
00:01:01
Speaker
ah But we are all out here getting our marching band fix. For some bands, the end of the season is coming, and for some, the conclusion was this past weekend. So we'll be talking about what states had finals this last weekend, how it all went as we get into the call. But...
00:01:15
Speaker
Before we do that, we'll see who's on the sidelines this week. Go subscribe on your favorite listening app, write us a review, share it with a friend. If you've got a question or a good topic to talk about, you could email us at on a water break podcast at gmail.com or find us on social media and DM us if you want to be on the show.
Megan Cooney's Journey in Marching Bands
00:01:32
Speaker
ah We've got a form now. You could fill it out from the bio in our Instagram page. If you want to be a guest, check it out in the link on our bio. So who is on the sidelines? We have got Neil.
00:01:44
Speaker
again from the Savannah Bananas. Hello, Neil. I think you might be on mute. I am. There we go. Hey, how are you guys doing today? Dude, doing good. Good to see you again and have you on here, man.
00:01:57
Speaker
I feel like every time we get to hear you, you're up to something new. It's a fast world over there in banana land. They're playing the all-star game tonight at Clemson and I had fans. while i'm not there yeah Well, you're almost done. You've got to be almost done now. So you'll be able to settle in soon.
00:02:16
Speaker
All right. And we've also got art. Let's see. Hey there, how's it going? There we go. Doing good. I'm not sure if we've met on a call before, so it's nice to meet you, man.
00:02:27
Speaker
Nice to meet you First time. ah Awesome. And then we should have another tech with us today, um Joey, but Joey is a little bit late to rehearsal. I hope that maybe he's got Starbucks for me, at least if he's stopping for himself. Can't imagine where else he would be right now.
00:02:45
Speaker
But our special guest today is the associate director of bands, director of athletic bands at Rowan University, where I teach, Megan Cooney. So Megan, thank you for joining us on the call.
00:02:59
Speaker
Hey, y'all. Thanks for having me. Yeah, absolutely. I was really excited. I always knew that this episode was going to have to happen at some point because I was really excited to get the story of Rowan out there.
00:03:10
Speaker
hey For those that don't know, my marching band that I teach at is a college and we've been, i believe this is just wrapping up our third year. Is that right, Megan? Yeah, year three. so So I was hoping that you could maybe tell the story of Rowan a little bit. But before you do that, we're going to have to hear your 32 life story.
00:03:30
Speaker
Which is where you tell us your entire life story in eight bars. It'll be about 30 seconds, 60 beats per minute. Fit it all in there. You've got it. right. I'm going to try my best. Just tell me when to go. All right. You'll get Aiden in off the Met and then you're going.
00:03:44
Speaker
All right. I'm ready.
00:03:49
Speaker
Here we go. I'm from New Jersey. I went to Rowan University as an undergrad. Then I went to UMass, go UMass. Then I moved to the Midwest for 12 years. I've built two college marching bands.
00:04:01
Speaker
Now I'm back in New Jersey building my second college marching band. So go profs. Nice. I didn't yet realize that you went to Rowan. Yep. As an undergrad. Yep. Wow. Okay. Well, that's really cool. That's a whole different fold to the story that I wasn't aware of.
00:04:19
Speaker
But yeah, you've you've kind of made a niche for yourself and a skill and ability in starting a new program at kind of the highest level and the biggest level. Yeah, that's not what I thought my career was going to be.
00:04:32
Speaker
That's kind of how it turned out to be. So, yeah, it's pretty cool. But how did you get into that? I guess at the first school where you started a program. I always knew I wanted to be a college professor. That's just what I wanted to do.
00:04:47
Speaker
And then because of my marching band experience prior to teaching at the collegiate level, I did a lot of teching. And then i went to the University of Massachusetts and I was there when Tom Hannum was there.
00:04:59
Speaker
Colin McNutt was there. it was only two years after George Parks had passed away. So still like very fresh. um I had to go through multiple drum major academies when I was there.
00:05:10
Speaker
So I ended up having a lot of marching band experience. And then I saw an opening at a university in Iowa and they asked to... have somebody build them a college marching band totally from scratch.
00:05:25
Speaker
And just kind of on a whim, to be honest, I applied on like New Year's Eve. I was like, let's just throw my hat in the ring on this. So I applied and then I went through the whole interview process and then I actually got it. So at the time I was living in Ohio and yeah. And then from there I was only 27. So i was only two years older than my oldest student.
Developing Rowan's Marching Band
00:05:50
Speaker
Wow, and that was incredible. It was just learn as you go. um you know, like how to design uniforms, how to order them, all that kind of stuff. It was insane. When I was hired, they told me I would be hired a year out before the band would exist.
