What six years ago may have seemed like a far-off dream is about
to become a reality. Touchdown Jesus is about to meet all 260
members of the UCLA marching band, because the Solid Gold Sound is
headed to South Bend. All it took to make this dream a reality was
six years of toil, $150,000, and a whole lot of self-belief.
That’s nothing, right? Well, no. It’s a whole lot of
something, and to do what the band has been able to do, given the
resources at its disposal, is pretty astounding. And for the most
part, the band can give itself a heartfelt congratulations for this
one, because in the end it’s the band’s initiative and
perseverance, led by director Gordon Henderson, that has made the
dream a reality. The UCLA administration and athletic department
perhaps deserve a little credit. But that credit shouldn’t be
much more than a gentle pat on the back, because they didn’t
do that much. No, the onus for this trip fell squarely on the band,
as will the onus for new instruments, new uniforms, and subsequent
trips in the future. It’s a costly endeavor, this marching
band business, and it’s a real challenge when so much of the
time you’re forced to go it alone.
The logistics of sending 260 band members to a football game at
Notre Dame are fairly staggering. The band will leave tonight for
Chicago on four different airplanes. On Friday, it will rehearse at
a high school in Chicago, visit the Navy Pier, and perform at the
UCLA Bruin Bash and a rally for the Chicago Bruins Club. The band
will leave Chicago at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, perform at a rally for
Bruin fans in South Bend, then perform on the field both before the
game and during halftime. On Sunday, members will fly back from
Chicago on five different airplanes. That’s 260 people, 260
round-trip flights, hundreds of instruments, a number of busses,
two nights in hotels and the experience of a lifetime. Price tag:
$150,000. Money built into the band’s annual budget for such
a trip: $0. When Henderson discovered six years ago that Notre Dame
was on the UCLA schedule, attending the game became a goal. Whether
it was attainable, he wasn’t so sure; but it was a goal
nonetheless. Though the band has a history of traveling to road
games (In 1931 the marching band traveled by boat to play at the
Stanford game), travel is certainly not a foregone conclusion.
That’s because travel requires money, and traditionally the
UCLA band hasn’t had very much of it. In 1997, Henderson, who
became the band director in 1982, organized the Solid Gold Sound
Club for donors to the band’s travel fund. When Notre Dame
came on the schedule, Henderson had something to sell, something
for donors to get behind. And for the most part, people have gotten
behind it. It’s taken a mammoth effort, but not only will the
UCLA marching band travel to South Bend this year, it will also
travel to Berkeley (At one point Henderson thought the band might
have to choose). While these are all good things, the story
isn’t all good. I believe the band is collectively a
tremendous ambassador for the university, but it seems like the
university has for too long left this ambassador out to fend for
itself. Because of its development, the band isn’t funded by
the athletic department, as it is at other universities.
Furthermore, the funding that the band receives from the student
registration fee committee was deemed to be insufficient back in
2000 (by the Marching Band Task Force). Very little has been done
with those findings, and prior to this year, the band’s
budget was reduced by $34,000. Make sense? Didn’t’
think so. “It would be nice if it was easier,”
Henderson said.
I know where it is easier, and it hurts me to say it, but if you
ever find yourself talking to USC band director Arthur C. Bartner,
you will be talking to one very happy man. You will hear that the
Trojan family is the greatest thing in the world. You will hear
that Pete Carroll is the greatest coach in the world. A part of you
will eventually think that it would be pretty cool to be in the USC
marching band. Whereas this is a unique year in which the UCLA band
gets to take two road trips, USC has had band members at over 230
consecutive games, home or away. Though USC only takes its full
band to the Bay Area and Notre Dame, it takes approximately 60 band
members to every road game. The USC athletic department paid for
the band’s plane tickets to travel to Arkansas for their
season opener this year. A part of the USC season ticket
application allows fans to donate to the band for its biannual trip
to South Bend. That method alone generates $25,000 a year (the UCLA
band receives approximately $4,250 from season ticket donations
each year). When the USC band holds its band camp before school
starts, Carroll brings his entire team over for a meet-and-greet.
“Without the support of the athletic department, what we do
would be next to impossible,” Bartner said. In addition to
the athletic department, the USC administration pays the travel
expenses for the band’s annual trip to the Bay Area. “I
believe in the Trojan family,” Bartner said. “If the
Trojans feel like it’s important, it gets done.” I
dislike the Trojan family, and maybe I’m comparing apples and
oranges here. USC has the established football tradition. Its fan
base really seems to care about its band. The Notre Dame-USC
rivalry is unlike any other. USC has been at its serious
fundraising efforts for over 30 years, while Henderson has been at
it for less than 10. But I just don’t like it when I hear USC
doing something better than we do it.
When I asked Henderson if USC is sort of the model for a band to
achieve, he was careful with his words. He clearly believes that
his on-the-field product is better, and I wholeheartedly agree. But
as far as fundraising goes, the Trojans have set the bar. When
Henderson arrived at UCLA, the UCLA band had no money endowed.
Through hard work and determination, the band now has three endowed
funds totaling $250,000. By comparison, USC’s band has
endowments totaling over $5 million. “The model is the
endowment,” Henderson said. “You can’t be living
hand to mouth.” But right now UCLA is in a tough spot. This
$150,000 for Notre Dame could have gone to create an endowment
fund, but it’s difficult to get people behind something that
isn’t tangible. UCLA’s uniforms are 22 years old and in
dire need of replacement. That will cost $100,000 that Henderson
doesn’t have. He’ll have a great trip to South Bend,
but problems will remain when he returns. “I wish it was a
bit easier for us to obtain that funding. When you’re
depending on that fundraising, you don’t really know where
you’ll be day to day,” Henderson said. It’s
pretty clear that someone needs to step up. Probably the
administration. Maybe the athletic department. Perhaps donors. It
will take time, but if USC can do it, we can do it better.
E-mail Regan at dregan@media.ucla.edu if you wouldn’t
want to wear a 22-year-old uniform either.