(10-27-2014 05:42 AM)ESE84 Wrote: (10-26-2014 09:16 PM)Barney Wrote: The MOB is darn close to extinction. MOB members are the MVP's of the student body's spirit, no question - they're invaluable in the stands - but the days of them being able to pull off an entertaining halftime are long gone. Band for credit, or partial scholarships, or something has to be done. Bringing on a student electric rock/pop band maybe. Or hold a College Battle of Bands. This would be a piece of cake for Shepherd School musicians.
I liked the young cheerleaders on the field with their shouts of "Go Rice". Why can't we do something similar with high school bands? The MOB could still perform in the middle, flanked by a stationary band of the week to add volume.
The North Texas traveling band was also small, but they were plenty loud.
I've posted about this before, but I guess it's time to explain again why this won't happen. The Shepherd School is vastly different from most university music departments. Most university music departments, like North Texas's, prepare students that, if they stay with music after graduation, will become some sort of grade-school music teacher in most cases. Typically, it's a departmental requirement for music majors to participate in marching band, and so these bands are full of talented musicians whose attendance is mandatory. The Shepherd School is more like a music conservatory that prepares students for careers as symphony, chamber, or solo performers, composers, or music scholars. What few that go into education will do so (after graduate work) as college-level faculty members. Over the years, The MOB has had a few Shepherd School members participate. This is always despite active discouragement from their Shepherd School advisors, who believe that participation in The MOB fritters away valuable time that could be spent practicing their real music. Basically, The Shepherd School views The MOB as an unwanted distraction for its students, and I can't see how it would ever co-operate with The MOB.
Band days, where grade-school bands are invited to participate in pregame and halftime performances, have been done in the past. Suffice it to say that they are very complicated logistically, and it's really only feasible to have them once a season, if that.
As for the game itself, there are two things I liked about it:
1. Farrimond picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct call after a punt when he went after one of the UNT players for something. When's the last time you've seen the punter get one of these calls? It's great when your punter represents!
2. The crowd chanted Carlos Harris's name in rhythm every time the reigning C-USA Offensive Player of the Week failed to make a play. How about that for situational awareness?