Munn Field is unusually serene as the members of the Spartan Marching Band Color Guard begin to gather for their sectional. For hornline, rehearsal doesn’t start until 4:30 pm, but the SMBCG begins to file onto the field nearly an hour before the fight song rings out. At 4:00 pm the laughter from stories about game day sunburn dies down as the guard members and their green silks fall into attention. The field feels almost eerie without the clicking of drumsticks or warbling cornets, but the silence soon subsides as they begin to rehearse James Bond, the show opener. A recording of the tune begins to play from a small speaker on the sideline and a chorus of voices fills the field with what almost appears to be a different language. The words “pop toss,” “golf swing,” “forty-five,” and “marshmallow” are called out in rapid succession and accompanied by flags being spun, lobed, and flipped.
From the sideline, it appears that something magic is taking place. The color guard members begin to count the beat in a short, precise, percussive manner and after the word “forty-five” echoes through the block, flags erupt out of hands with incredible unity. The choreography continues with two minutes of what can only be described as a perfect harmony. Without the presence of a single instrument, a symphony has appeared as the SMBCG crafts the visual countermelody to the SMB hornline in the form of whirring and fluttering flags.
So, how do those mad-lib-esque nouns such as “marshmallow” turn into such a stunning display? How do all the members even know what they mean? The sometimes silly-sounding words, called stock moves, are shorthand for specific movements of the flag. One of the more simple stock moves is called a “cone” and entails having the silk (the actual “flag” part rather than the pole) pointed towards the ground and tracing a conical shape with the end facing the ground. The description may sound slightly confusing, but guard members assert that a “cone” is one of the easier stock moves, as they often entail multiple steps and include movement of both the flag and body.
After their review of James Bond at sectionals, the guard walks back to the demonstration hall to learn the choreography for the next two halftime tunes, Tradition and a Doobie Brothers Medley. The SMBCG gathers in a circle around Director Emily Rodgers with pencils and index cards in hand. They intently write down the names of stock moves and in less than five minutes they are standing, flags in hand, ready to spin along with the music. By the end of this rehearsal, the color guard is able to learn and execute the choreography for two songs without any pause for memory.
The hornline may have to memorize music every week, but everyone already knows all the note names. Every year the SMBCG pulls off what seems like a miracle with new members of the color guard essentially learning a new language with more than sixty stock moves that new members are taught over the course of preseason. Learning choreography for halftime goes quickly in the regular season and new members are expected to be able to perform an entire song given only a list of stock moves and how many counts they last for.
At later rehearsals, the guard will add marching to this choreography alongside the hornline, but sometimes this merging of choreo and movement occurs only days before the game which makes knowing the stock moves and being able to yell their names even more important.
Learning the language of stock moves alongside the Adam’s Field routine, series, postgame, and halftime is a huge undertaking and the SMBCG puts in countless hours to ensure success. Every weekday the guard attends ninety-minute rehearsals along with the hornline, but Tuesday through Friday thirty-minute sectionals are held directly before. Mondays are not a break for the guard, despite the lack of a sectional, as they continue to rehearse for two hours while the hornline has music rehearsal.
Game days are even more intensive with SMBCG members arriving about an hour before the hornline for an extra rehearsal. Additionally, the guard is required to arrive at this rehearsal with their hair and makeup done up to the game day standard. To put this into perspective, noon kickoffs typically have a call time around 7:00 am for the hornline where game day hair is not a requirement, let alone a full face of makeup. Members of the SMB hornline say they typically set their alarms between sixty and ninety minutes before call time, so as hornline members are contemplating hitting snooze at 6:00 am, the SMBCG is beginning their rehearsal.
The SMBCG also hosts “office hours,” which are hosted by members of leadership for thirty minutes before and after every weekday rehearsal. These sessions typically have one central focus. Recently, squad leader Julia Abramczyk hosted her office hours on the postgame tune Tico Tico as the SMB prepares for its season debut in the coming weeks. Every member of the color guard is required to attend at least three sessions, but section leader Elizabeth Vaccaro says that most members eagerly attend more.
Needless to say, the Spartan Marching Band Color Guard is putting in the hard work and hours to create a remarkable visual experience that fans will surely take ‘stock’ of.
With love to our color guard and Spartan fans,
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