May 23, 2025 • 30 mins
DR. SMITH SHARES THE VALUE OF MARCHING BANDS TO ENHANCE THE FEELING OF STUDENT COMMNUNITY, EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY'S FUNDRAISING FOR MARCHING BAND UNIFORMS AND SCHOLARSHIPS TO SUPPORT MUSIC STUDENTS IN BANDS.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Light Up to D, a focus on what's
happening in our community from the people who make it happen.
Here's your host, iHeartMedia Detroit Market President Colleen Grant.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Good morning and welcome to you another episode of Light
Up the D.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
I'm your host, Colleen Grant, Thanks for joining me today.
I have the pleasure of speaking with doctor Nick Smith
and now you get to hear from him. He's the
Associate director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands at
Eastern Michigan University, and boy, are we going to have
a really fun conversation today. The Eastern Michigan University Marching
Band is considered a source of spirit and pride on
the EMU campus and is dedicated to enriching the lives
(00:37):
and opportunities of its members, the university and the community.
Known as the Pride of the Peninsula, it's comprised of
a diverse group of graduate and undergraduate students from every
academic major on campus, committed to providing an environment that
is safe, respectful, and inclusive. Through their performances, they seek
to create exhilarating and memorable experiences and I can attest
to love and bands that they do that for all
(01:00):
of their stakeholders, while also providing a spirit filled atmosphere
and support of the success of their athletic teams. Join
me in welcoming doctor Nick Smith. Thank you for joining
us today.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
It's great to be here. Colleene, super excited.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Thanks Hi jianm em you doing this.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
What a great question. I graduated with my doctorate and
I needed.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
A job, like so many of us.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
Yes, and this one was open, although uniquely it was
during COVID. I was actually hired in March. Well, March
was a shutdown, you know, June July of twenty twenty,
so colleges were looking a lot different. I didn't come
to campus. Was I was very lucky to get a
job and a good and a great job.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
And that's hard because I remember during COVID, like like
you weren't really allowed to sing because that put spittle
out in the air, and like I would a mandine
band instruments, like, how would you even do that in COVID?
Speaker 4 (01:46):
Right, Well, you know, in the very beginning stages, everything
was different. We didn't know what we didn't know. We
were very lucky. There's an organization called the College Band
Director's National association. They had actually done a lot of
research and we were able to present that so we
can continue to do music. But you're right, you know,
initially can't be around people, you know, indoors, outdoors, nothing,
(02:06):
and that obviously could have been a huge stopper for
music and what we do, and it was across the
country for sure, But.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
You've evolved it here here you are today, and what
is it about marching guns in particular that you love well.
Speaker 4 (02:19):
Typically, on all college campuses, Eastern is not an exception
to this. They are filled with students that don't want
to actually do this for the rest of their life.
In terms of major and music. Many are, but multiple
or not worth So at Eastern, sixty five percent of
the march man is comprised of people that don't want
to do this, and so it just kind of gives
you an idea of the buy end.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
What do you mean don't want to do this?
Speaker 4 (02:39):
I don't want to make music a career. They don't
want to be a music major. They don't want to
be a teacher, they don't want to be a performer. Okay,
but they've had a love throughout the public school system.
They have developed a connection I know you can appreciate
this with music enough to want to keep doing it.
So in addition to that, plus just my love of
teaching students and doing doing it through the medium of music,
(03:02):
and how powerful of a medium that is. That's kind
of why I get up every day and you play trumpet.
I do play trump. Well, I used to play trump
You don't play trumpet. It's in a case anymore because
it now frustrates me.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Isn't it funny how things didn't frustrate us when we
were younger, and then we get older, we're like, why
doesn't this play right now?
Speaker 4 (03:17):
No? No, it frustrated me in college too, don't get me wrong,
But I made it through. No, I had a great experience.
But you know, now to devoting the amount of time
it would take to be great, I just don't have
I put it into you know, other things.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Like this, like yeah, like your students.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
How did marching bands create an impact on college campuses?
I mean, I can tell you I absolutely love marching bands.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I do. I have this like, they just get you going.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
But what is it about what they do on a
college campus that you think is meaningful?
Speaker 2 (03:42):
You know?
Speaker 4 (03:43):
I mean, you're going to get a bias point of
view here, but I just try to step back and
answer this question thinking about why is it that people
have that feeling. I think there's just words just can't
describe when a band, when a musical organization starts happening,
people are just drawn in. On a college campus, though,
marching mans are usually attributed to athletic events, right, which
(04:04):
already come up with a lot of energy, and bands
specifically marching man's are part of that atmosphere, and it's
the atmosphere you can't get it home on your couch
watching ESPN.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
It's a great point.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
So I think people are drawn to them because you
can't get this at home, and you know, this is
just a soft you know advertisement, ESPN. You should show
more marching bands and halftime if you're listening out there,
because I think people would watch.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Yeah, you know, right anyway, But it is part of
the vibe.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
It is part of the vibe, and it brings it's
an entertainment aspect, and just think about what the environment's
like when it's not there. Plays over silence, plays over silence, touchdown,
clap silence, halftime silence. So there's a lot that I
think attributes that the Marchman's contribute to the atmosphere.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Yeah, I never thought about that.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
They fill the gaps, they keep the energy going, They
bring the energy up or down, usually probably up.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
That's right when the other team, when you're you have
a bad play and the other team's cheering, they drown
out the other team. You know, there's lots of advantages.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Right, and strategy, yes, yes, But I think that speaks
to the overall importance of music and education too. It's
so important speak to that a little bit.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Yeah, you know, music typically in stereotypically, I should say,
is one of those first things that administrators or others
kind of look at when when the budgets are low.
And I think inherently music is not designed in the
school sense to make money. It's not designed to generate profit,
but the impact that it brings not only the student,
(05:36):
the connection. I mean, I'm sitting here in a room
with two people that still are thinking about the connection
they had to music at a young level. What other
things can you list in the public school that you
had that close of a connection to.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Yeah, that you shared together and experience.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Yet like I don't think about like math that I
shared with other people.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
But I do remember like singing with the band and show.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
And that probably that music teacher. Oh yeah, for sure,
we're connected to them. And I talk to my music
ad students in this way of the importance of what
we do. This is no discredit to any teachers. All
teachers have the same importance. But in a subject like
music unrelated to math, once you learn two plus two,
you've got that and you move on. There's not really
(06:21):
an end to the musical journey in terms of your bettering,
in terms of the connection, each connection, each piece you
play together is a different thing. You could play the
same piece with a different ensemble, creates a different feeling.
But the importance of music is one of those few things.
It's also a universal language, right, so you can go
over to Africa and you can play music with people
that don't understand the word language that you use, but
(06:46):
can one hundred percent connect with you in music and
that there's just a power to it. And I think
that's for that reason, and of course manymore. If we
had another three hours, we could talk about the importance
of keeping music within our students, within our school, within
our world.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Besides just creating well rounded people and bringing joy to
the world exactly. Future actually really really really really important.