00:06:08
Speaker
But then once I signed my contract and it was never defined, they actually like, never mind. want you to start in August. So I actually had only two months to get it off the ground.
00:06:22
Speaker
Yeah, that's crazy. That is the type of thing that comes down administratively from colleges to just be like, hey, yep you could do this for next week, right? Yeah, for sure. Yeah, it was nuts. So I just, in that moment when they were like, you have you know two months, then I just started calling like all of my friends. I was like, I don't help.
00:06:45
Speaker
So then those friends actually ended up being the people who have now helped me build the second college band program which is uh the one that we're at which is rowan so those same people we've now been teaching this is my 10th year teaching at the collegiate level wow
00:07:06
Speaker
so did they come over from iowa Yeah, so I have a collection. It's like a collection of people, right? So who was one of the people that was running the drum major Academy when I was a grad assistant at UMass, I called her up her name is Rachel Rivard.
00:07:24
Speaker
So she helped me ah in Iowa, build that program. And then One of her people that she taught, Anna Pless, also a UMass grad, she then ah took over for Rachel. And then I have some former students who I taught while I was at Iowa, and now they help at Rowan. So it's kind of like gathering your people that you know and trust and have taught with like over time. so Yeah, you build a little squad up.
00:07:58
Speaker
One thing that I think is really Cool to me being at Rowan is how many beginner gains there are each year in the program. It's like, wow, this is extraordinarily better next year.
00:08:09
Speaker
Could you speak to maybe what you feel as the director, the steps that you see each year and maybe where you're trying to go next? Oh yeah. I mean, think we're only three years old um and we've we've had to work really hard, but I think that the band in general, we started with 132, just right off the bat, which is a great number to start with.
00:08:35
Speaker
And then year we were at 165, around there.
00:08:39
Speaker
right around there yeah So, um but our retention got better as we went because, you know, we're figuring out our systems more and more. We went from having a non-audition percussion section, both front ensemble and battery, to then having an audition section. And I think that that has really elevated that group because the better the percussion section, usually the better the band does just as a whole because they can't hang their hat on something.
Culture Building and Leadership in Bands
00:09:11
Speaker
And then something that I think has been extraordinarily helpful that I was a little, don't want to say nervous about, but I guess apprehensive, but it's actually worked out in my favor, is that at Rowan, unlike where I was prior, which is called St. Ambrose University, once I got to Rowan, I hired the caption and was my first and I did that vetting process, but basic allowed each caption head to then build their own staff that they want to work with.
00:09:46
Speaker
And other than like a simple background check, you know, i just trusted their recommendation. So they were like, this is the team I want to work with. And I'm like, all right, I trust.
00:09:58
Speaker
So that has, I think, really allowed the program to accelerate very quickly. Right. I guess that's like a good quality you see in like businesses and stuff too, of a good leader is knowing how and when to delegate those sorts of responsibilities.
00:10:15
Speaker
yeah i feel like you need to do it of I feel like you need to do a masterclass on how to function, like how to run a healthy program. Just listening to all of these things with the retention of the staff members and them following you to different campuses and then the numbers growing and growing.
00:10:31
Speaker
it's It's really impressive to hear. Thank you. Yeah. it's I've some... some I feel like culture building is kind of like, I guess what people ask me to talk about the most.
00:10:45
Speaker
So there's something called the collegiate athletic band directors association, which is called CBD and there's like the wind band CBD and a like sit down bands.
00:10:56
Speaker
And then there's also an athletic band side of that. So I've presented at that national conference that was back in, that was a while ago now, 2017, think. So I've done that. I've done some other state conferences talking about exactly what we're talking about.
00:11:12
Speaker
I don't, I'm glad that I'm good at it. I just think a lot of it's common sense. You know and i mean? It's like, find the best people, make sure they're happy. Treat them well. Trust them.
00:11:25
Speaker
Let them cook. I'm a percussionist. That's like my primary. But Stephen will tell you, i very rarely am I saying anything about percussion anything.
00:11:39
Speaker
Not because I don't have thoughts and not because I don't know what I want fixed or not, but it's just I just trust, right? like They're going to get it. I don't need to meddle in their stuff.
00:11:51
Speaker
Yeah. Megan is definitely not just saying that because I honestly forgot that you were a percussionist. you don't You're just like not up in our our business like that, which is, you know, to your credit now that I hear that it's deliberate.
00:12:06
Speaker
Yeah, it really works well. i think that we've had a lot of room to grow. One thing that's nice, too, is I feel like we've started to rehearse even more and more effectively and efficiently over time, too, oh which I think is part of the sections having good retention and leveling up.
