Marching Virginians
Encyclopedia
The Marching Virginians are one of two collegiate marching bands at Virginia Tech (the other being the Highty Tighties, the regimental band of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets
). Established in 1974, their shows feature standard DCI
techniques. Because the Marching Virginians draw from the general student body, they are considerably larger than the Highty Tighties and has about 330 or more members. Despite offering no scholarships to band members, the Marching Virginians consists of students from every college and virtually every major within the university, as well as several graduate students.
Known as "The Spirit of Tech," the band performs at Virginia Tech football games, fundraisers, and charity events. The Marching Virginians also hold their own yearly charity event, 'Hokies for the Hungry,' during which canned food is collected by band members prior to a Virginia Tech home football game to benefit the Montgomery County Christmas Store. The Marching Virginians are the creators of Virginia Tech's 'Stick It In' cheer, though the MVs were recently (Fall, 2007) banned from performing this cheer by the Virginia Tech Athletics Department.
The Marching Virginians have performed at the Orange Bowl, Peach Bowl, Independence Bowl
, Sugar Bowl
, Gator Bowl
, Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl, and the 2004 BCA Classic, among many other venues. They were also recently featured on the Blacksburg edition of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
, as well as a 2007 ESPN Magazine article written by executive editor Steve Wulf
.
The Marching Virginians are currently under the leadership of director Dave McKee and assistant director Polly Middleton. A majority of the music is arranged by Dr. James Sochinski, and the halftime performances are narrated by Tony Distler, "The Voice of the Marching Virginians."
The Marching Virginians are assisted by the Eta Beta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi
and the Zeta Omicron Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma
.
The Marching Virginians, since their establishment in 1974, have developed a multitude of traditions and rituals:
And of course: The Hokey Pokey
, known as "Hokie Pokie" in Blacksburg.
In addition to these instruments, the MVs also feature baton twirlers, managers, and two drum majors.
Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets
The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets is the military component of the student body at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Cadets live together in dormitories, march to meals in formation, wear a distinctive uniform on campus, and receive an intensive military and leadership...
). Established in 1974, their shows feature standard DCI
Drum Corps International
Drum Corps International , formed in 1972, is the non-profit governing body operating the North American drum and bugle corps circuit for junior corps, whose members are between the ages of 14 and 21. It is the counterpart of Drum Corps Associates which governs senior or all-age drum corps...
techniques. Because the Marching Virginians draw from the general student body, they are considerably larger than the Highty Tighties and has about 330 or more members. Despite offering no scholarships to band members, the Marching Virginians consists of students from every college and virtually every major within the university, as well as several graduate students.
Known as "The Spirit of Tech," the band performs at Virginia Tech football games, fundraisers, and charity events. The Marching Virginians also hold their own yearly charity event, 'Hokies for the Hungry,' during which canned food is collected by band members prior to a Virginia Tech home football game to benefit the Montgomery County Christmas Store. The Marching Virginians are the creators of Virginia Tech's 'Stick It In' cheer, though the MVs were recently (Fall, 2007) banned from performing this cheer by the Virginia Tech Athletics Department.
The Marching Virginians have performed at the Orange Bowl, Peach Bowl, Independence Bowl
Independence Bowl
The Independence Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that is played annually at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, so named because it was inaugurated in the United States bicentennial year, 1976....
, Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
, Gator Bowl
Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Held continuously since 1946, it is the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised nationally...
, Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl, and the 2004 BCA Classic, among many other venues. They were also recently featured on the Blacksburg edition of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is a reality television series providing home renovations for less fortunate families and community schools etc...
, as well as a 2007 ESPN Magazine article written by executive editor Steve Wulf
Steve Wulf
Steven Ira Wulf is an executive editor at ESPN The Magazine. He was born in New York City, New York on December 4, 1950 and raised in Troy, New York. He attended high school at The Albany Academy and graduated from Hamilton College...
.