Let's talk about the EMU Marching Band specifically. Tell us
about the student participation in that.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
Yeah, so when we when I started in twenty twenty,
there was no football season, and then there was, and
then there wasn't. And you know, students when they they
at any university sign up for a class and want
to participate, there's an expectation they're going to perform. Well,
we lost all of that and there was no ability
to perform. We still had one hundred students that agreed
to stay and to do the thing and to be
(07:36):
around people in a time where we were saying be
away from people. I really thank those hundred students for
helping keep this really massive machine going that was the
at the time, the one hundred and twenty fifth season
of the Marching Bands. Wow, without them, I think we
would see a different Marchman than we do today if
it just all stopped through that. So the past five
years and this now being my fifth year, we have
(07:57):
the Marchman's backed a higher member ship level than it
was in twenty eighteen. Actually, so we were one hundred
and seventy members and you know, I would say that
student participations, participation is high, and students having a great time,
and we're back to doing the thing that the Emie
Marchman has been doing for its entire life.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
One hundred and seventy members. Why is it? Why is
it that you have so many members? What makes it unique?
Speaker 4 (08:22):
Well, I think we want to have more, so I'll
just start by saying that.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
But the tip how many more we talk about, like
how many? I don't know, a thousand, No, I think
it's marching band into the world. Yeah, you know, if
you get above a certain numbers, there's not much you
can do on the field. You're marching a square left
and right, up and down. But it would be great
to have I think a three hundred three fifty. And
these are really large numbers. And the metric we all
use in the collegiate world is one percent of your
(08:45):
university enrollment is approximately what you should have. So we
should have about one hundred and ten and that would
be successful for wow. So you're way over that exactly.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
And I think that really speaks to what we were
talking about about, Especially this generation of students. They need
and want and avenue to connect with people that there
might not be getting with social media their phones that
type of thing.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
Right, Well, you must be doing something right too, because
I mean, people wouldn't just do it if there weren't
something special going on there.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
Well, you know, it's one of the things I really
tried to stay out of. And I learned this from
a part time job I had, and my doctorate is
to create a spotlight to then step out of it.
So I never like to say truly that it's because
of me, and I always, as a teacher, try to
remember that without students in front of me, I literally
don't have a job like it is about them. So
(09:33):
I want to all the credit I think for the
experience goes to the students, that they're treating each other well,
that they have a community, that they're connected. Sure, I
can provide some leadership, but I think the biggest thing
that I would say we are doing right the entire
team is putting a focus on students, giving them a
good experience and value for what they're doing.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
And it adds so much to an athletic event. How
do you guys come up with these ideas for the
halftime shows?
Speaker 4 (10:01):
Yes, a great question. So in high school you know,
they typically have one show what you do all year?
When I got the job here that they were as
many of the universities in the North are, there's you know,
one halftime show per game. So we're looking at six.
I quickly learned that I am not caught up on
current life, and I lean into that. I think overall
(10:21):
teaching philosophy, but a soliciting student opinion. So actually, just
a month ago we were meeting as about twenty students
and I and we were just tossed around ideas. They
take ownership, they unpack it, and they come back we
all kind of vote on it. I actually usually don't vote.
It all happens to work out and makes the job
a lot easier, but also gives a student the buy in, right.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
It makes it something that they're like, oh, I really
look forward to playing exactly.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
And then if it doesn't go well, I say, well,
you know you should join the committee because I didn't
choose No, I'm just kidding. Yeah, that's called psychology.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
You must have taken a lot of that too.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
I wish I had taken more.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Your marching has been collaborative over the past several years.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Let's talk about some of the most impactful experiences you had,
like working together with other others.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
Yes, I will. I'll just be honest and say I'm
one of those people that just doesn't like to take
no for an answer. We were talking earlier about me
being a trumpet player that tracks with the stereotype. But
one of the things that I quick what I have
learned about myself as a teachers, I love to be collaborative.
Even this experience, just talking and meeting new people, it's
so much better than doing it alone. And one of
(11:28):
the first collaborative shows we did my second year there,
so we went through COVID had nothing we immediately fired
out with. We just had a new trumpet professor, so
we featured our brass and percussion faculty on the field.
At halftime, we brought in speakers. We amplified it. I'm like, wow,
this works great. What can we do next year? Year two,
we did a gospel choir show, had one hundred singers
Wayne State. When State got involved with Brandon Waddles. He's
(11:50):
a great individual. Write down here. He helped lead the choir.
We had some outstanding solos. It's all this is on
YouTube by the way. Anyway, that was a monumental experience
in our area. We had a couple of other collaborative shows,
but I'm really proud of you know, year five, one
hundred and thirtieth anniversary. Last fall we had the temptations,
all five of them, right they Oh yeah, all five
(12:12):
of them.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Get that to happen?
Speaker 4 (12:14):
Great question. We'll need another segment to talk about that.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
That's really neat.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
Yeah, but the just a short point on that is
that the bass singer Duwan is an alum of Vimuka
and was in the theater department, and so that was
a little bit of a connection there. Of course he
doesn't do the contract negotiations, but he was helpful along
with our university president. It was a great experience. But
the collaboration there, and I think those type of things
are one of the things that make us different and
(12:40):
super rewarding.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Wow. Yeah, that's quite a collaboration. It was great, It
was it was super I don't know how you top
like every year, how do you?
Speaker 4 (12:47):
I know that's the other thing is that you can't
you can't worry about that.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
You know.
Speaker 4 (12:51):
This next year we're going to do another collaborative show
with some alums at homecoming it's going to be great,
but I've learned to try to not overdo yourself each
year because it becomes less. All these things just kind
of spark naturally and create a great student impact and
university impact. And that's kind of our job. Back to
the role of what can people not get at home?
They can't get that at home.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
Yeah, and with the with the elums that you have,
in the diversity of the population, you probably have a
lot of things that just kind of appear to make
it really special.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
Yes, I totally agree with that.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
Let's talk about the scholarship opportunities available for students who
participate in the EMU Marching Band, and I want to
get more into the things you're doing to really support
the student population in their music journey.
Speaker 4 (13:30):
Yeah, the second part of that question, I think currently
we are supporting students with providing them an avenue on
campus to fit in and belong. That's not as easy
as it sounds. There's especially at a more of a
commuter campus where a lot of students elec to drive
in and then drive back home, which does change the
feeling of a campus. We have a lot of commuters
(13:52):
this and it's I think it's also a little isolating.
You go to English, you go back home, you don't
get really involved like I was in my undergrad felt
different to me there. So I think that's one of
the biggest things that we're doing. What I want to
do more of is put our money where our mouth
is in connection with appreciating the amount of work the
students do for the entire campus. So students in the
(14:13):
Marching Men will spend over one hundred and eighty hours
a year that they pay to do because they're paying tuition,
they pay for the credit. They're volunteering and serving the
entire university, and all of those things that I just
talked about don't individually serve them just as the nature
is banned, right, it's a team thing. We are doing
that for the benefit of the large university, and I
would love to be able to reward students more So
(14:35):
back to your scholarship question. Just in the past two years,
we had four donors come that we met that created
scholarships like endowments for students, specifically for music for Marching
Men specifically. Over time, I think our School of Music
has a small set of scholarships that have developed over time.