00:12:23
Speaker
Each year. It's been cool. All the programs got to watch out. Rowan is coming for your neck in the placement in the intercollegiate marching band festival.
00:12:33
Speaker
Not a competition, but want to go on as late in the day as we can. Absolutely. So, yeah. Awesome. Awesome. I do want to go around the horn here if anyone's got an idea. But one thing I've been wanting to say for a while, Megan, is next year's show.
00:12:49
Speaker
I really think we got to do ABBA show.
00:12:54
Speaker
I don't know about ABBA. I was thinking of Diva. Diva show. Diva could be good. Diva could be good. I like that. I just am thinking about Dancing Queen. I'm thinking about, oh man.
00:13:09
Speaker
Listen, my sixth graders last year, we let them do a project where they had to go to JW Pepper and find their favorite tunes. More than half of them picked Mamma Mia. Really? yeah, they were like, this is great.
00:13:22
Speaker
Okay. Okay. So there you go. I got one of your tunes right there. Let me cook. All
00:13:31
Speaker
all right. Well, let's take this time to preview some awesome weekly episodes and bonus content that we've got going on. Bandtober Breakdown is continuing on other episodes. We've got one for Texas Bands, ah Drill Science, and Marching Accountability with Whitney, Alicia, Joey, and a newcomer, Amari.
00:13:49
Speaker
and We've also got the author of The Perfect Tuba, Sam Quinones with Chris Rutt, Trish and Nicole and the Collegiate Marching Band Festival episode with Kelly Gumbel and a special bonus episode that Jeremy and Ricardo did with
Marching Band Competitions and Traditions
00:14:04
Speaker
the Latrice Royale. ah You've got to check that out. That is coming out on Monday, ah but we will be back with you in a moment. Megan and I got to go discuss next year's show and then we'll be back out in the field.
00:14:26
Speaker
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Guard Closet was founded as a consignment shop in 2000. Since then, it has grown to become your one-stop shop for the marching arts. Do you need consignment uniforms and flags for your color guard, marching band, or drum line?
00:14:41
Speaker
We have thousands of sets of consignments in stock and ready to ship. Do you need show design and custom choreography? Our designers have years of experience in the marching arts. Do you need to sell your items and clear out your storage areas?
00:14:55
Speaker
We take in more than 600 sets of consignments each year and return hundreds of thousands of dollars to our consignors for their sales. Do you need to have your students order shoes, gloves, and other equipment?
00:15:07
Speaker
We can set up a microsite for easy student ordering of a wide variety of items. Do you need custom costumes or flags? We can help get you great designs from our team through top vendors like Show Day Designs.
00:15:19
Speaker
Have you listened to our podcast on a water break? Weekly episodes and bonus content keep you entertained and informed with what's going on in the marching arts. For over 25 years, Guard Closet has been here to help.
00:15:32
Speaker
Check us out at guardcloset.com or follow us on social media.
00:15:47
Speaker
All right, let's get into the news.
00:16:04
Speaker
All right, well, this week we're spotlighting some state championships. First up, we've got Wisconsin. And Art, I think you have got the coverage. All righty, Wisconsin State had their championships this past weekend.
00:16:19
Speaker
Wisconsin's kind of the birthplace of all things marching band, drum corps, the first DCI was up at Whitewater. So it's kind of natural they get to kick things off first with their state champions. so a couple shout outs to these guys. The Class A championship was the Baldwin-Woodville High School.
00:16:36
Speaker
Their class AA champion was Greendale High School. And their class 3A championship, River Falls High School. And their final class 4A championship was the Oak Creek High School Marching Band.
00:16:51
Speaker
All right. Greendale cleaned up with the high score. World famous Greendale High School. All right. And Neil, I think you've got another story of HBCU division rankings.
00:17:04
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Red Lobster Band of the Year competition, Florida A&M University's March of 100 has jumped up in the first place in their top 12. And their top 12 look like Florida A&M, Norfolk State, North Carolina A&T, Southern University.
00:17:23
Speaker
And I don't understand Jackson State University and Bethune-Cookman have said they've withdrawn from finals consideration. We'll go ahead say Alabama A&M, Hampton, Prairie View A&M, Grambling State, Texas Southern, and South Carolina State University.
00:17:39
Speaker
That's your top 12. I don't understand. I don't know how they score this and if it's kind of leading into the Honda Ballad of the Bands, but I'd be interested viewers are watching this and you know how they score this to shout it out and kind of let us know their scoring system.
00:17:54
Speaker
um We play stans tunes. I love HBCU bands and listen to what they do. And my favorite thing about them is how every single one of them give every single bit of effort they have every single time they put air on that drum.
