by Jaron Cox (sophomore)The ECU Marching Pirates is the most visible ensemble that is associated with the School of Music. ECU Band Day has been a tradition since the year 1997. Band Day gives high school students a chance to see and understand what it is like to play in a college band. This is one of the best recruiting tools that the School of Music has to try to get high school students interested in coming to ECU.
This year’s ECU Band Day took place on September 27, at the ECU vs. Houston football game. There were 24 bands in attendance at ECU Band Day 2008. Some bands had as few as 20 members and other bands had over 100 members. It was calculated that over 2,000 people involved with Band Day were in attendance at the game. This year’s musical selections were “Play That Funky Music,” “YMCA,” and ECU’s Fight Song.
Many of the high school students were on a college field for their very first time. This event helps give the students confidence and the drive to want to continue to play when they leave high school and go to college. The main purpose is to keep students interested in music and to continue to use their gifts in college, whether it be majoring or minoring in music or just playing in ensembles for the fun of it.