(14:55):
But you know, My goal here is to, I think,
try to do more than say thank you, but find
individuals that believe in the same ways about what we
do and what it offers our students and what offers
the campus. To also invest in that experience and invest
in our students, because I think that ultimately is what
(15:16):
helps continue to grow and makes a students in a
small way feel appreciated and supported.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
So are there four specific ones scholarship opportunities available.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
Then, well that's kind of a complicated question. The larger
university EMU is actually incredibly generous with scholarships, so every
student has access to those, but not every student is
in the Marchingman, right, that's a whole different set of
commitments in time. So while there are several different bands scholarship,
there are four that are very specific to our marching
Man that we're just created in the last five years.
(15:48):
So think about in one hundred and thirty years. Four
are available and they were just created in the last
five But this work has been happening for a very
long time. It's like I said, it's a small goal
to help reward the students that are that are there.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Can people can people create more scholarships or donate to
the scholarships or how can if somebody's listening to their like,
I love the sound of this. I mean one of
the things that I really enjoy about what you were
just saying that, you know, really made me think, was
that it's a commuter. It's a lot of commuting students.
But what you're creating is that community feel without having
the community per se because because of the feelings that
(16:24):
you get when everybody plays and silence together, and when
people who aren't participating going to an event, but they
feel the community spirit that that generates, it really brings
together the feeling that they don't wouldn't naturally get without
that exactly.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
And I've just finished reading a book, The Anxious Generation,
that just talks.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Yes, that's funny, I'm familiar with that.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
Yeah, it talks about why students kind of are anxious
and depressive and suicidal more now than they were. And
we don't have to get into that here, but it
just it reminds me of the importance of making sure
that they have an outlet of support, especially for the
commuters you mentioned. So if people are out there listening,
sure I could just say here's where you go here's
(17:05):
what you donate too. But I'm I'm what's really important
to me is talking with that individual and finding out
what matters to them first and trying to connect them
to a need of ours based on what they're hearing,
what they're listening to, what they're drawing, what they're drawn to.
And that's the way I would go to it. So
I would say, we should just have a conversation, let's
go get lunch, let's let's connect, Let's find out what
(17:28):
matters to you and find out how you want to benefit,
how you want to invest, and kind of go from there.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
In what ways do people help?
Speaker 4 (17:36):
Yes, there are several ways. You have the just very typical.
You know, I want to give to this. I trust
you whatever you want to do. We have kind of
a general account for that and these are all available
kind of on our website e m U mb SO
EMU Marchingmandus the letters dot org. You can click support
the band and you can see there's a general fund
that we can use to support students as needed. People
give annually. We have a march with on them where
(17:58):
we march around the streets of Solani. People remember it,
they're ready for it. Every year they give to that event.
We have an online campaign. It's really great, so great,
it is cool.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
When is that that's in?
Speaker 4 (18:09):
Uh, it's in good question for next year. It's either
end of September beginning of March.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
All right, emu mb dot org. You'll be able to
find information.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
On that, Facebook, Instagram, EMU bands that's how you can
find us. And then of course I've mentioned they create scholarships,
So they create endowments where they give a chunk of
money and then forever that money is available because it's
awarded off the interest that it generates every year. And
that's one of the things that we've recently created. Those
four those individuals have stepped up and long after they're gone,
(18:38):
this money is still available for students. That's lots of
different ways.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Wow, how meaningful, you know, talk about how student leadership
opportunities exist.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
In the Marching me on.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
We rely heavily on student leadership. It's part of that
philosophy of getting students to buy in on what they're doing,
which increases the enjoyment that they're having of whatever they're doing.
I think this is just a basic principle of good teaching.
And so are we have a hierarchy of leadership where
someone can you know, help set sound equipment up to
all the way to be the drum major and to
(19:10):
lead the band in that way and to develop those
skills and under pressure of course, all those positions. We
all meet before band camp and we have a leadership camp.
We talked about a host of things. I think you'll
find this in all marching bands, that there's this kind
of hierarchy setup furthering that kind of peeking behind the
curtain of what else is happening in marching bands. I mean,
there's there's a lot of investment in student student leadership,
(19:33):
student performance.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
You know.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
I could talk about this forever, the importance of it.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
Yeah, I mean I just think about, like while you're
talking about it too, the leadership skills involved in just listening,
you know, because you're constantly listening to those around you,
and how you fit in with the sound, and are
your your intonation right and every in your are.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
You in the time what a great word?
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Right?
Speaker 3 (19:54):
All the things that you have to do to listen
properly to make it all sound great, That in itself
is a really important leadership skill.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Just developing listening, Yes.
Speaker 4 (20:04):
But so is what you're doing too, right, the idea
of creating a space and cultivating conversations in a way
that appeals to a broad group of people, that's a
skill and I think that inherently that's what we're trying
to do for all of our students, you know, the
sixty five percent that are not going to do this
for the rest of their life, we still want them to,
(20:25):
in a fun, connected, family oriented environment, improve in the
skill set because just like all the other subjects that
we took in you know, I took chemistry. Am I
using chemistry right now?
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Well?
Speaker 4 (20:36):
I don't think so, but probably in the idea, you know,
putting different thinking or strategies together, I'm sure those lessons
paid off. So to your point, you know, we do.
I think the idea of listening is more broad listening, connecting,
dealing with emotions. You know, families fight, how do you
(20:57):
marching bands fight?
Speaker 3 (20:58):
We do?
Speaker 4 (21:00):
You know it doesn't end up on YouTube.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
You know.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
That would be a great That would be a great show.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
The reality show doesn't worry or watching bands in Atlantas.
Speaker 4 (21:15):
Hey, look, if someone's listening, we can do it. We
got a good script for you.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Anyway, We create a new reality series. Seriously, what are
there some some of the other needs of the organization
to keep it thriving. You're doing a great job. You
have one hundred and seventy people who you clearly want
to participate and create this community.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
What else do you need?
Speaker 4 (21:35):
We so every ten years or so we need the march.
We need to use new set of uniforms. You know
a lot of people just see these is clothing, but
you know.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
When it's crucial.
Speaker 4 (21:44):
When have you seen a marching man that doesn't all
look together?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
And what is it?
Speaker 3 (21:47):
When you put it on, that feeling you get of
pride because you're wearing something that looks good and frankly
is modern as you know, has some flair and you
need that.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
So those have to be replaced every ten years because.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Of the six If you want to donate sooner, well,
now that you mentioned it, coen.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
So we're in that space now where the uniforms will
be in their thirteenth season. Oh, come on right, and
so we have to raise two hundred thousand dollars.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
Ideally our goal is in a year. We have a
great set of alumni who are gonna who are gonna
come through I think, but corporate donations are larger donations
are going to be the key to this, and again
not not really for me or the university, but really
for the students and kind of like the giving back
to students. If a student can put it on a
uniform and know that someone else, there's a there's a
(22:35):
psychology behind that of like what I'm doing matters and
what it would feel like to put on a brand
new uniform and they're gonna look great. But but if
people that are interested in that directly can just go
to our website for that. It's tiny dot emish dot
ed U slash hats off to you, which is a
little lyric from our fight song.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Okay, say it again, so everybody, yes.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
Dot emish E M I c H dot ed U
slash hats h A T S off O F F
two U t O why are you?