00:18:07
Speaker
Every one of them put the max effort. And that's my favorite thing. And i mean, we don't play like that, but to watch it and to show after my kids the time, because we've a lot stand students, like that's how you go after what you're doing wholeheartedly.
00:18:22
Speaker
And that's just how you do it. And so um I'd be interested in the scoring system and to see how they do this. ah So like I said, if anybody knows and has some better insights, hit us up and let us know in the comments or wherever you can, because I would definitely read it and look into it and get some more knowledge about it.
00:18:39
Speaker
Yeah, that'd be interesting to know about. Definitely let us know. And then I got to check out the shows as well. It'd be interesting to like see what Florida A&M is up to. i haven't checked anything from this this year. Yeah, it says they jumped Norfolk State last week. So there you go.
00:18:54
Speaker
Huh. Yeah, it's crazy. It's kind of like ah like drum corps world, too. it's People have no clue that there's this whole competitive backsides, all the different things that we're doing. So, yeah, yeah I didn't even know that they have a larger competition at all times.
00:19:10
Speaker
Definitely going to have to check it out. I'm going to assume, which, you know, that could do. But I wonder if it's going to the Honda Battle of the Bands and it's kind of maybe that's their circuit champion type thing. I'm not real sure.
00:19:21
Speaker
right well that sounds like a sick show uh maybe jeremy can send a representative from on a water break and uh there's also um i don't know if you guys know this i just learned this so when we were at the allentown intercollegiate festival There was one HBCU band that was there and they're called Delaware State University. And apparently their drum major is now it's like ESPN rates HBCU drum majors, which I don't know if that's separate from what y'all are talking about or not. yeah But apparently Delaware State's drum major is in like the top 12 right now. Oh, wow. nice
00:20:05
Speaker
It does say somebody made fooling Until you get to Atlanta, bands are only competing with themselves. So I guess the Battle of the Bands in Atlanta, the Honda Battle of the Bands, must be the championship type. Yeah.
00:20:17
Speaker
The main event. Yeah. But sounds cool. Is that a Mercedes-Benz stadium? Yeah. Yeah, that's pretty cool. Yeah, you're down there. Maybe Jeremy will send you.
00:20:29
Speaker
I had tickets like eight years ago. Somebody gave me some tickets that I couldn't end up going. I think I had to enter drum line practice or show or something that I couldn't make it to. And I was really bummed because I would see that like in person.
00:20:40
Speaker
Yeah. me Watch it on my phone or on the computer. would love to see that person. For sure. All right. Well, I think we've got one more story here on news for this week. Megan, what do you got for us here? Yeah, it looks like Youth and Music in Minneapolis, Minnesota, they had their state championships.
00:20:59
Speaker
In prelims, we had first place, Class A was Harrisburg High School. First place in Class 2A was Mankato area. Class 3A, AAA, was Irondale High School in first place.
00:21:15
Speaker
And class 4A was Rosemont High School, which then led to their championship finals. um So championship class first place was Rosemont High School with an 87.2.
00:21:29
Speaker
And then Sioux Falls Lincoln High School with 85.9. And
00:21:35
Speaker
Are these all schools from Minnesota or is this like larger multi-state? I think it's, I mean, to be honest, I'm not a thousand percent sure, but I believe it's just in the state of Minnesota.
00:21:49
Speaker
Okay. That does. Okay. Yeah. Cause as soon as you said Harrisburg, my like little goldfish brain from Pennsylvania was like, Oh, central PA shout out. No, certainly not.
00:22:02
Speaker
We're in Minnesota. But ah shout out to those bands. I wish we had like little clips or something that we could a pull. But next weekend is a big one. Many states are going to be holding their marching band finals. We want to celebrate all the hard work that goes into those performances. So if you want to shout out for your state or your bands, your state final results or everyone's show is different, but everyone's effort is the same and we love celebrating it here.
Travel Tips for Band Tours
00:22:28
Speaker
So if you've got something good that you're proud of, send it in. Maybe we'll talk about it. Maybe we'll be able to share it.
00:22:35
Speaker
but hit us up, would love to hear what you got. Hi everyone, it's time for your travel tip of the week with me. I'm Beth with Peak Group Travel. Are you traveling with delicate or oversized instruments?
00:22:47
Speaker
Be sure to check with your bus company or your airline for any extra fees that you may incur or any climate specific needs you have for your instruments. A little extra legwork before you leave could help you avoid costly repairs when you arrive.
00:23:02
Speaker
Don't forget to like and follow Peak Group Travel on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And be sure to email info at peakgrouptravel.com when you're ready to start planning your next performance tour.
00:23:15
Speaker
I'm Beth with Peak Group Travel and your travel tip of the week.