The Marching Virginians are currently under the leadership of director Dave McKee and assistant director Polly Middleton. A majority of the music is arranged by Dr. James Sochinski, and the halftime performances are narrated by Tony Distler, "The Voice of the Marching Virginians."
The Marching Virginians are assisted by the Eta Beta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi
Kappa Kappa Psi
Kappa Kappa Psi is a fraternity for college and university band members. It was founded on November 27, 1919 at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College in Stillwater, Oklahoma. William Scroggs, now regarded as the "Founder," together with "Mr. Kappa Kappa Psi" A...
and the Zeta Omicron Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma
Tau Beta Sigma
Tau Beta Sigma is a co-educational national honorary band sorority dedicated to serving college and university bands. The Sorority, headquartered at the historic Stillwater Station in Stillwater, Oklahoma, numbers over 3,500 active members in 145 active chapters, and over 40,000 alumni...
.
Traditions
- For every home game, the Marching Virginians have a pre-game rehearsal (and are sometimes provided breakfast or lunch) before marching to Lane Stadium. Prior to the 2009 season, a small pep-parade from the south-end of the Cassell ColiseumCassell ColiseumCassell Coliseum is a 9,847-seat multi-purpose arena in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States that opened in 1962. It is home to the Virginia Tech Hokies basketball teams .-History:...
parking lot, down Spring Road, to the south-west tunnel into Lane StadiumLane StadiumLane Stadium/Worsham Field is a stadium located in Blacksburg, Virginia. It is the home field of the Virginia Tech Hokies. It was rated the number one home field advantage in all of college football in 2005 by Rivals.com...
at Worsham Field took place. Due to the construction on McComas Hall during 2009, the band marched straight from their practice space at Johnson Track and Field across Spring Road to the tunnel at Worsham Field. The band continued its parade tradition midway through the 2010 season after the renovations completed. - Previously, two "Renegade" Pep Bands roamed the parking lots surrounding the stadium playing for fans before either meeting back up with the rest of the band before a pre-game performance or playing "call-and-answer" style with the main band (east stands) and the other renegade band (other corner of west stands))
- Each section independently develops its own cheers, calls, dances, and chants, sometimes involving inter-sectional cooperation (such as the clarinet/saxophone sections' combined "STROKE-OH!" chant). These chants often begin with a section leader or rank captain calling a command, usually ending in something along the lines of "TWEET-TWEET-HO" to simulate a whistle command.
- The MVs were the original creators of the "Stick It In" cheer, which became one of the most popular cheers of Virginia Tech football before its discontinuance in 2007 by the VT athletic department.
- Entering Lane StadiumLane StadiumLane Stadium/Worsham Field is a stadium located in Blacksburg, Virginia. It is the home field of the Virginia Tech Hokies. It was rated the number one home field advantage in all of college football in 2005 by Rivals.com...
, each band member falls out of rank, touches his/her hand to the Hokie StoneHokie StoneHokie Stone is a grey dolomite limestone named for the Hokie mascot of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University where the stone is the primary finishing material on campus buildings. Hokie Stone is limestone infused with magnesium and calcium under intense pressure and temperature....
at the entrance to the field, and falls back into their position in the parade block. - As the Marching Virginians enter any stadium before a VT Hokies football game, the band chants "V-I-R---G-I-N-I-A TECH!"
- Far less formal than the Highty-TightiesHighty-TightiesThe Virginia Tech Regimental Band, also known as the Highty Tighties, VPI Cadet Band, or Band Company, is a military marching band and unit in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University...
, the Marching Virginians are allowed to wear their Marching Virginians baseball cap given to them at the beginning of the season (or their MVs ski cap for colder weather). Other forms of personal flair which do not interfere with or deface their uniforms, such as sunglasses, keychains, or temporary facial tattoos, are frequent among band members.
- In the stands, sections will often choreograph their own dances and horn movements to different songs and drum breaks, giving the sections more individual freedom with their stand music.
- In every fieldshow, the MVs usually perform three songs followed by "Tech TriumphTech Triumph"Tech Triumph" is the fight song of Virginia Tech. It was composed in 1919 by Wilfred Pete Maddux and Mattie Eppes .-Composers:...
