Dukes go marching on

Marching Royal Dukes polish their performance for the Homecoming parade, football game

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It's Saturday afternoon and the Dukes are 30 minutes into the game at Bridgeforth Stadium. Instruments are warmed up, hats are on and every member is in place as the Royal Dukes march proudly onto the field. The crowd cheers for the band while the announcer introduces the halftime performance, "And now, presenting 'Virginia's Finest,' the James Madison University Marching Royal Dukes!"

The Royal Dukes may deliver flawless performances time and time again, but several different components go into their award-winning programs. Drills, uniforms, choreography and pep talks are only a few of the elements that make up each performance. "The assistant band director writes all of the drills each year. The staff writes some of the pregame drills, but those are usually the same each year," senior Matt Downey said. "We usually do different songs each year depending on if the drill changes."

Band choreography and drill designs are created on specialized computer programs. Each formation and position can be coordinated into this software. The band charts are then printed off and complied in the drill books.

Prior to each home football game the director of the Marching Royal Dukes, Pat Rooney, will chose one routine of three that the members know. They will proceed to practice that routine throughout the week and for an extra hour and a half on Saturday mornings. This year, the band plans to perform its third show for the Homecoming game, which include the selections, "How the West Was Won," "Late in the Evening" and "Let There Be Peace on Earth."

Before game time, the Lakeside area can be crowded with over 400 Royal Dukes as they warm up their instruments in a little pregame drill where each section runs through parts of the songs. "During this time we have been known to chant," Downey said. "Right before every game the section leaders give a pep talk then each section usually cheers, for example the tuba section will yell 'tuba' and then clink their mouth pieces together."

The band's uniforms are also a big part of the whole performance package that may go unnoticed. "If you were too lose every piece of the uniform you would owe the band $632.50," junior AJ Schuster said.

Downey said, "We get new (replacement) uniforms every so often, but they are pretty much the same from year to year. A lot of thought definitely goes into their design and they are pretty expensive, but luckily we don't have to pay for them."

Performing in front of a crowd of spirited fans during Homecoming often leaves the members with an adrenaline rush. "It's always a great feeling to play in front of such a large audience; I look forward to it," sophomore Nick Giffen said. "It's great to know that people come to see us play."

Downey said, "So many people stay to listen to the band and it's always quiet while we play. It's the best feeling."

This Friday, Dukes fans will gather to hear the pregame sounds of the Marching Royal Dukes in the annual Homecoming parade. "This weekend is kind of exciting for a lot of us because we get to play in front of a lot more people including old band guys who come back to watch us," senior Ben Polk said.

Established in 1972, this year's Homecoming will be the band's 31st, along with the football team. According to the marching band's Web site, www.jmu.edu/music/mrd, the 440-piece Royal Dukes have been recognized as one of America's premier marching bands. In 1997 as well as 2001, the Royal Dukes were featured in the Presidential Inaugural Parade. They also have been feature performers for Walt Disney Productions and ended last year's season in the 75th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Next year the Marching Royal Dukes plan to venture to Ireland and Germany.

Another large event for the Royal Dukes is the Parade of Champions that occurred last Saturday. The Parade of Champions is the annual marching band competition for all levels of high school marching bands. The Marching Royal Dukes and JMU host this event, which judges the bands in music execution, music general effect, overall general effect, and several other areas. For many of the members this is their favorite time to perform because they have an audience of high school band students who appreciate their efforts.

"For the Parade of Champions, the entire stands are filled with a bunch of high school kids," Downey said. "I have had people come up to me afterwards and actually ask to shake my hand because of our performance. This is the event we probably get most pumped up about."

Anyone regardless of major or instrument preference can audition for the Marching Royal Dukes. Auditions are held during the summer at band camp. According the marching band's Web site, the worst thing that can happen if a person doesn't make the band is that he or she gets to meet over 400 other great people and move into the dorms a week early. For more information go to, www.jmu.edu/music/mrd.