00:23:31
Speaker
Ready to elevate your travel game? Welcome to Peak Group Travel, the ultimate adventure creators. Whether you're planning an unforgettable class trip, a once in a lifetime parade experience for your marching band, or a choir tour full of memorable performance venues, Peak Group Travel handles it all so you can focus on making memories.
00:23:49
Speaker
From breathtaking international destinations to amazing adventures right here at home, Peak Group Travel customizes every journey to your vision. We're not just planners, we're your partners for the trip you want for your students.
00:24:01
Speaker
Our online registration portal makes managing your pre-trip experience smooth and convenient. We even collect your payments if you'd like. Picture it. Effortless planning, unmatched experiences, and smiles that last long after the journey ends.
00:24:15
Speaker
That's the Peak Group Travel difference. And if you choose to partner with Peak on your next tour, and you mentioned that you heard about us on the On a Water Break podcast, you'll earn a $100 trip credit. Discover why groups everywhere trust Peak Group Travel.
00:24:27
Speaker
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and And be sure to visit peakgrouptravel.com
Motivation for Marching Band Members
00:24:32
Speaker
today. You pick the date and we'll make it great.
00:24:48
Speaker
Okay, everyone. We are so back. sixty second a
00:25:02
Speaker
All right. Well, this is the segment where one of our hosts or guest clinicians is put on the spot to deliver a nonstop 60 second text session on a topic that needs some serious attention after our last run through.
00:25:14
Speaker
ah So our special tech this week has come prepared with three topics that they think they can talk about for a full 60 seconds straight. No pauses, just pure technical gold flowing straight from Neil.
00:25:27
Speaker
And Neil, you said that your best topics were motivation at the end of the year, teaching middle school percussion from the podium, or... And frankly, I don't really care to hear about this, but the Falcons and why we aren't getting credit when we are playing pretty good this year.
00:25:45
Speaker
So we'll leave it up to the call. What do we want to hear from Neil? I'm ready for some motivation. Motivation. are getting to the end of the year. It is time. Mid-season slump.
00:25:56
Speaker
Yeah. I need a little push to the end here. You guys are real mid-season.
00:26:02
Speaker
We're in the season. We'll find time. And then when I hit go, let's see what you got. Let me turn on the most abrasive and aggressive. The good old fashioned.
00:26:17
Speaker
Not to alarm you.
00:26:21
Speaker
All right. I'll hit go and you'll get 60 seconds to to get us some motivation for the end of this fall marching band season. All right. aye All right.
00:26:32
Speaker
Three, one, go. Well, if you're like me, you don't go all the way to BOA Grand Nats. So i'm I'm actually going to BOA Grand Nats with my daughters and the band directors I work with. So we can go watch and motivate the kids. And we usually do watch party so they get to see that.
00:26:49
Speaker
But also, the best thing about this year, honestly, is Halloween is on a Friday night. So we're going to costume it up. And we're going to some fun marching band on the field and some goofy costumes so that the kids have a blast.
00:27:02
Speaker
you know, get candy the end the night because they're all going to miss trick-or-treating. And even though they're 15, 16, 17, they still want to trick-or-treating. Don't let them lie to you. So that, and we're really motivated because if we win, like, another football game, we're going to have a home playoff game.
00:27:17
Speaker
So we would rather do that than drive all the way up to Atlanta, four and a half, five hours to possibly, you know, end it have to turn right back around. So we spent more time at Golden Corral three years ago than we did at the football game.
00:27:31
Speaker
So we're going to motivate by playing loud in the stands our football team wins. Woo! Nice. Yeah, finding ways to make the end of the year fun.
00:27:43
Speaker
That's what it's about. I think it's fun on its own. Usually kids are excited about finals, but if you can do something special around this time year, it's really cool.
Challenges in Marching Arts Culture
00:27:52
Speaker
Yeah, we have a contest. Saturday is our wrap-up. We have a contest Saturday, and that's our last one. So we'll go to the You know, seniors in socks and the whole thing.
00:28:01
Speaker
But like I said, dressing up on Halloween, that's definitely a winner. Rowan's going to be rehearsing on Halloween. That's right. Be dressing up, Megan. Of course. Band-a-ween, baby. I want to be one of the Pop-Tarts from the Pop-Tart Bowl.
00:28:16
Speaker
You know, like the unhinged mascots. Man, i love them. I got my costume on order. Nice. I'm going to have to speed order. I'll be Amazon basics. It's going to look terrible.
00:28:29
Speaker
Listen, my fall concert is Tuesday night with middle school kids and me and my listen director are going to be six and seven. So ah you got to buy in. There is no stopping that train.
00:28:42
Speaker
All ah all right. Well, that was a solid 60 second tech block.