Speaker 2 (23:09):
And that's where they would go to donor specifically.
Speaker 4 (23:11):
For the uniform campaign exactly.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
All right, talk a little bit about who participates in
the E m U marching band.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
Another cool thing about marching bands, right is that I'm
not just teaching music majors. Literally, I think we have
a representation from every major on campus. So when so
talk about the perspectives that you get and the insights
you get and what I learned from our students, I
remember learning that a coke can in terms of advertising,
(23:39):
has a very specific sound. Who knew, right, every time
you open that thing, they want you to know if
a coke can't exactly? Yes, it does have a very
specific sound exactly, and that's all engineered.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
Right.
Speaker 4 (23:50):
So I never would have learned something like that had
I not been around a non music major kid. But
all every major teachers, secondary teachers, music majors, nurses, scientists
and students that haven't figured it out yet either.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Right.
Speaker 4 (24:06):
It's it's a it's a huge diverse set of students
and the best part of that is they're all coming
together to do one thing, right. It's the thing that
unifies us.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
That's that's a beautiful thought that they're all coming from
different parts of the university but all trying together. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
The uniform campaign. How do you expect to reach that goal?
How are you going to reach that goal?
Speaker 4 (24:27):
It's a multi step approach, but it does start, I think,
with finding individuals that have a heart to give, you know.
I love the iHeart logo everywhere here. I think there's
something to be said for that. And how you know,
putting others first, how it makes you feel. I think
we're going to need lots of people that want to
improve the experience for a group of students who deserve it.
(24:50):
Of course, we have our alum that are that are connected.
We have some folks in the university of course that
are helping support and get the word out. But you know,
as they say, like and share, that's I think how
we're going to do it.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
Yeah, it takes. It takes a village in this kind
of case. Yeah, it does. So uh share that share
the address again, just so we all have that.
Speaker 4 (25:09):
That's right, tiny dot emish dot e ed u slash
hats off to you or they can just reach out
to me directly. And my email is very simple. It's
my name, j Nick dot Smith at emsh e ed uh.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
There's a J in front of Nick.
Speaker 4 (25:23):
Exactly Nick j n I c K dot Smith at
eish eed u.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
So you mentioned that you started this in COVID. Where
do you want to see the marching band go in
the coming years.
Speaker 4 (25:37):
I mean, the the simplest, most basic answer is the
best it can be. I don't know what that is, though,
you know, I thought when the temptations came through, immediately thought, well,
what are we What are we going to do now?
How are we going to do this? I think I
want in a changing world and a changing time, in
(25:58):
an unpredictable time which I think could literally be safe
for every single year across no matter what's happening anywhere else.
That I want to see the Marchman continue to provide
life changing experiences for our students. I think that's the
goal for all music ensembles. I might say and stretch
it to say that's my goal as a teacher and
(26:19):
the goal that my colleagues also share, that we want
to give students the best possible experience while also setting
them up for success when they graduate. All the things
we've kind of talked about, leadership, performance, coming together as
a team. Those are all things you need to do music,
but they might be more important once they leave the
hallowed halls and the bubble of the university to survive,
(26:42):
especially given that those skills are kind of, in my view,
not being addressed like they used to be when I
was in school. And so that's really what I want.
I want us to continue to be able to do
those things, because I think that's really the most important.
That's way more important than having the temptations come.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
What do you love about what you do most?
Speaker 4 (27:02):
That it's different every day in what way? And always
I never know. I never know how I'm going to teach.
I might have a plan, but there's a certain flexibility
and a need to.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
Be nibble with our youth.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
Yes, but also you just don't know what you think
might go wrong, might not go wrong, and something else
might go wrong. So there's just I think, honestly, what
you do is the same. You never know what someone's
going to say, and you have to be ready to
kind of bobble around and be flexible and guide in
different ways. I love that most about my job because
it's not the same. It's not like a retail job,
(27:42):
and some retail jobs where you know you're going to
come do this work and then you're not going to
take it home with you. You're going to come back
and do a similar thing. That's a personal love. The
secondary love is the opportunity to invest in a set
of students whom many are first generation, many have struggled,
(28:03):
many are great that there's a there's a kind of
a cornucopia of student types, and to be able to
meet them where they are and give them as much
investment and lessons and to attempt to be a mentor
to them to help them have the best life possible
when they graduate. That's rewarding. And I think I was
(28:24):
a nine through twelve teacher too. I think similar things happen,
but this is a really crucial time in their lives,
and there is a reward. There's a there's a risk
and reward. The reward of all of that is that
sometimes it's not a very happy experience student teacher. You know,
it's always a teacher's fault. I'm okay with that. I
hope at the end of that journey, though, that students
look back and go, you know what, I'm glad that
(28:45):
we did this. I'm glad that he said this. I'm
glad he had a difficult conversation with me. Those are
things that I appreciate doing, and I guess that still
feels selfish a bit, but I think that's why I
enjoy what I do, because it just even even those conversations,
they they change. I mean, I'm just yapping now.
Speaker 3 (29:01):
But no, I mean, I think it's okay to be
to feel like like you said, selfish, but when you're
helping somebody else, it can't help but feel good even
when it's difficult.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
You know, in the long run, you're trying to make.
Speaker 4 (29:10):
A difference, right, And while I'm not perfect, I think
that's the goal. That's what I love the most is
trying to find This is very marching band director of
me to say this, trying or what to find the
perfect way to get them there and it just doesn't exist.
But I'm still on the hunt.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
I'll march it together.
Speaker 4 (29:31):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
That was great kind of If somebody wants to be
involved regularly in helping you and helping you serve these kids.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
What do they do?
Speaker 4 (29:39):
They just we just have a we go to coffee,
Go get coffee. You come right back down here in
this studio.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
We have it.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
Yeah, no, we just we just get together and talk.
I think that's the most important thing. And or I've
listed the websites that they can go to and again,
yes anonymously the main website e m u mb dot org.
You can find everything in need, my contact information, the
links to supporting the band. And then if not with
the uniform campaign. If that's what you're motivated and inspired
(30:06):
to do, tiny dot emsh dot evu slash hats off
to you.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
All right, let's do it, folks. Let's support these kids
and keep the music going.
Speaker 4 (30:14):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
We all need that vibe of the games, everyone of them.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
And we need him to be wearing clothes too, so
that's important. Less than thirteen years, let's do it. Our
guest today has been doctor Nick Smith. He's the Associate
director of Fans and Director of Athletic Bands at Eastern
Michigan University.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
Thank you for joining us, and thank you all. This
is We appreciate the platform.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
It's been an absolute delight. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
This has been light up the d a community, a
fairs program from iHeartMedia Detroit. If your organization would like
to get on the program, email Colleen Grant at iHeartMedia
dot com. Here are all episodes on this station's podcast page.
