COLUMBUS (WCMH) – All week long, we’ve taken you inside the tradition of the Ohio State Marching Band and how they put together those impressive halftime shows.
It all starts with the drill design, done with computers these days. Then, we showed you how the band learns the moves, thanks to iPads they utilize while marching out the steps on the field.
We took you inside the rehearsal room as the band perfected each piece of music they would play for the show. And finally, we went to the dress rehearsal, known as Gray Day, as the band makes the final fixes and does a final run-through.
The only thing left now: the halftime show! The show was a tribute to 50 years of the cinema, featuring songs from 6 different movies in each decade (“You Only Live Twice” in 1967, “Saturday Night Fever” in 1977, “Dirty Dancing” in 1987, “Titanic” in 1997, “Transformers” in 2007 and “Beauty and the Beast” in 2017).
The students in the band work 20-30 a week to put on these stunning shows, and that’s on top of being full-time students. With that in mind, the band has started a scholarship fundraising campaign to raise money for $10 million worth of scholarships for the band. If the campaign is successful, that means $3,000 scholarships for each band member. Ohio State has pledged to match the first $6 million in gifts as well. If you want to give, visit the band’s website at https://tbdbitl.osu.edu/give