00:28:55
Speaker
What are we doing? Nicole knew exactly what I was thinking. That was perfect. Solid 60 second tech block. Hopefully someone out there got the tech advice that they didn't even know that they needed.
00:29:08
Speaker
um But now it's time to switch things up. It's time for everyone's favorite. We'll hit the water we doings, which is where we can let loose a little bit or perhaps a lot of bit. ah It's your chance to rant about something in the marching arts that just does not make sense to you.
00:29:23
Speaker
could be a tradition that needs to go or a habit that performers can't seem to break. Maybe it's something that makes you think, why are we doing this? Or why haven't we started doing this yet?
00:29:33
Speaker
Whatever it is, it's your moment to call it out. And for Megan to get a good example of what are we doing, i'll so I'll kick things off, which I would say, what are we doing just accepting that college baselines are going to be bad?
00:29:46
Speaker
I feel like everywhere I go, everyone just is like, oh, it's the college baseline. It's college. College. Our college baseline at Rowan is very good.
00:29:57
Speaker
yeah We have seven students that take it seriously, which is all it actually takes. It's like, why do what my water are we doing boils down to is why are you just like accepting that a couple sections in the band are probably just not going to take it seriously because it's not like, oh, it's not the lead trumpet or it's not the snare drum.
00:30:15
Speaker
Like I've got seven bass drummers and they all try every time. And in like the two years I've been here, we've been gotten a lot better already. So that's one of the things I think is so fun about Megan. I have like a cool Venn diagram, big baseline, but lots of talented and committed members.
00:30:34
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. Wait, can I have a what are we doing? Of course. Yeah, you can go ahead. Speaking of baselines, why is it that when colleges start marching bands and the students need to practice their instrument, when they take their instrument into the practice room, that everybody then complains that it's too loud, right? It's like, where are we...
00:30:58
Speaker
you're starting a college drum line they need to practice they're taking an instrument into a college practice room but then it's like a violin player is complaining which understandably so but like they're like well i can practice my instrument but this day and i'm like man this kid is marching united world like get out of here so what are we doing man Yeah, those are probably my United kids. They are.
00:31:29
Speaker
Let them practice. Come on. yeah So what are we doing?
00:31:36
Speaker
ah Yeah, that's that's a... That's a tough one, I guess, because everyone wants to start a college marching band. No one wants to commit the facilities and the time and the space to the band actually existing, is what I bet is something you're probably used to contending with, Megan. Oh, yeah. We're going to have to get some camping lights.
00:31:56
Speaker
Like because so college campuses. so we rehearse at night. Right. And so sometimes we can't get into the stadium or the field or whatever. Not a problem.
00:32:07
Speaker
So we're just having sectionals or subsectionals around campus. But the way most college campuses are designed, only the pathways or the walkways closest to the buildings are lit properly so that you can see.
00:32:20
Speaker
So in order for us to be able to see anything or see each other, we're now close to the academic buildings. And then the academic professors complain. And it's like, so we're going to order some camping lights, like solar powered.
00:32:35
Speaker
We're going to bring the light to us. Nice. That reminds me of what I've always said I want to do for UP base, which is you go out to a bar in the wintertime.
00:32:48
Speaker
Maybe they have outdoor dining. Over the last couple of years, many had it. The big tower heater. Yes. I could set up in the parking lot and then my bass drummers could form a circle around and then we could drum outside just like those Californians all winter long with our like our giant space heater.
00:33:11
Speaker
ah like it. All right. let' Let's hit some more water. are We doing art or Neil. Do you guys have a water? We doing? Yeah, i've got I've got one. And mine's, I guess, kind of tying into ah Neil's 60-second block about finding motivation. Mine is, what are we doing? Overloading our schedules for marching band.
00:33:30
Speaker
You know, it's like band-tober is band-tober, but sometimes it gets a little bit intense. I'm a Texas guy, and, you know, we do every football game, home and away. do a contest every Saturday. Every contest is prelims, finals. Ooh.
00:33:47
Speaker
Yeah, like every, it's, it's, it gets intense, you know, and I think that it's a finding that balance of, you know, how do you have a healthy work life balance, you know, with your students and all of those things of making the schedule enjoyable, making things educational, you know, and then also finding time to, you know, human and, ah and have a family and friends and life and,
00:34:13
Speaker
all that stuff. But I love it the conversation of, you know, making rehearsals fun, you know, Halloween's at the end, coming rehearsal in costume, you know, finding those chances ah to find those moments where, you know, it doesn't have to be fun.
