Video by Kaard Bombe
For many who attend an ASU football game, the marching band’s halftime field show is a chance to leave their seating section, go to the restroom or buy food.
But for Miranda Van Horn, it’s much more than that. It’s a culmination of months of instrument practices and marching drills and crowded light-rail rides.
Van Horn, along with a group of other Downtown students, spends up to six hours per week commuting to Tempe and back for marching-band activities. She is one of a few commuting members of the 370-student Sun Devil Athletic Band; most live in Tempe to be closer to band practices and performances, director James Hudson said.
Van Horn said she compensates for traveling hours by attempting to do homework on the light rail, but sometimes that’s easier said than done.
“There’s not a good way to balance your books while you’re holding all the stuff you need,” said Van Horn, who plays alto saxophone. “Plus there’s always the tons and tons of people who ask you what that is — like, ‘What are you carrying? What are you playing?’ — every detail that they can think of.”
Social work senior and tuba player Sydney Harrison said she doesn’t mind the trips from downtown.
“It’s not that bad,” Harrison said. “I commuted my first two years, as well. I lived at the Polytechnic campus, and I commuted every day. So, commuting from Downtown is a lot better than commuting from Poly for me.”
She has lived at the Tempe, Polytechnic and Downtown campuses. When she lived in Tempe last year, Harrison was down the street from practices but still commuted to class.
“Being right down the street from band practice was convenient,” she said. “And it was a little easier to get to band, but I was still coming (downtown) Tuesday (and) Thursday for class. I like being down here.”
But for some students, commuting is simply not practical. Tegan Kellen, a health sciences sophomore, lived downtown last year, but this year, she moved to an apartment near Lemon Street and Terrace Road in Tempe so that she could have more time to devote to the band.
“It’s actually a lot easier to commute downtown for classes than it is to commute to Tempe for band,” Kellen said. “I don’t have to worry about getting to practice early. I don’t have to worry about the light rail stopping at midnight on Thursdays after games. It takes me 10 minutes to walk from my apartment to the band field.”
Kellen, who plays baritone saxophone, is a section leader this year. She said she would not have been able to fill the position were she still commuting from downtown.
There are more responsibilities that come with being a section leader, she said. Kellen has to be on time or early to all practices.
“Last year, when I was commuting all the time, I was late several times because I was taking the light rail,” she added. “Because I’m here, I’m almost always free to meet with our band director when he needs us to.”
Student band members are required to enroll in a one-credit elective course to participate in marching band, but Hudson said students’ grades are not affected by transportation-related tardiness.
“They’ve all communicated with their section leaders if they have classes that come close to or overlap (practice times),” Hudson said. “As long as they communicate with us up front, they’re not penalized because it’s not their fault.”
Hudson said students usually have a harder time finding transportation during times when the intercampus-shuttle system is not in service, such as when the band had its summer camp before classes began.
“That’s something that we’ve never dealt with before until this year,” he added. “It’s not a problem after band starts because then they get their little friend groups together. Like the Poly kids all commute together, and the Downtown kids all figure it out together, too.”
The camp takes place the week before classes start, a period most students usually spend attending Welcome Week events and activities and mingling with other students. This year, the nearly all-day practices were scheduled at the same time as many of the events.
Van Horn said the practices’ timing made it difficult at first to bond with other Taylor Place residents. Band camp ended the day before classes started, and most events for her residential college are scheduled during times when she has a practice or performance.
“Any time you go to an event, they’re like, ‘I’ve never seen you before,’” she said. “But it’s gotten better, and a lot of times people will ask you about it, like, ‘Oh, you’re in band?’ and you have to explain the story 300 times for each person that asks.”
That isolation is not felt only among freshmen, Harrison said.
“By the end of band camp, school is starting so you don’t really get a chance to meet a lot of people the first week,” Harrison said. “So it kind of makes it a little bit harder. It’s a challenge, but it’s a fun challenge to get to know people.”
But, Hudson said, these challenges are similar to those any other student involved in an off-campus extracurricular activity might face.
“They make some big sacrifices to be a part of our band,” Hudson said. “I’m sure it’s not easy. But I would like to think the reasons outweigh the hardships.”
Hudson divided students into groups by campus at the beginning of band camp so they could meet other commuter students. Now, those groups have melded well with each other, he said.
“Band students are really looking for their band family,” he said. “The freshmen, I really couldn’t tell you who were Tempe students and who weren’t. They’re all part of the band.”
For many marching-band students, the chance to be in the band is a chance to be a part of something special.
“Being at band camp is worth the games and the experience and meeting people in band and being able to hear all the people screaming in the stadium when you’re done playing,” Harrison said. “It’s such a fun experience. You have these butterflies and it’s adrenaline.
“When I got done playing the pre-game my freshman year, the student section went crazy, and that was probably the most fun experience I’ve ever had since being here. Having that first-game experience is so worth it.”
Van Horn said being a member of the band requires a large amount of work for the number of credits received, but she plans to continue.
“I think we have more fun,” she said. “Maybe that’s because I genuinely enjoy playing my instrument. I mean, I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t.”
Contact the reporter at chloe.brooks@asu.edu
