March On! College Marching & Pep Bands in Illinois

Is marching band your passion?  I have a friend who marches in the Barrington High School marching band; in fact, she is just back from an epic trip where the marching band performed in the London New Year's parade.  It's a special situation, when you attend a school that is able to field dozens of musicans for the marching band, as well as musicians for three string orchestras, a wind orchestra, several jazz combos, a jazz band, a madrigal choir, and multiple large and small choirs.  There's probably more, but you get the picture.

So many things are wonderful about marching band.  You make great friends, get some serious exercise, play cool music, wear snazzy uniforms.  In any event, my friend's passions got me thinking about marching bands in college.

I firmly believe that if you love doing something regularly, you should make sure that you have a way to continue that something while in college.  The size, quality, and frequency is up to you, but it is good to go in with your eyes open.  To that end, I started looking at college marching bands in Illinois.  

YouTube is a terrific resource for determining what a college's marching (or pep) band is like.  In addition to the big marching bands with enough musicians and dancers to fill the football field, there are an assortment of other configurations that vary in size, as well as in musical and choreographic challenge.  Some of us just need a bunch of musicians to play with; others need performance time; others need to be musically and physically challenged to be part of a spectacle.  Many of us can be happy in a number of different environments.

Whatever your preference, if you love marching band, part of your research into a potential college should include your options for continuing being part of a marching band.  I've started putting together some relevant research.  This first video play list simply looks into colleges in Illinois that have some form of marching or pep band with a reasonable sample on YouTube.  As you can see, there is great variety in your options.  All the students look like they are having a great time.  And that is the key: there is a great time to be had at any college.  Knowing the kind of great time offered at a specific college will improve the strength of your application, and will help you figure out how you will plug yourself into an activity you love, as soon as you get on campus.