00:34:27
Speaker
You know, I'm a program coordinator for a lot of groups and, you know, a lot of conversations we're having right now is, you know, kids are burnt out, you know, they're stressed and it's a lot and there classes and they're worried and they're failing and,
00:34:39
Speaker
eligibility and all of these things and find those moments where we're not overloading. You know, maybe it's a rehearsal where it's just fun. You know, maybe it's a rehearsal where it's just like hanging out and playing games and it's just getting better through camaraderie and those type of things.
00:34:54
Speaker
But that's my what would
00:34:57
Speaker
schedules, you know, finding those times to be human. It's hard. I typically don't find the time to be human. I turn into like a little, like a bug or like a little demon or something during the fall season.
00:35:11
Speaker
Yeah. I don't take care of myself. The kids, all they talk about is those stupid goofy moments to us. We're like, that was nothing. And they are like, that is everything.
00:35:23
Speaker
So it's those that, you know, and they like the winning, they like the beating, whatever. But when it comes down to it, they still like to be kids. They just that's what it is, you know? Yeah, it's funny. It's true. Definitely. Even at the college level, Megan, I'm sure you catch that impression off of the students all the time.
00:35:38
Speaker
Oh my God, yeah. I mean, like the amount of like icebreakers and we have like a little mascot that we hand out at the end of every rehearsal. Like, hey, this section had an excellent rehearsal tonight.
00:35:51
Speaker
Our mascot's an owl. And I bought this thing for $3 at like a Dollar Tree. It's a kickball wrapped in like some fur and it looks like an owl. And so when we originally got it, the Barbie movie had just come out.
00:36:07
Speaker
And so his name is Alan. So at the end of every rehearsal, either a section or a subsection wins Alan. And so Alan, like they developed like an AI generated podcast voice for Alan. Like it's insane. They like, he has a backstory, like his favorite. It's insane. He has his own like Instagram page. It's wild. Wow.
00:36:34
Speaker
Alan's living more life than I am in the fall season. Yes! I am jealous of Alan. He's been on a motorcycle. I don't trust him, frankly. I don't know what he's up to.
00:36:49
Speaker
Alright. And Neil, do you have it ah water reading? I mean, can piggyback on Art and say, what are we doing not being able to go pumpkin patches in the fall? Because we're a marching band.
00:37:00
Speaker
Like, right? Right? I ain't been to the pumpkin patch in years. I know. each Give me some Saturday to go to the pumpkin patch with my family and just drink some fruity drinks with that cinnamon and, you know, whatever.
00:37:14
Speaker
you know, it's a lot. It is, know, it is what we know what signed up for, but it is a lot. It's a lot. And it's just a lot for a long time. So, yeah, but I still agree. Those fun moments are invaluable to probably retention.
00:37:29
Speaker
And there's also the overall, the overall, their feeling toward the activity and what they gleaned from it was this fun time with my friends at this moment. So yeah, maybe we launched a good fundraiser idea of having a pumpkin patch in the stadium parking lot.
Positive Updates and Achievements
00:37:47
Speaker
So in between prelims finals, kids can go visit the wow i get past hit the pumpkin Hey rides, hey rides galore. They and dads can put on their gators and roll. Between warmup and the performance, it's a hey ride. Yeah.
00:38:01
Speaker
There you go. Pay what you please, pumpkin patch. That's what we'll do. All right. Great job, everyone. Set your equipment down. Gush and go.
00:38:15
Speaker
Well, we've all gotten it off our chests, and now we can get into our gush and goes. It's your chance to shout out something awesome that's happening in in your life, marching arts related or not. You, like me.
00:38:27
Speaker
Could be excited about a performance coming up or maybe a student success, big life event, or something cool you want to brag about. um No negativity here, just pure unfiltered hype.
00:38:37
Speaker
Anybody jump in to gush and go on about something? I mean, I'm excited. Our band is performing at the New York St. Patrick's Day Parade this year. been Pretty cool.
00:38:49
Speaker
Oh, nice. has been so Yeah, that's going to be a cool trip because that's a long trip for you guys, right? Yeah, it is. going to be a long bus ride in a day, but that's what it is. That's going to be cool, though.
00:39:00
Speaker
I bet a lot kids will have probably never been there, right? No, probably not. And I mean, our band, we got about 230 on the field. i think we're taking about 210 them or so sign up. So it's going to be a pretty good side of the band. Awesome.
00:39:14
Speaker
That's really cool. Nice. Megan, do you got one? Absolutely. So in our third year, Rowan, we actually just marched in our first nationally televised parade for the Army Marines Parade in Philadelphia.
00:39:30
Speaker
So, and that was very stressful. We played national emblem. That was great. But because it ended up going very well, and because that went so well, we actually already got our invite to march in the Philadelphia 2026 Thanksgiving Parade. So watch out.
