Maroon Band Almost Ready To Go

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STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – It won’t be long before the Famous Maroon Band once again delights Mississippi State fans at sporting events and in concert halls.
In preparation of the new school year, hundreds of students are spending the week marching, with their instruments, under the blazing mid-August sun.

The sweat rolled down their faces as they marched in place. A sea of instruments filled the eyes and ears.

“340 students this year from 11 different states, of course most of our students call Mississippi home but we have a pretty good presence from states throughout the region,” said Associate Director Craig Aarhus.

Every Summer the Famous Maroon Band practices very hard for its upcoming shows. The largest band in the state features a full compliment of tubas!

“We have 31 or 32 this year, so everybody is ready, everybody is fired up as you can see from playing, everybody is just ready to go,” said Squad Leader Adrian Guess.

The saxophone is one of 10 different instruments that will be used for the upcoming season.

You can feel the excitement radiating from students. One junior says it’s a great way to meet people.

“Band is one of the more diverse student groups on campus. We’re from a lot of different parts of the country, we all are from different majors, most of us are not music education majors so it’s really neat to get to meet a lot of new people that way,” said Drum Major Faith Smith.

And camaraderie is just the beginning. Some students will even get the chance to travel to the away football games this season.

The Famous Maroon Band has been a Mississippi State tradition for more than 110 years.