". The first song and last song (the opener and closer) are marched with varying DCI-style formations, while the middle song is usually performed in a single block formation with a dance during a drum-line feature in the middle. - In between the 3rd and 4th quarters of each home football game, the tuba section leads Lane Stadium in the MVs' signature rendition of the Hokie Pokie.
Music
The MVs play the following pieces in the stands on a regular basis, as well as many other favorites.- Tech TriumphTech Triumph"Tech Triumph" is the fight song of Virginia Tech. It was composed in 1919 by Wilfred Pete Maddux and Mattie Eppes .-Composers:...
- VPI Victory March
- Carry Me Back to Old VirginnyCarry Me Back to Old Virginny"Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" is a song which was written by James A. Bland , an African American minstrel who wrote over 700 folk songs...
"Carry Me Back" - Summer in the CitySummer in the City"Summer in the City" is the title of a song recorded by The Lovin' Spoonful, written by Mark Sebastian and Steve Boone. It came from their album Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful and it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1966...
- Scatman (Ski Ba Bop Ba Dop Bop) "Scatman"
- Carry On Wayward SonCarry On Wayward Son"Carry on Wayward Son" is a progressive rock single recorded by Kansas and written by Kerry Livgren for their 1976 album Leftoverture. In 1977, the song peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard pop singles chart, becoming their first Top 40 hit....
- Radar LoveRadar Love"Radar Love" is a song by the Dutch rock band Golden Earring. Music critic Bill Lamb rates this among his "top 10 driving songs" due to its lyrics about driving all night and its pulse-quickening, up-tempo beat. The single version of "Radar Love" reached #13 in the US...
- Rock This TownRock This Town"Rock This Town" is a song by the Stray Cats from their UK debut album Stray Cats. Its first U.S. release was on the 1982 album Built for Speed. It peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982, becoming the first of the band's three top ten hits in the U.S...
- Jungle BoogieJungle Boogie"Jungle Boogie" is a funk song recorded by Kool & the Gang for their 1973 album Wild and Peaceful. It scored number four as a single and became very popular in nightclubs. The song's spoken main vocal was performed by the band's roadie Don Boyce...
- Theme From SupermanSupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
And of course: The Hokey Pokey
Hokey Pokey
The hokey cokey or hokey pokey , also known as the okey cokey, hokey tokey, or cokey cokey, is a participation dance with a distinctive accompanying tune and lyric structure. It is well known in English-speaking countries...
, known as "Hokie Pokie" in Blacksburg.
Sections
The MVs currently feature the following instruments- PiccoloPiccoloThe piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
"Pix" - ClarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
"Nets" - SaxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
"Saxes" - MellophoneMellophoneThe mellophone is a brass instrument that is typically used in place of the horn in marching bands or drum and bugle corps....
"Horns" - TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
"Trumpets" - TromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
"Bones" - Baritone HornBaritone hornThe baritone horn is a member of the brass instrument family. The baritone horn has a predominantly cylindrical bore as do the trumpet and trombone. A baritone horn uses a large mouthpiece much like those of a trombone or euphonium, although it is a bit smaller. Some baritone mouthpieces will sink...
"Tones" - SousaphoneSousaphoneThe sousaphone is a type of tuba that is widely employed in marching bands. Designed so that it fits around the body of the musician and is supported by the left shoulder, the sousaphone may be readily played while being carried...
"VTubas" - Percussion
- Color guard (flag spinning) "Flags"
In addition to these instruments, the MVs also feature baton twirlers, managers, and two drum majors.
Directors of the Marching Virginians
- Roger C. Heath 1974-1976
- James Sochinski 1976-1981
- Harry Price 1981-1986
- David McKee 1986-Present
Assistant Directors of the Marching Virginians
- Jay Crone 1994-2003
- Patrick Casey 2004
- Will Petersen 2005-2009
- Tony Marinello 2009-2011
- Polly Middleton 2011-Present