Welcome to Light Up to D, a focus on what's
happening in our community from the people who make it happen.
Here's your host, iHeartMedia Detroit Market President Colleen Grant.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Good morning and welcome to you another episode of Light
Up the D.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
I'm your host, Colleen Grant, Thanks for joining me today.
I have the pleasure of speaking with doctor Nick Smith
and now you get to hear from him. He's the
Associate director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands at
Eastern Michigan University, and boy, are we going to have
a really fun conversation today. The Eastern Michigan University Marching
Band is considered a source of spirit and pride on
the EMU campus and is dedicated to enriching the lives
(00:37):
and opportunities of its members, the university and the community.
Known as the Pride of the Peninsula, it's comprised of
a diverse group of graduate and undergraduate students from every
academic major on campus, committed to providing an environment that
is safe, respectful, and inclusive. Through their performances, they seek
to create exhilarating and memorable experiences and I can attest
to love and bands that they do that for all
(01:00):
of their stakeholders, while also providing a spirit filled atmosphere
and support of the success of their athletic teams. Join
me in welcoming doctor Nick Smith. Thank you for joining
us today.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
It's great to be here. Colleene, super excited.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Thanks Hi jianm em you doing this.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
What a great question. I graduated with my doctorate and
I needed.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
A job, like so many of us.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
Yes, and this one was open, although uniquely it was
during COVID. I was actually hired in March. Well, March
was a shutdown, you know, June July of twenty twenty,
so colleges were looking a lot different. I didn't come
to campus. Was I was very lucky to get a
job and a good and a great job.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
And that's hard because I remember during COVID, like like
you weren't really allowed to sing because that put spittle
out in the air, and like I would a mandine
band instruments, like, how would you even do that in COVID?
Speaker 4 (01:46):
Right, Well, you know, in the very beginning stages, everything
was different. We didn't know what we didn't know. We
were very lucky. There's an organization called the College Band
Director's National association. They had actually done a lot of
research and we were able to present that so we
can continue to do music. But you're right, you know,
initially can't be around people, you know, indoors, outdoors, nothing,
(02:06):
and that obviously could have been a huge stopper for
music and what we do, and it was across the
country for sure, But.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
You've evolved it here here you are today, and what
is it about marching guns in particular that you love well.
Speaker 4 (02:19):
Typically, on all college campuses, Eastern is not an exception
to this. They are filled with students that don't want
to actually do this for the rest of their life.
In terms of major and music. Many are, but multiple
or not worth So at Eastern, sixty five percent of
the march man is comprised of people that don't want
to do this, and so it just kind of gives
you an idea of the buy end.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
What do you mean don't want to do this?
Speaker 4 (02:39):
I don't want to make music a career. They don't
want to be a music major. They don't want to
be a teacher, they don't want to be a performer. Okay,
but they've had a love throughout the public school system.
They have developed a connection I know you can appreciate
this with music enough to want to keep doing it.
So in addition to that, plus just my love of
teaching students and doing doing it through the medium of music,
(03:02):
and how powerful of a medium that is. That's kind
of why I get up every day and you play trumpet.
I do play trump. Well, I used to play trump
You don't play trumpet. It's in a case anymore because
it now frustrates me.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Isn't it funny how things didn't frustrate us when we
were younger, and then we get older, we're like, why
doesn't this play right now?
Speaker 4 (03:17):
No? No, it frustrated me in college too, don't get me wrong,
But I made it through. No, I had a great experience.
But you know, now to devoting the amount of time
it would take to be great, I just don't have
I put it into you know, other things.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Like this, like yeah, like your students.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
How did marching bands create an impact on college campuses?
I mean, I can tell you I absolutely love marching bands.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I do. I have this like, they just get you going.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
But what is it about what they do on a
college campus that you think is meaningful?
Speaker 2 (03:42):
You know?
Speaker 4 (03:43):
I mean, you're going to get a bias point of
view here, but I just try to step back and
answer this question thinking about why is it that people
have that feeling. I think there's just words just can't
describe when a band, when a musical organization starts happening,
people are just drawn in. On a college campus, though,
marching mans are usually attributed to athletic events, right, which
(04:04):
already come up with a lot of energy, and bands
specifically marching man's are part of that atmosphere, and it's
the atmosphere you can't get it home on your couch
watching ESPN.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
It's a great point.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
So I think people are drawn to them because you
can't get this at home, and you know, this is
just a soft you know advertisement, ESPN. You should show
more marching bands and halftime if you're listening out there,
because I think people would watch.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Yeah, you know, right anyway, But it is part of
the vibe.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
It is part of the vibe, and it brings it's
an entertainment aspect, and just think about what the environment's
like when it's not there. Plays over silence, plays over silence, touchdown,
clap silence, halftime silence. So there's a lot that I
think attributes that the Marchman's contribute to the atmosphere.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Yeah, I never thought about that.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
They fill the gaps, they keep the energy going, They
bring the energy up or down, usually probably up.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
That's right when the other team, when you're you have
a bad play and the other team's cheering, they drown
out the other team. You know, there's lots of advantages.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Right, and strategy, yes, yes, But I think that speaks
to the overall importance of music and education too. It's
so important speak to that a little bit.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Yeah, you know, music typically in stereotypically, I should say,
is one of those first things that administrators or others
kind of look at when when the budgets are low.
And I think inherently music is not designed in the
school sense to make money. It's not designed to generate profit,
but the impact that it brings not only the student,
(05:36):
the connection. I mean, I'm sitting here in a room
with two people that still are thinking about the connection
they had to music at a young level. What other
things can you list in the public school that you
had that close of a connection to.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Yeah, that you shared together and experience.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Yet like I don't think about like math that I
shared with other people.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
But I do remember like singing with the band and show.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
And that probably that music teacher. Oh yeah, for sure,
we're connected to them. And I talk to my music
ad students in this way of the importance of what
we do. This is no discredit to any teachers. All
teachers have the same importance. But in a subject like
music unrelated to math, once you learn two plus two,
you've got that and you move on. There's not really
(06:21):
an end to the musical journey in terms of your bettering,
in terms of the connection, each connection, each piece you
play together is a different thing. You could play the
same piece with a different ensemble, creates a different feeling.
But the importance of music is one of those few things.
It's also a universal language, right, so you can go
over to Africa and you can play music with people
that don't understand the word language that you use, but
(06:46):
can one hundred percent connect with you in music and
that there's just a power to it. And I think
that's for that reason, and of course manymore. If we
had another three hours, we could talk about the importance
of keeping music within our students, within our school, within
our world.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Besides just creating well rounded people and bringing joy to
the world exactly. Future actually really really really really important.
