I was glad to receive the e-mail as I wasn't sure of the current status. I was worried some wouldn't donate as TAF was only awarding half credit for the band hall as opposed to other endeavors. I'm looking forward to seeing them in the PMAC this Saturday. What would Saturday night in Death Valley be without the Golden Band from Tigerland?
As a Tiger fan i know the experience would never be the same without hearing The Golden Band From Tigerland. The band is truly awesome and the hard work they put in and the pride they bring to the University is just as important as our sports teams. Congrats Tiger Band and keep on making us proud.
The biggest step the needs to be done will never happen. Tiger Band needs to be separated from the School of Music. Too much political stuff happens inside the band because the directors of the ensembles are the directors of the bands. Yes, people have been cut from Tiger Band because they refused to be in one of the ensembles. The SoM dean should have no say over Tiger Band. This will become a problem when Frank Wickes retires. Expect very big changes inside the band department when it happens (soon). A lot of old band members are predicting a huge drop-off from the band in the next few years because we all expect the current 3 directors not to be here.
Every time you have have a leadership change in an organization, it could turn out bad. That's the nature of the beast. Of course, the leadership could be better than the current directors, too (and I don't mean that as a slap against them, just that you don't really know). I know some old band members who were never particularly fond of Frank Wickes, having been there with both Bill Swor and Nick Rouse. If the band is separated from the School of Music, you will have a mass exodus of music majors, who as a group would rather not be in Tiger Band. I know some people who were in Tiger Band only because they would lose their spot in the Wind Ensemble (and thus their scholarship) if they dropped out. Without them, the overall level of talent will suffer. And if you think there won't be politics if the band ends up under the control of the Athletic Department (which would pretty much have to happen--they will not succeed in fighting for funds as an independent organization), you will be sadly disappointed. Personally, I like that the band is independent of the Athletic Department, meaning they represent the University, not the football team. I think that helps them instill their own standard of excellence, which we have all enjoyed. I'm just saying. GEAUX TIGERS Thorny, aka Statman, LSU Tuba 85-89
You want to know about the current directors, all you need to know is that during this fund raising process, they had put down Shaq for a million+. When asked if anyone had contacted Shaq, they said no but they were sure he would donate. Needless to say, I pretty sure Shaq didn't even donate, much less a million+. The directors have wanted this but never wanted to really fund raise and do the work to really get it built. They got extremely lucky that there is a big name alumni out there (one that already has something named after them) that was willing to make sure that the building gets built and not let other things get in the way. Take it for what its worth.