00:39:50
Speaker
Very nice. Good. Good. Next step forward for the program. I'll gush and go. I've got one. I've got my Kelly Green on today because it's Kelly Green week for the birds. And that's right. go burn Although I am the alternate still at the Eagles drum line, there is a hole this weekend in the baseline. I'll be playing base to the spot. I know best. I'll be playing bass drum all day at the link on Sunday. Wearing Kelly Green.
00:40:19
Speaker
the return of Brandon Graham, gonna beat the giants. Can't wait. Nice. Nice. Art, what you want to gush and go on about? My gush and go is just like, I feel like the marching arts activity is thriving.
00:40:34
Speaker
You know, I think that like it's at its all time high that it's ever been. I think people are super excited about um the shows that people have created this year. And it just like, everybody's pushing the boundaries.
00:40:47
Speaker
it's It's crazy. I finished writing my last page of drill for this season last week, and I had my first call for 2026 marching band the next day. So like, people people are excited. what People have like seen they're like, hey, I saw this group on the field and they were incredible. And I just want to get the ball rolling. And, you know, we grew this year and our numbers are growing and the parents are excited and activities thriving.
00:41:13
Speaker
It's super cool to see, you know, podcasts and everybody's just around the country. It's thriving. Super cool. And I think like me and Neil could even speak to another side as well. I think they're using things like drumline and the marching arts more broadly in the regular world more, too.
00:41:31
Speaker
So I've been seeing a lot more. pro drumlines pop up on like Instagram, scroll on it. And I'm like, check those dudes out. But while you're there, I'm going need you to get Saquon Barkley to have a great game for my fantasy team. I'd appreciate that.
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:41:44
Speaker
Oh, yeah. He did not last week.
00:41:47
Speaker
Dude, well, I'll talk to him. You know, I'm actually contractually forbidden even from sports betting because of how close I am with all of the athletes on the team and all of the insider information they share with me. So I'll make sure to let them know because we keep it close like that.
00:42:01
Speaker
That's right. It's called Gush and Go, not Gush and Stay. Let's go. All right. Well, thank you everyone for a great rehearsal this week. ah Thank you all listening for spending time with us today.
00:42:13
Speaker
ah So Neil, Art, thank you guys both for coming on the show. Megan as well. Thank you for hopping on on short notice. I was definitely excited to get to share Rowan's story on the podcast.
00:42:25
Speaker
But if, ah oh, before I move on from that, where can they follow Rowan's band on Instagram? Oh, it's just at pride of the profs. So that's our that's our mascot, the professorial owl.
00:42:39
Speaker
So it's pride of the profs at pride of the profs on Instagram is where you can follow our row and pride of the profs marching band. And if you've got a question or a good topic that you want to talk about, you could email us at on a water break podcast at gmail.com or you could find us on social media and DM us there at on a water break.
00:42:59
Speaker
ah If you want to be on the show, we've got a form that you could fill out now. It's in the link in our bio on that Instagram page. And we love having people on the show. So send us a form or send us a note. We'd love to talk to you. yeah and Real quick. Shout out to Rowan because the young professor, the bananas in sea for every game went to Rowan.
00:43:17
Speaker
and really And he's came back and so spoke there a couple of times with Flashy Yellow Jackets and our mic man that does games. He went there. Really? That's all right.
00:43:28
Speaker
All right. And I went, wait a minute, professor. Oh, he went there. Yeah. So, yep. Nice. That's awesome. It's a big school.
00:43:39
Speaker
Getting bigger every year. Shout out to young professor. Well, shout out the young professor indeed. Shout out the profs. That's i'm going to start calling our band because we're so new, Megan. We're going to be the young professor.
00:43:52
Speaker
but i I'll take it. All right. Well, ah you could all tell us where you can find you as well. Neil, where could our listeners find you? I'm neildrums1, I'm pretty sure.
00:44:04
Speaker
All right. art where a Neil with an AL. Neil with an AL. Instagram, Facebook, you can search Art Grossman. I'm there. All right. Awesome.
00:44:16
Speaker
And then if you want to follow me, you probably should just follow the Yeah Base page at Yeah underscore Base on Instagram. And ah one more thing. We have a YouTube channel. So go subscribe. You can see us all there. And before you close out of your podcast listening app, subscribe there as well. Write us a review. Share with a friend. You can follow us at social media on a water break.
00:44:37
Speaker
And we'll see you at the next rehearsal on a water break.
00:44:45
Speaker
The On a Water Break podcast was produced by Jeremy Williams and Christine Ream. The intro and outro music was produced by Josh Lida. To learn more, visit LidaMusic.com.
00:44:57
Speaker
And until next time, thanks for tuning