Let's talk about the EMU Marching Band specifically. Tell us
about the student participation in that.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
Yeah, so when we when I started in twenty twenty,
there was no football season, and then there was, and
then there wasn't. And you know, students when they they
at any university sign up for a class and want
to participate, there's an expectation they're going to perform. Well,
we lost all of that and there was no ability
to perform. We still had one hundred students that agreed
to stay and to do the thing and to be
(07:36):
around people in a time where we were saying be
away from people. I really thank those hundred students for
helping keep this really massive machine going that was the
at the time, the one hundred and twenty fifth season
of the Marching Bands. Wow, without them, I think we
would see a different Marchman than we do today if
it just all stopped through that. So the past five
years and this now being my fifth year, we have
(07:57):
the Marchman's backed a higher member ship level than it
was in twenty eighteen. Actually, so we were one hundred
and seventy members and you know, I would say that
student participations, participation is high, and students having a great time,
and we're back to doing the thing that the Emie
Marchman has been doing for its entire life.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
One hundred and seventy members. Why is it? Why is
it that you have so many members? What makes it unique?
Speaker 4 (08:22):
Well, I think we want to have more, so I'll
just start by saying that.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
But the tip how many more we talk about, like
how many? I don't know, a thousand, No, I think
it's marching band into the world. Yeah, you know, if
you get above a certain numbers, there's not much you
can do on the field. You're marching a square left
and right, up and down. But it would be great
to have I think a three hundred three fifty. And
these are really large numbers. And the metric we all
use in the collegiate world is one percent of your
(08:45):
university enrollment is approximately what you should have. So we
should have about one hundred and ten and that would
be successful for wow. So you're way over that exactly.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
And I think that really speaks to what we were
talking about about, Especially this generation of students. They need
and want and avenue to connect with people that there
might not be getting with social media their phones that
type of thing.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
Right, Well, you must be doing something right too, because
I mean, people wouldn't just do it if there weren't
something special going on there.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
Well, you know, it's one of the things I really
tried to stay out of. And I learned this from
a part time job I had, and my doctorate is
to create a spotlight to then step out of it.
So I never like to say truly that it's because
of me, and I always, as a teacher, try to
remember that without students in front of me, I literally
don't have a job like it is about them. So
(09:33):
I want to all the credit I think for the
experience goes to the students, that they're treating each other well,
that they have a community, that they're connected. Sure, I
can provide some leadership, but I think the biggest thing
that I would say we are doing right the entire
team is putting a focus on students, giving them a
good experience and value for what they're doing.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
And it adds so much to an athletic event. How
do you guys come up with these ideas for the
halftime shows?
Speaker 4 (10:01):
Yes, a great question. So in high school you know,
they typically have one show what you do all year?
When I got the job here that they were as
many of the universities in the North are, there's you know,
one halftime show per game. So we're looking at six.
I quickly learned that I am not caught up on
current life, and I lean into that. I think overall
(10:21):
teaching philosophy, but a soliciting student opinion. So actually, just
a month ago we were meeting as about twenty students
and I and we were just tossed around ideas. They
take ownership, they unpack it, and they come back we
all kind of vote on it. I actually usually don't vote.
It all happens to work out and makes the job
a lot easier, but also gives a student the buy in, right.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
It makes it something that they're like, oh, I really
look forward to playing exactly.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
And then if it doesn't go well, I say, well,
you know you should join the committee because I didn't
choose No, I'm just kidding. Yeah, that's called psychology.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
You must have taken a lot of that too.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
I wish I had taken more.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Your marching has been collaborative over the past several years.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Let's talk about some of the most impactful experiences you had,
like working together with other others.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
Yes, I will. I'll just be honest and say I'm
one of those people that just doesn't like to take
no for an answer. We were talking earlier about me
being a trumpet player that tracks with the stereotype. But
one of the things that I quick what I have
learned about myself as a teachers, I love to be collaborative.
Even this experience, just talking and meeting new people, it's
so much better than doing it alone. And one of
(11:28):
the first collaborative shows we did my second year there,
so we went through COVID had nothing we immediately fired
out with. We just had a new trumpet professor, so
we featured our brass and percussion faculty on the field.
At halftime, we brought in speakers. We amplified it. I'm like, wow,
this works great. What can we do next year? Year two,
we did a gospel choir show, had one hundred singers
Wayne State. When State got involved with Brandon Waddles. He's
(11:50):
a great individual. Write down here. He helped lead the choir.
We had some outstanding solos. It's all this is on
YouTube by the way. Anyway, that was a monumental experience
in our area. We had a couple of other collaborative shows,
but I'm really proud of you know, year five, one
hundred and thirtieth anniversary. Last fall we had the temptations,
all five of them, right they Oh yeah, all five
(12:12):
of them.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Get that to happen?
Speaker 4 (12:14):
Great question. We'll need another segment to talk about that.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
That's really neat.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
Yeah, but the just a short point on that is
that the bass singer Duwan is an alum of Vimuka
and was in the theater department, and so that was
a little bit of a connection there. Of course he
doesn't do the contract negotiations, but he was helpful along
with our university president. It was a great experience. But
the collaboration there, and I think those type of things
are one of the things that make us different and
(12:40):
super rewarding.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Wow. Yeah, that's quite a collaboration. It was great, It
was it was super I don't know how you top
like every year, how do you?
Speaker 4 (12:47):
I know that's the other thing is that you can't
you can't worry about that.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
You know.
Speaker 4 (12:51):
This next year we're going to do another collaborative show
with some alums at homecoming it's going to be great,
but I've learned to try to not overdo yourself each
year because it becomes less. All these things just kind
of spark naturally and create a great student impact and
university impact. And that's kind of our job. Back to
the role of what can people not get at home?
They can't get that at home.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
Yeah, and with the with the elums that you have,
in the diversity of the population, you probably have a
lot of things that just kind of appear to make
it really special.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
Yes, I totally agree with that.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
Let's talk about the scholarship opportunities available for students who
participate in the EMU Marching Band, and I want to
get more into the things you're doing to really support
the student population in their music journey.
Speaker 4 (13:30):
Yeah, the second part of that question, I think currently
we are supporting students with providing them an avenue on
campus to fit in and belong. That's not as easy
as it sounds. There's especially at a more of a
commuter campus where a lot of students elec to drive
in and then drive back home, which does change the
feeling of a campus. We have a lot of commuters
(13:52):
this and it's I think it's also a little isolating.
You go to English, you go back home, you don't
get really involved like I was in my undergrad felt
different to me there. So I think that's one of
the biggest things that we're doing. What I want to
do more of is put our money where our mouth
is in connection with appreciating the amount of work the
students do for the entire campus. So students in the
(14:13):
Marching Men will spend over one hundred and eighty hours
a year that they pay to do because they're paying tuition,
they pay for the credit. They're volunteering and serving the
entire university, and all of those things that I just
talked about don't individually serve them just as the nature
is banned, right, it's a team thing. We are doing
that for the benefit of the large university, and I
would love to be able to reward students more So
(14:35):
back to your scholarship question. Just in the past two years,
we had four donors come that we met that created
scholarships like endowments for students, specifically for music for Marching
Men specifically. Over time, I think our School of Music
has a small set of scholarships that have developed over time.
