Goodbye Summer, Hello New Friends

The sun’s brutal rays have finally shown an ounce of mercy, which coincides with hundreds of students descending onto East Lansing from every corner of the country. From Washington to Maryland, Hawaiʻi to New Hampshire, and even from right here in Michigan, this only means one thing: the Spartan Marching Band is back and better than ever. 

This year, we are welcoming nearly one hundred new members into the SMB family. For many of these students, this marks the beginning of a new chapter of their lives. The SMB marches in an uncommon style, which can prove to be challenging for new members. Onyx Schmidt, a first year trumpet player and the recipient of the 2025 Ken Otto Award, said that the transition from her high school marching band to the SMB was difficult, as she went from “knowing how to do everything and being in a leadership position [to] going back to square one and not knowing how to do anything.” That being said, she is also excited for what is to come, as “now [she has] way more room to grow and have people to look up to again.”

Not all of our new members are in their first year in college. Tethys, a first-year tuba, marched at Northern Michigan before transferring to Michigan State. The transition from being a member of the Pride of the North to the SMB was a big change for her. “At Northern [Michigan], the marching band was open to anyone and there really wasn’t any audition process while here at MSU it is a very competitive audition.” Even though the auditions were rigorous, she also said that the band has been so inviting and welcoming.

There are even more members who have been a part of the SMB but are beginning life in a new section. Kateryna Boyer is a third-year member of the SMB, but in her first year in the Big Ten flags. In her prior SMB life, she was a part of the color guard. As much as she loves the SMBCG, she wanted a new challenge, stating that “[I wanted to do] something I’ve never done, and more importantly something I never thought I could do.”

With all of the new members of the band coming together, the band is ready to take the field for the first time this Friday, as we will be performing a salute to summer. Songs such as Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ‘69,” The Go-Go’s “Vacation,” and “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass among others will be played as we say farewell to summer and hello to the fall and football season!