Et cetera : VS alum Claire Andreesen describes freshmen year in ISU Marching Band

Claire Andreesen said her first season with ISU band was challenging and 'most incredible.'

Claire poses with her lab partner in the ISU women's pep band section.

Editor's Note: Claire Andreesen, a 2013 VSHS graduate, recently completed her first year in the Iowa State University Marching Band, which is officially known as ISUCFVMB (Iowa State University Cyclone Football Varsity Marching Band). We asked Claire, the daughter of Larry and Jan Andreesen of rural Vinton, to share her thoughts, and she did.

By Claire Andreesen

I have been a major band geek my whole life. During my time at Vinton-Shellsburg I was involved in all of the bands...and knew that I wanted to do something in college.

I like the pep aspect of marching band at Iowa State and thought that it would be really neat to march in a big 12 band!

Over the summer I watched tutorials online and practiced my etude…but nothing could have properly prepared me for rookie camp (the audition process) and then the actual band camp after I got in.

During the audition process we had to learn how to mark time a new way, high step, slide step, and get our 8-to-5 marching down to a science (this is the process of marching 5 yards in 8 steps). This was very overwhelming and I spent about 12 hours outside learning marching in one day.

More than 25+ people auditioned for the 10-ish spots that ended up being filled by rookies. Also, 500+ people auditioned for the approximate 340 people that we have on the field now.

Then normal Band Camp began and things were crazy. We did a thing called ‘Breathing Gym (and we still do this every day)” that is meant to get us to stretch out our lungs so we can play more/louder ….this process caused a lot of us to feel like we were going to pass out!

We had many hot days of several hours of practice during camp…and then actual classes started.

We had band outside from 4-6 every day.

We learned a new show for every home game.

Practices were very serious….but we always had a good time getting better.

It was really hard trying to learn the methods and traditions of everything, but the family atmosphere is really awesome (once you know what is happening, haha!).

The season was crazy and particularly a challenge for us because the football team kept losing!! So we had to do a lot to try to keep people in the stadium and keep the crowd involved in the game.

Game Day

The band gets to Jack Trice about 5 hours prior to kick-off (yes for those 11 am games we were there at 6 am…), we warm up in Bergstrom (the indoor facility), play for the football players as they arrive in suits, play a step show of a variety of music on the steps of the alumni center, do a spirit walk (full of many interesting cheers) around the stadium, and then finally enter Jack Trice for pregame.

During the game we stand in our band stands and play something in-between almost every play. We march half-time, and then come back to the stands for the second half.

We went to one away game this year, at Kansas State, and that was a lot of fun! Spending 6+ hours on a bus with 40 saxophone players was really cool. As a band, we fill seven coach buses wherever we go. Everything that we do is very methodic and organized…because we have so many people in the group!

Our Directors Dr. Richards and Mr. Smyth do a great job with us. Plus we have about 10 student staff members (they wear fancy suits and ear pieces on gameday!) who totally look out for us. The whole thing is mostly student-run because there is a huge amount of pride in the group. It is just cool to see how much everyone cares about the band.

It is an incredible feeling entering the stadium and hearing the fans. When the band is about to run on the field for pregame, we are pumped. As soon as we hear the whistle, there is no turning back!! We all yell “GO” and begin to run. It is so cool to see the crowd stand and cheer and then we play….and just blow the roof off of the place! It is also very fun being in a group so large that we can spell out the whole word ‘CYCLONES’ from one 10 yard line to the other!

'Most amazing' experience

I am well aware that I will suffer from hearing loss as I get older (we do wear earplugs whenever we play indoors, but we all know that they only do so much), but I think it is completely worth it.

This is the most amazing thing that I have ever been a part of. The feeling you get when you take the field in front of 55,000+ cheering fans is unlike any other!

This season started with almost record high kickoff temperatures (we couldn’t even wear full uniform) and ended with the coldest kickoff temperature ever at Jack Trice (where instruments were freezing closed and icicles were forming on spit valves).

I have had the most incredible experience with the band this year and would highly encourage any high school student who likes marching band now to go for it in college. It is the greatest thing! I have already made lasting friendships and nobody knows how to have a good time like the band does!

I will definitely re-audition next year and am playing in the women’s basketball pep band next semester at Iowa State. Go Cyclones!!