(14:55):
But you know, My goal here is to, I think,
try to do more than say thank you, but find
individuals that believe in the same ways about what we
do and what it offers our students and what offers
the campus. To also invest in that experience and invest
in our students, because I think that ultimately is what
(15:16):
helps continue to grow and makes a students in a
small way feel appreciated and supported.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
So are there four specific ones scholarship opportunities available.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
Then, well that's kind of a complicated question. The larger
university EMU is actually incredibly generous with scholarships, so every
student has access to those, but not every student is
in the Marchingman, right, that's a whole different set of
commitments in time. So while there are several different bands scholarship,
there are four that are very specific to our marching
Man that we're just created in the last five years.
(15:48):
So think about in one hundred and thirty years. Four
are available and they were just created in the last
five But this work has been happening for a very
long time. It's like I said, it's a small goal
to help reward the students that are that are there.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Can people can people create more scholarships or donate to
the scholarships or how can if somebody's listening to their like,
I love the sound of this. I mean one of
the things that I really enjoy about what you were
just saying that, you know, really made me think, was
that it's a commuter. It's a lot of commuting students.
But what you're creating is that community feel without having
the community per se because because of the feelings that
(16:24):
you get when everybody plays and silence together, and when
people who aren't participating going to an event, but they
feel the community spirit that that generates, it really brings
together the feeling that they don't wouldn't naturally get without
that exactly.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
And I've just finished reading a book, The Anxious Generation,
that just talks.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Yes, that's funny, I'm familiar with that.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
Yeah, it talks about why students kind of are anxious
and depressive and suicidal more now than they were. And
we don't have to get into that here, but it
just it reminds me of the importance of making sure
that they have an outlet of support, especially for the
commuters you mentioned. So if people are out there listening,
sure I could just say here's where you go here's
(17:05):
what you donate too. But I'm I'm what's really important
to me is talking with that individual and finding out
what matters to them first and trying to connect them
to a need of ours based on what they're hearing,
what they're listening to, what they're drawing, what they're drawn to.
And that's the way I would go to it. So
I would say, we should just have a conversation, let's
go get lunch, let's let's connect, Let's find out what
(17:28):
matters to you and find out how you want to benefit,
how you want to invest, and kind of go from there.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
In what ways do people help?
Speaker 4 (17:36):
Yes, there are several ways. You have the just very typical.
You know, I want to give to this. I trust
you whatever you want to do. We have kind of
a general account for that and these are all available
kind of on our website e m U mb SO
EMU Marchingmandus the letters dot org. You can click support
the band and you can see there's a general fund
that we can use to support students as needed. People
give annually. We have a march with on them where
(17:58):
we march around the streets of Solani. People remember it,
they're ready for it. Every year they give to that event.
We have an online campaign. It's really great, so great,
it is cool.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
When is that that's in?
Speaker 4 (18:09):
Uh, it's in good question for next year. It's either
end of September beginning of March.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
All right, emu mb dot org. You'll be able to
find information.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
On that, Facebook, Instagram, EMU bands that's how you can
find us. And then of course I've mentioned they create scholarships,
So they create endowments where they give a chunk of
money and then forever that money is available because it's
awarded off the interest that it generates every year. And
that's one of the things that we've recently created. Those
four those individuals have stepped up and long after they're gone,
(18:38):
this money is still available for students. That's lots of
different ways.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Wow, how meaningful, you know, talk about how student leadership
opportunities exist.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
In the Marching me on.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
We rely heavily on student leadership. It's part of that
philosophy of getting students to buy in on what they're doing,
which increases the enjoyment that they're having of whatever they're doing.
I think this is just a basic principle of good teaching.
And so are we have a hierarchy of leadership where
someone can you know, help set sound equipment up to
all the way to be the drum major and to
(19:10):
lead the band in that way and to develop those
skills and under pressure of course, all those positions. We
all meet before band camp and we have a leadership camp.
We talked about a host of things. I think you'll
find this in all marching bands, that there's this kind
of hierarchy setup furthering that kind of peeking behind the
curtain of what else is happening in marching bands. I mean,
there's there's a lot of investment in student student leadership,
(19:33):
student performance.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
You know.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
I could talk about this forever, the importance of it.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
Yeah, I mean I just think about, like while you're
talking about it too, the leadership skills involved in just listening,
you know, because you're constantly listening to those around you,
and how you fit in with the sound, and are
your your intonation right and every in your are.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
You in the time what a great word?
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Right?
Speaker 3 (19:54):
All the things that you have to do to listen
properly to make it all sound great, That in itself
is a really important leadership skill.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Just developing listening, Yes.
Speaker 4 (20:04):
But so is what you're doing too, right, the idea
of creating a space and cultivating conversations in a way
that appeals to a broad group of people, that's a
skill and I think that inherently that's what we're trying
to do for all of our students, you know, the
sixty five percent that are not going to do this
for the rest of their life, we still want them to,
(20:25):
in a fun, connected, family oriented environment, improve in the
skill set because just like all the other subjects that
we took in you know, I took chemistry. Am I
using chemistry right now?
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Well?
Speaker 4 (20:36):
I don't think so, but probably in the idea, you know,
putting different thinking or strategies together, I'm sure those lessons
paid off. So to your point, you know, we do.
I think the idea of listening is more broad listening, connecting,
dealing with emotions. You know, families fight, how do you
(20:57):
marching bands fight?
Speaker 3 (20:58):
We do?
Speaker 4 (21:00):
You know it doesn't end up on YouTube.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
You know.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
That would be a great That would be a great show.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
The reality show doesn't worry or watching bands in Atlantas.
Speaker 4 (21:15):
Hey, look, if someone's listening, we can do it. We
got a good script for you.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Anyway, We create a new reality series. Seriously, what are
there some some of the other needs of the organization
to keep it thriving. You're doing a great job. You
have one hundred and seventy people who you clearly want
to participate and create this community.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
What else do you need?
Speaker 4 (21:35):
We so every ten years or so we need the march.
We need to use new set of uniforms. You know
a lot of people just see these is clothing, but
you know.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
When it's crucial.
Speaker 4 (21:44):
When have you seen a marching man that doesn't all
look together?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
And what is it?
Speaker 3 (21:47):
When you put it on, that feeling you get of
pride because you're wearing something that looks good and frankly
is modern as you know, has some flair and you
need that.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
So those have to be replaced every ten years because.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Of the six If you want to donate sooner, well,
now that you mentioned it, coen.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
So we're in that space now where the uniforms will
be in their thirteenth season. Oh, come on right, and
so we have to raise two hundred thousand dollars.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
Ideally our goal is in a year. We have a
great set of alumni who are gonna who are gonna
come through I think, but corporate donations are larger donations
are going to be the key to this, and again
not not really for me or the university, but really
for the students and kind of like the giving back
to students. If a student can put it on a
uniform and know that someone else, there's a there's a
(22:35):
psychology behind that of like what I'm doing matters and
what it would feel like to put on a brand
new uniform and they're gonna look great. But but if
people that are interested in that directly can just go
to our website for that. It's tiny dot emish dot
ed U slash hats off to you, which is a
little lyric from our fight song.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Okay, say it again, so everybody, yes.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
Dot emish E M I c H dot ed U
slash hats h A T S off O F F
two U t O why are you?
