Instrumental

You might hear the sound coming from across campus. Or maybe in Carter-Finley Stadium or coming from Reynolds Coliseum. First, there’s the boom of the bass drums. The staccato of the snares. Then the brass and woodwinds join in, and you hear those first six notes of the NC State fight song: Bah-Bah Bam, Bah-Bah Bam. 

If you bleed red — Wolfpack red, anyway — that sound is going to make your blood race a little faster and your heart beat a little stronger. You know it builds to a crescendo, and before it’s over, you’re going to get to shout, “Go State!” at the top of your lungs.

This is the pride that the NC State University marching band brings everywhere it goes. And if that pride feels brawnier these days, it’s because the Wolfpack band is bigger than it’s ever been. In the past 20 years, the size of the band has nearly doubled. Now at over 400 members, it’s on par with some of the largest bands in the country. 

For these students — none of whom are music majors — the band is a passion project. They fit their schoolwork around a demanding practice schedule, and Saturdays in the fall often turn into 12-hour days. Their school year starts early, with a week of band camp in the blistering days of August — all for one semester credit hour. 

“I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” says Eliza Shertzer, a chemistry major who plays snare drum. “It’s tough. But I am going to make time for marching band.”

What keeps them going is the thrill of performing, the joy of making music and the honor of representing NC State. “I love being on the field, seeing everyone in the stands so excited,” says Shertzer, a junior from Morehead City, N.C. “I love to be a part of amping up that excitement. I can just feel the adrenaline pumping.”

Game Day By the Numbers

Band members form close friendships, particularly within their sections. The sousaphones go on retreats to the coast or Lake Gaston. The clarinets have a pumpkin-carving contest. “The sax section is like a family,” says Andrew Otelsberg ’24, an alto sax player who is also a graduate student. (He says the prospect of another year of band was one reason he went to graduate school.)

Who’s in Charge?

Band director Paul Garcia has been working to increase the band’s size over the years. One reason? More students get the opportunity to be involved. And a big band can bring a bigger sound and more excitement. “You get that wow factor,” he says. Of course, that’s meaningless if the quality isn’t there. “You can’t be large and not be good,” he says. “But when you are both, it ups that wow factor. And we become a pride point for the university, for our fans, for alumni everywhere.”

“We take inventory of every uniform. Every left glove, every right glove, every gauntlet. We set up the field for practices with ladders and speakers, and then we break it down. We make all the things happen.”
— Emmie Cumby, student assistant

To earn a spot in the band, students must submit video auditions, and the process is competitive. Garcia says he’s had students from every major, including the College of Veterinary Medicine. He remembers one future veterinarian bringing a box of bones to study while on the sidelines. 

Does the band suffer because NC State does not have a music major? Garcia says no. He holds up his hands. “Just look at us!” he says with a grin, the delight showing on his face. Look, and listen. 

We hear you.  

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Music Notes

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