Speaker 2 (23:09):
And that's where they would go to donor specifically.
Speaker 4 (23:11):
For the uniform campaign exactly.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
All right, talk a little bit about who participates in
the E m U marching band.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
Another cool thing about marching bands, right is that I'm
not just teaching music majors. Literally, I think we have
a representation from every major on campus. So when so
talk about the perspectives that you get and the insights
you get and what I learned from our students, I
remember learning that a coke can in terms of advertising,
(23:39):
has a very specific sound. Who knew, right, every time
you open that thing, they want you to know if
a coke can't exactly? Yes, it does have a very
specific sound exactly, and that's all engineered.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
Right.
Speaker 4 (23:50):
So I never would have learned something like that had
I not been around a non music major kid. But
all every major teachers, secondary teachers, music majors, nurses, scientists
and students that haven't figured it out yet either.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Right.
Speaker 4 (24:06):
It's it's a it's a huge diverse set of students
and the best part of that is they're all coming
together to do one thing, right. It's the thing that
unifies us.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
That's that's a beautiful thought that they're all coming from
different parts of the university but all trying together. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
The uniform campaign. How do you expect to reach that goal?
How are you going to reach that goal?
Speaker 4 (24:27):
It's a multi step approach, but it does start, I think,
with finding individuals that have a heart to give, you know.
I love the iHeart logo everywhere here. I think there's
something to be said for that. And how you know,
putting others first, how it makes you feel. I think
we're going to need lots of people that want to
improve the experience for a group of students who deserve it.
(24:50):
Of course, we have our alum that are that are connected.
We have some folks in the university of course that
are helping support and get the word out. But you know,
as they say, like and share, that's I think how
we're going to do it.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
Yeah, it takes. It takes a village in this kind
of case. Yeah, it does. So uh share that share
the address again, just so we all have that.
Speaker 4 (25:09):
That's right, tiny dot emish dot e ed u slash
hats off to you or they can just reach out
to me directly. And my email is very simple. It's
my name, j Nick dot Smith at emsh e ed uh.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
There's a J in front of Nick.
Speaker 4 (25:23):
Exactly Nick j n I c K dot Smith at
eish eed u.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
So you mentioned that you started this in COVID. Where
do you want to see the marching band go in
the coming years.
Speaker 4 (25:37):
I mean, the the simplest, most basic answer is the
best it can be. I don't know what that is, though,
you know, I thought when the temptations came through, immediately thought, well,
what are we What are we going to do now?
How are we going to do this? I think I
want in a changing world and a changing time, in
(25:58):
an unpredictable time which I think could literally be safe
for every single year across no matter what's happening anywhere else.
That I want to see the Marchman continue to provide
life changing experiences for our students. I think that's the
goal for all music ensembles. I might say and stretch
it to say that's my goal as a teacher and
(26:19):
the goal that my colleagues also share, that we want
to give students the best possible experience while also setting
them up for success when they graduate. All the things
we've kind of talked about, leadership, performance, coming together as
a team. Those are all things you need to do music,
but they might be more important once they leave the
hallowed halls and the bubble of the university to survive,
(26:42):
especially given that those skills are kind of, in my view,
not being addressed like they used to be when I
was in school. And so that's really what I want.
I want us to continue to be able to do
those things, because I think that's really the most important.
That's way more important than having the temptations come.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
What do you love about what you do most?
Speaker 4 (27:02):
That it's different every day in what way? And always
I never know. I never know how I'm going to teach.
I might have a plan, but there's a certain flexibility
and a need to.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
Be nibble with our youth.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
Yes, but also you just don't know what you think
might go wrong, might not go wrong, and something else
might go wrong. So there's just I think, honestly, what
you do is the same. You never know what someone's
going to say, and you have to be ready to
kind of bobble around and be flexible and guide in
different ways. I love that most about my job because
it's not the same. It's not like a retail job,
(27:42):
and some retail jobs where you know you're going to
come do this work and then you're not going to
take it home with you. You're going to come back
and do a similar thing. That's a personal love. The
secondary love is the opportunity to invest in a set
of students whom many are first generation, many have struggled,
(28:03):
many are great that there's a there's a kind of
a cornucopia of student types, and to be able to
meet them where they are and give them as much
investment and lessons and to attempt to be a mentor
to them to help them have the best life possible
when they graduate. That's rewarding. And I think I was
(28:24):
a nine through twelve teacher too. I think similar things happen,
but this is a really crucial time in their lives,
and there is a reward. There's a there's a risk
and reward. The reward of all of that is that
sometimes it's not a very happy experience student teacher. You know,
it's always a teacher's fault. I'm okay with that. I
hope at the end of that journey, though, that students
look back and go, you know what, I'm glad that
(28:45):
we did this. I'm glad that he said this. I'm
glad he had a difficult conversation with me. Those are
things that I appreciate doing, and I guess that still
feels selfish a bit, but I think that's why I
enjoy what I do, because it just even even those conversations,
they they change. I mean, I'm just yapping now.
Speaker 3 (29:01):
But no, I mean, I think it's okay to be
to feel like like you said, selfish, but when you're
helping somebody else, it can't help but feel good even
when it's difficult.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
You know, in the long run, you're trying to make.
Speaker 4 (29:10):
A difference, right, And while I'm not perfect, I think
that's the goal. That's what I love the most is
trying to find This is very marching band director of
me to say this, trying or what to find the
perfect way to get them there and it just doesn't exist.
But I'm still on the hunt.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
I'll march it together.
Speaker 4 (29:31):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
That was great kind of If somebody wants to be
involved regularly in helping you and helping you serve these kids.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
What do they do?
Speaker 4 (29:39):
They just we just have a we go to coffee,
Go get coffee. You come right back down here in
this studio.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
We have it.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
Yeah, no, we just we just get together and talk.
I think that's the most important thing. And or I've
listed the websites that they can go to and again,
yes anonymously the main website e m u mb dot org.
You can find everything in need, my contact information, the
links to supporting the band. And then if not with
the uniform campaign. If that's what you're motivated and inspired
(30:06):
to do, tiny dot emsh dot evu slash hats off
to you.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
All right, let's do it, folks. Let's support these kids
and keep the music going.
Speaker 4 (30:14):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
We all need that vibe of the games, everyone of them.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
And we need him to be wearing clothes too, so
that's important. Less than thirteen years, let's do it. Our
guest today has been doctor Nick Smith. He's the Associate
director of Fans and Director of Athletic Bands at Eastern
Michigan University.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
Thank you for joining us, and thank you all. This
is We appreciate the platform.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
It's been an absolute delight. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
This has been light up the d a community, a
fairs program from iHeartMedia Detroit. If your organization would like
to get on the program, email Colleen Grant at iHeartMedia
dot com. Here are all episodes on this station's podcast page.
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